Play Chessmaster Online

I first played Chessmaster on my Game Boy in the early 90s, a portable version of the long running series published by The Software Toolworks. It was one of the few serious strategy games you could carry around back then, a solid alternative to the platformers and puzzle games that dominated the handheld. The small screen and monochrome graphics didn't feel like a limitation for chess; it was just chess, ready to go.

You control the white or black pieces, moving them one at a time across the familiar grid. The main objective is to checkmate your opponent's king, either against the computer or by passing the Game Boy back and forth with a friend. The game's signature mechanics include a library of classic openings to study and a teaching mode where the computer explains its moves and suggests better ones for you. The pacing is entirely your own, but the computer opponent can be surprisingly tough on higher difficulty settings. It feels like having a patient, sometimes ruthless, chess tutor in your pocket.