AlphaChess

Forget Deep Blue. The real fun in chess has always been in playing a true human opponent, who wavers and makes mistakes like you do. AlphaChess allows you to do just that, playing another live person over the Internet or over a local network. The interface is very simple, without flashy graphics, but you can select different colors for the board and choose from 20 different chess sets with different pictures for pieces. While playing, you can text chat with your opponent. There is no single-player version in this game--just like real chess, you have to find a real opponent and play online. But that's a whole lot easier than hanging out in your local coffee shop waiting for another chess lover to sit down for a match.