Icon of program: Pawn

Pawn for Windows

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Editors’ Review

Download.com staff

Pawn is a basic chess game designed for beginners. It's nothing fancy, but that's exactly the point; it lets users hone their chess skills in a simple, easy-to-navigate environment.

The interface is clean, with a wood grain chess board and traditional, easy-to-recognize chess pieces. Gameplay is as easy as dragging and dropping the pieces into the appropriate spots. The program helpfully outlines the opponent's last move in yellow so that novice players can keep up with the action. The built-in Help file adequately explains the program's features, but does not provide any information on how chess is played; true beginners will need to look elsewhere to find the rules. While many chess games allow users to fuss around with different styles of boards and pieces, Pawn sticks to the basics, with a few extra features throw in specifically for beginners. Users can move the action backward and forward to analyze their and their opponent's strategy. The computer's error level can also be adjusted so that the game's difficulty is gradually increased as the player improves. We haven't played chess in years and appreciated being able to set the program to an enjoyably challenging level; we didn't win, but we were evenly matched against the computer.

Pawn is free with no limitations. The program comes as a ZIP file and does install a desktop icon without asking, but it uninstalls cleanly. We recommend this program for beginning and intermediate chess players, or anyone looking for a functional, no-frills chess game.

What’s new in version 4.01

Version 4.01 adds option for showing the intro message.
Icon of program: Pawn

Pawn for Windows

Download now

Used Pawn for Windows? Share your experience and help other users.

Explore More

Full Specifications

GENERAL
Release
Latest update
Version
4.01
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Platform
Windows
Operating System
  • Windows 95
  • Windows Server
  • Windows 10
  • Windows XP
  • Windows ME
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 98
  • Windows 2000
  • Windows 2003
  • Windows 7
Additional Requirements
None
POPULARITY
Total Downloads
88,676
Downloads Last Week
1
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Program available in other languages

Last Updated

User Reviews

3.9/5

9 User Votes

Developer’s Description

By Thomas Starke
Play chess from beginner's mode to club level.

Pawn is a freeware chess program with an easy to use interface especially for beginners and intermediate players. Playing strength reaches up to club level but can be adjusted in several options. A special beginner's mode lets the program make mistakes. The window is resizable.

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