Chess Vision Trainer for Windows

It's not often that we can say that a software program is both annoying and successful. But in this case, both are true.

A genuine training program rather than a game itself, this application is aimed at teaching chess players better visualization and strategic skills. To this end, it always displays the position of the pieces as they were a half turn or more in the past, rather than as they actually are. In theory, this forces a player to keep moves in his or her head, rather than constantly relying on rechecking the board. We can't say that we achieved Grandmaster status while testing the program, but the theory seems sound; and indeed, we certainly found ourselves exhausted as quickly as if we were studying for an exam.

The interface and graphics are simplistic here, but that's not the point. Any chess player who wants a little intellectual basic training may find this a useful taskmaster.