2024-07-12
Basic and ok
Limited features. Like the book availablility. However, I beat it with easy, set at 2000. No way it was playing at that strength.
Email games does not work. ????
Updating
iPhone Screenshots
iPad Screenshots
Description
The Pulsar Chess Engine plays chess and six variants all with adjustable levels : Chess960, Crazyhouse, Losers, Atomic, Three Checks and Giveaway. Games played that have a result or resignation are logged and can be reviewed. There are additional game collections when users open their log file of classic and modern master games including Fischer, Carlsen and Morphy collections. If the game is a chess game or Chess960, Crafty engine analysis is available.
The App's max strength is around Expert. Pulsar values mobility and active positions. In app there is an article with more on its playing style and how to train against it. With the variants, each has its own style. Chess960, Three Checks and Crazyhouse are the more chess like variants and adoptable to learn to play for anyone with interest. The rules of all games are in app.
Pulsar has levels of play from beginner too advanced. Games with a time control are the hardest though Pulsar doesn't call the player's time. The time is more to handicap Pulsar's strength, but users will have a clock and can see if it's gone negative if they want to play the time control.
The game button - configure game menu item, lets the user control the variant and difficulty. It defaults to Chess at Easy(lowest level) but remembers the current settings when the App restarts. There are choices of pieces and board color schemes. The Pulsar program was originally developed by me for computers starting in 1998 and came to mobile for the first time in 2014.
Pulsar's board is accessible to the blind using Voice Over, a screen reader. Tap on a square and it will say whats on it and double tap to move or choose from three move methods. A screen reader can normally read anything with text like a button, but a board is a collection of images. To make it accessible, text must be returned to Voice Over when a tap is in the area of a square.
Pulsar began as a chess program and later learned variants. It ran extensively on two servers for many years both at chess and variants. The ratings on the board reflect strength I saw in rated play on handicapped bots. They are not 100% exact but generalizations I made from the various bots I ran at different settings.
If in the new game selector, Play vs. Computer is unchecked the user can move for both sides. This is to allow two people at same location to use the App as a board for a game and have the app enforce move legality and results for whatever variant is selected.
What's New in Version 2.27
Crash Fix
Information
Developer
Categories
Version
2.27
Size
11.5 MB
Game Center
No
VPP Device Licensing
Yes
Rating
Rated: 4+
Compatibility
iOS 9.0 or later
Devices
iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e, iPhone 17, iPhone 17Pro, iPhone 17ProMax, iPhone Air, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro, iPad Pro (Cellular), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch) (Cellular), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11-inch), iPad Pro (11-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air (Cellular), iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 (Cellular), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini Retina, iPad mini Retina (Cellular), iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 (Cellular), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 4 (Cellular), iPad mini (5th Generation), iPad mini (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi), iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (9th Generation), iPad (9th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (6th Generation), iPad mini (6th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Air (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (10th generation), iPad (10th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPod touch (6th Generation), iPod touch (7th generation), Mac Desktop
Languages
English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
App Store: Customer Ratings
Ratings & Reviews
4.0 of 5 (12 Ratings)
App Store: Customer Reviews
2023-03-13
Fun app
Feels great to go up against another chess engine. I am really enjoying the app.
2022-09-25
Game works and is fun
I played the iPad version of this, on my iPad. The game worked very well. I enjoyed it. It would be nice if the game would tell me when my king is in check. I thought that the game had frozen. In fact, my king was in check. It is a fun and worthwhile game on the iPad.
Suggestions to the Author:
1. Please create a “Baby” level. “Easy” is too hard! Your game is relentless. It covers every piece that it advances.
2. When an enemy piece moves, please make this happen slowly. Your enemy pieces move so quickly that I can’t tell what happened. This is especially irksome when I think the enemy captured one of my pieces.
3. Please tell me when I’m in “check”.
4. A clearer statement of “check mate” would be helpful.
Thank you.
2022-06-18
Good, but a little weak
Hmmm... it blunderes mate in 2
2021-12-01
Excellent for Chess960 and other variants!
A nice surprise was when you win at a higher difficulty level it unlocks example professional player classical games.
2021-08-21
Good game and engine
I am enjoying playing this app after the recent update. The features are simple and easy to use and everything I want from a computer sparring partner. On issue I found is with the PGN, especially after queen promotions. In one file after 48…b2b1=Q, every subsequent move was listed as a pawn move even if a piece moved, and every black move had =Q, for example 49…f7f6=Q. Also, I try not to use undo/revert move feature, but it would good to have those moves recorded in braces.
2021-04-03
Pulsar cheats
When it moves to take a piece it will take an extra piece.
2020-12-16
Doesn't show level properly
Couldn't get it to display above a 1200 level, even when increasing processor time.
2020-11-23
No Frills, Great Features!
Deceptively primitive at first glance, this is a really solid chess app, with loads of useful features, and a very straightforward interface. I got it specifically for the Chess 960 variant, but it quickly became my favorite out of several, and I'm still exploring and learning. Kudos to the developers for adding value to the internet!
2020-09-21
screeee:}
simple more controlls then the standard easy fun , thank you !
2017-10-24
Great app. Exactly what I hoped existed now
I didn't think I would find an app that could play crazyhouse, much less beat me. This is exactly what I was looking for. Great app. Now I don't have to bore myself playin regular chess on my cell phone!
2015-02-06
Awesome sparring partner
Im a regular chess player approx 1700 uscf and I find pulsars style of play on the lower levels quit amusing and challenging. Its really a great training tool for beginners + its free.
The cons: a few bug here and there but if you e-mail the developer he is quick to respond and fixes up the issues.
I gave it 5 stars because I find the app highly addicting.
-David
2014-11-03
Houdini
This is the best chess app with a very powerful Houdini chess engine installed. Nice work.
2014-08-11
Garbage
This is probably the most garbage chess app on the market. It crashed and crashed. When it didn't crash the engine would not have moved. I want to ask the author why did you bother to waste your and my time on this rubbish?
2014-08-02
Wonderful Variety
Fun chess app that features a variety of variants. Wonderful considering no other chess app on the App Store has any chess variants
2014-04-10
Fun
Crazyhouse is good fun so it’s easy to look past the rough interface. Give it a try!