Chessmaster on the NES is basically the granddaddy of digital chess—it's Chessmaster 2000, but tweaked to run on your Nintendo. The AI's not bad for an 8-bit opponent, though it definitely has that old-school habit of pausing dramatically before making a move like it's calculating the fate of the universe.

You get a few different board styles (wood grain, marble—classic stuff) and the option to play against a friend if you’ve got someone willing to huddle around the same screen. No fancy tutorials here—just you, the pieces, and that satisfying *click* when you confirm a move. The music’s exactly what you’d expect: vaguely medieval synth that loops until you mute it.

It’s chess. On a NES. What more do you want?