Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Chess Buddy?

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 18:32:04 -0500

PRODUCT PROFILE:
Mobile Phones Offer New Challenge for Chess Players

By Jay Wrolstad
Wireless NewsFactor
March 18, 2003
http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/21031.html

It may not equal the intensity of world champion Garry Kasparov matching wits with IBM's
Deep Blue
computer, but a new chess game for amateurs does let players go head to head with their
mobile
phones.

ChessBuddy, developed by Netherlands-based Coffeebreak Media, plays at four levels,
ranging from
easy to pro, and features an artificial intelligence engine that turns the phone into a
formidable
opponent. And because chess can be a time-consuming game, players can save up to five
matches
for completion at a later date.

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New Definition of Smartphones

While most mobile games tend to get old quickly, ChessBuddy, due to the nature of the
game, offers an almost-unlimited number of game situations to keep play interesting and
challenging, Niek van Suchtelen, technical manager at Coffeebreak Media, told NewsFactor.

"The challenge was to build a very small chess engine that was efficient enough to run
effectively on relatively slow mobile devices," he said. To meet those constraints,
ChessBuddy's artificial intelligence brain was built from scratch and has fast response
times in most game-play situations.

The game's other assets, said van Suchtelen, are eye-grabbing color graphics and a user
interface simple enough that even
technophobes can enjoy it. The moves are animated, and switches on the side of the board
indicate who has the next move. Chess clocks keep the game moving.

Carriers Get into the Game

To start play, the user chooses a difficulty level and moves the first piece, after which
the move switches will turn on, and the phone will start thinking. After a few seconds, a
countermove is made by the phone. Play continues in that fashion until either party has
been checkmated. The game can be saved at any point and resumed later.

ChessBuddy runs on a variety of Java (J2ME)-enabled mobile phones from Nokia, Motorola and
Siemens. Versions for new devices will be offered as they are rolled out by manufacturers.
Nextel currently sells the game in the United States, as do mobile software distributors
Handango and Midlet.com. AT&T Wireless is expected to join the list of distributors soon,
van Suchtelen said.

Depending on the source, users may need a subscription to purchase the game and download
it to their phones. Typically,
ChessBuddy sells for US$14.95 with unlimited play.

Familiar Pastime

"We've seen a significant rise in sales since the introduction and acceptance of
color-screen devices, and we think that sales will
continue this trend upwards as more of these phones hit the market," said van Suchtelen.

Board games like chess are a natural addition to mobile gaming platforms because they are
well known and do not require
complicated directions or manuals. "Many of the new games are action- or fantasy-oriented,
aimed at younger consumers," IDC analyst Dana Thorat told NewsFactor, "but this appeals to
a broader audience. There are a lot of chess players out there, many of whom may find this
attractive."

For carriers, gaming has become a major driver of data services adoption, Thorat added,
along with ringtones and SMS. "I think Nextel is a good fit, because they tend to have
more high-end customers who are more attracted to chess and perhaps less interested in
multiplayer games."

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