Name: Chess Studio
Rating: 5 (3 reviews)
Author: Gambit Publications

Description

Ever wanted to read your favourite chess books and be able to instantly play over the moves on screen? The revolutionary new Chess Studio, from renowned chess publishers Gambit, enables you to do that, and more. After downloading the free app, purchase your choice of classic chess e-books from the Gambit library and begin.

• text laid out in usual clear Gambit style
• play over moves and variations on screen
• accompanying text scrolls automatically
• tap any chess move and the position appears on the board
• easily navigate through complex variations
• search function for words, phrases, player names
• move swiftly between games and chapters
• choice of layout options - including flip board
• free sample text available to try out the app

Chess Studio represents an enjoyable and portable new way of reading chess books, designed by chess players for chess players. Overseeing every aspect of the app design was Grandmaster John Nunn, one of the best-respected figures in the chess world and three-times World Chess Solving Champion.

29 May 2018

Version 3.0

Here are the main new features, although there are too many minor improvements to list:
1. The app now works in portrait mode as well as landscape.
2. The live board can be resized and made considerably larger than in Chess Studio 1, especially in portrait mode.
3. There’s an analysis engine.
4. You can enter your own moves on the live board. This enables to try out your own moves, an especially useful feature when used with the engine.
5. You can create named bookmarks for each book, so that you can easily return to specific points in the book. The bookmarks are stored and will be available the next time you open the book.
6. The live board screen colours can be customised according to taste.
7. Scrolling speed and text display have been improved.

5.0 out of 5

3 Ratings

Shaping up to be the best chess book app

The newest version is quick and responsive, polished. Books available are generally of great quality (Gambit has always been a strong publisher), but the selection is still rather limited. I would appreciate a black repertoire book on offer to complement Watson's excellent white repertoire. As books are added, this will surely become my most used chess app.

Innovative

This is a great way to read chess books! You understand far more by seeing the chessboard position change each move anyway. Until now this has usually required more cumbersome methods.
I think the pattern recognition gained is a greatly underestimated way of learning chess. Go Gambit!

Well-thought-out app

This app is a significant improvement on the style of chess reader offered by Chessbase and Everyman. Now that iOS7 has come out the skeuomorphic design is already looking a bit quaint, but the way the app works is very clever and useful. I look forward to more Gambit publications being made available in this format.

One feature that the app lacks that is really needed is a bookmark function. It's going to take you weeks to work your way through something like Nunn's Chess Endings, and it's easy to forget exactly which position you'd reached after a gruelling session trying to absorb this difficult material.

Update: Version 1.0.1 fixes the preceding bookmark problem! Now when you reopen the app you go straight back to the point in the text you last were. This is just what I wanted!

Update 2: And now that the bookshelves and fake woodgrain have gone, all my problems with the app have disappeared. I've purchased several titles, which have all been of high quality.

Information

Provider: Gambit Publications Ltd
Size: 15 MB
Category: Books
Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Languages: English
Age Rating: 4+
Copyright: © Gambit Publications
Price: Free
In-App Purchases: Gambit Free Samples

Understanding Chess Move by Move £13.99

Understanding Chess Endgames £13.99