AlterWay

AlterWay  v1.1 Description:

is a strategic chess game in which you must use one chess piece to take all the opponent's pieces in a limited number of moves. AlterWay is aimed at developing heuristic and combinatory thinking as well as at improving the skill of distributing one's attention over the whole chessboard and taking decisions under conditions of time deficit. In the practical chess aspect, the program helps consolidate knowledge about the chess pieces (their movements and captures), and trains the ability to make fast and accurate calculations. Of particular importance is the fact that the program teaches to take note of prospective interaction between pieces and make perfect use of it.

Pieces of both colors are involved in the game. You play for one side and have only one piece, the computer plays for the other side and has multiple fixed pieces. Any movements made on the board are your moves; the computer only devises puzzling positions and passively watches your actions, waiting for your error. Your task is to capture all of the other side's pieces within the limit; but each of your moves must be a capture.

The difficulty of a particular task is determined by the number of enemy pieces you must capture, the number of pieces at your disposal, and the time interval in which you must cope with the task. The more pieces are on the board, the more alternatives are available and hence the harder is the task. For each task you have successfully performed, the program gives you a certain number of points. The higher the difficulty level, the more points you get.