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Chessmaster, or “The Chessmaster” is one of the most commercially successful early chess programs. It was first released in the late 1980s. It really became well known in the 1990s with it being released not only on personal computers, but also game consoles like the NES and Super Nintendo, or the Famicom and Super Famicom, as well as handheld consoles like the original Nintendo Gameboy and Gameboy Color.

Some of the comments from my videos where I play retro chess programs mentioned Chessmaster. Here I have an original Gameboy cartridge of “The Chessmaster”. Now, I never had an original Gameboy as a kid in the 90s, but I did own a Gameboy Color in the late 90s when I was a few years into my university studies. This is an original Gameboy Color cartridge of “Chessmaster” – you can tell by the black rather than grey plastic. This is very similar to the original GB title, with colour!

Now, I have no idea where my GB Color from around 25 years ago is any more but with the magic of modern computing, you can play GB Color games on a range of retro emulation devices. Early in 2022, I bought the smallest fully functional retro handheld, the Funkey S (https://www.funkey-project.com/), which is extremely well built and designed. It’s a fraction of the size of the actual cartridge with a 1.5-inch screen. With the Chessmaster ROM this is probably the tiniest fully functional chess computer that is easily obtainable in 2022. Let’s play a game!

Chessmaster for the Gameboy Color doesn’t do well against the Vienna Game and I suspect this means that it wasn’t programmed with an opening library that includes the Vienna. I do well until move 16 where I hang my knight – it is a bit hard playing chess on a 1.5″ screen! Chessmaster seemed to make some weird shuffling moves which probably indicates some problem with its logic, at least, when set to a long level of play strength.

Luckily for me, I’m spared humiliation when Chessmaster blunders back a little while later and I’m given the opportunity to form a triple battery down the d-file. Firing two rooks and a queen down the file results in a lovely back rank mate! GG!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/431BMBZmT4

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.12.06"]
[Round "1"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "Chessmaster (GBC)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/3711094.c39cd81f.78x78o.51665d3176c1@2x@2x.jpeg"]
[WhiteCountry "17"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[WhiteElo "1350"]
[BlackUrl "https://adventuresofachessnoob.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/chessmaster.png"]
[BlackCountry "2"]
[BlackTitle ""]
[BlackElo "1000"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 {Vienna Game} 2... d5 $2 {[%c_effect
d5;square;d5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Chessmaster responds with the
aggressive d5, which is a mistake [+1.5]} 3. Nxd5 Qd6 4. Nf3 Bg4 $6 {[%c_effect
g4;square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] Stockfish doesn't like this
[+3.36]} 5. Bc4 $6 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] And
it doesn't like this either [+2.4] and recommends retreating the knight to e3}
5... Bh5 6. O-O Bg6 $4 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A
blunder [+6.8]} 7. d3 $2 {[%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A
relative mistake [+3.7] as there is an immediate opportunity to break in the
centre with d4} 7... Bh5 8. c3 $6 {[%c_effect
c3;square;c3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 8... Nc6 $6 {[%c_effect
c6;square;c6;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 9. d4 exd4 $2 {[%c_effect
d4;square;d4;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A mistake [+8.3] as the exchange is
favourable to White} 10. cxd4 $6 {[%c_effect
d4;square;d4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] A relative inaccuracy [+5.5] with
Stockfish identifying the immediate attack on the queen with Bf4} 10... Rd8 $6
{[%c_effect d8;square;d8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] An inaccuracy [+9.2]}
11. Qb3 Rb8 $6 {[%c_effect b8;square;b8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] These
shuffling moves are inaccuracies/errors [+10.4]} 12. e5 $6 {[%c_effect
e5;square;e5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] A relative inaccuracy [+7.44] -
developing the dark square bishop to f4 is best} 12... Qd8 13. Bg5 Qc8 14. Qe3 $6
{[%c_effect e3;square;e3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] An inaccuracy [+6.5]}
14... Qd7 $6 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] However,
these shuffling moves by White do it no favours [+10.6]} 15. Rae1 Ra8 16. Bb5 $4
{[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A ridiculous blunder that
hangs the knight [-2.37]} 16... Qxd5 17. Bxc6+ $2 {[%c_effect
c6;square;c6;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Flustered, I compound the mistake
[-4.12]} 17... Qxc6 $2 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 18.
Rc1 Qb6 19. b3 $2 {[%c_effect b3;square;b3;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A mistake
apparently [-4.2]} 19... Ba3 20. Rc4 Ne7 21. Bxe7 Bxe7 22. Rfc1 O-O 23. Rxc7
Qb4 $4 {[%c_effect b4;square;b4;type;Blunder;persistent;true] Black blunders back
the position [+2.4]} 24. d5 $4 {[%c_effect
d5;square;d5;type;Blunder;persistent;true] Stockfish disagrees with this [-3.4]
seeing a tactical line of attacking the queen and removing it as the defender of
the dark square bishop} (24. R1c4 Qa3 25. Ra4 Qb2 26. Rxe7 {and chess
continues...}) 24... Rfb8 $4 {[%c_effect
b8;square;b8;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A major blunder [+5.38]} 25. d6 {A
\"missed win\" as the previous tactic is still available} 25... Bf8 $2 {[%c_effect
f8;square;f8;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 26. Rd1 $4 {[%c_effect
d1;square;d1;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 26... Re8 27. d7 $6 {[%c_effect
d7;square;d7;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 27... Red8 28. Rdc1 Qb5 $2
{[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A mistake [0.00]} 29. Qd4
Rxd7 $4 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A major blunder
[+6.8]} 30. Rxd7 $1 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}
30... Bc5 $2 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This doesn't
deal with the impending threat [+20]} 31. Rxc5 Qb6 32. Rcd5 Bxf3 $2 {[%c_effect
f3;square;f3;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Without protecting the back rank from
check, mate is now unavoidable [+M3]} 33. Rd8+ Rxd8 34. Rxd8+ Qxd8 35. Qxd8#
{[%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;Winner,g8;square;g8;type;CheckmateBlack]} 1-0