Apple Fails at Chess

[Master of Ossus]

This is one of Apple's ads for iPad 2. I spotted it while watching the US Open. I leave it to Gaming and Computers to discuss the actual device (I'm looking forward to getting mine), but I thought I would point out something that jumped out at me:

Apple fails hardcore at chess.

Pause their demo at 0:20, when they're talking about how "You could master something new." Well... they have not mastered this particular thing.

They play Qxc3??. This sacrifices the queen for a rook (way to squander 4 points, noobs). What's more, they did NOT play the obvious Bxd2+, which trades a bishop for a queen and preserves tempo because of the check. In fact, it's hard to come up with a WORSE move than what they did, because it not only sacrifices the 4 points in the exchange but also allows black to save the queen.

Looking at the board, I think the only possible thing that they could do which would be worse would be Qf7+??, which would sacrifice the queen for nothing, and permit black to save its own queen with Qxf7. However, Qf7 has zero value at all, so I can't believe that anyone would actually play it. Can anyone else see anything that Apple could do which would be worse?

[StarSword]

Dude, you have got way too much time on your hands.

[Raw Shark]

Apple fails hardcore at chess.

Pause their demo at 0:20, when they're talking about how "You could master something new." Well... they have not mastered this particular thing.

They play Qxc3??. This sacrifices the queen for a rook (way to squander 4 points, noobs). What's more, they did NOT play the obvious Bxd2+, which trades a bishop for a queen and preserves tempo because of the check. In fact, it's hard to come up with a WORSE move than what they did, because it not only sacrifices the 4 points in the exchange but also allows black to save the queen. [snip]

They're trying to show that the user is an utter noob, I think... "Here's my big fucking Queen coming atcha, what now!?" he says, ignoring the Bishop thing, as his opponent sighs and rolls his eyes. This new app can help even that guy! It must be so freakin' good a chimp could learn chess on it, am I right?

[TC Pilot]

Black isn't exactly a stellar player either. What the hell was going on in that game for him to leave his queen threatened by the bishop?

At least he didn't go "Knight to Queen 4" or some gibberish like that you hear a lot in media.

[Darth Fanboy]

MoO this is almost as funny as when you responded to Duchess' food line prediction by talking about how long you had to wait for a honeybaked ham.

At least I think that was you.

[Sriad]

Or maybe he's an extremely GOOD player who's forcing the game out of book for the hell of it.

[StarSword]

BTW, does anyone actually like 3d chess games? I like using real boards, but I can't think of any 3d video games I actually liked using; it's always hard to see and click to me.

LEGO Chess wasn't half-bad. Neither was that Battle Chess game they had on this old Mac at my high school. (The knight x knight animation was like the Black Knight scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, only different.)

[Ahriman238]

I don't mind 3-D chess games. They require a bit of a mental adjustment because of the new perspective, but that's one of the little things that keeps the game fresh.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Man, that Battle Chess game was awesome. I liked the King x Queen animation, where the Queen seduces the King, pulls a dagger but the King knows and smacks her with his mace. Awesome. and the rock-warrior Rooks.

[Surlethe]

Queen 4 = d4.

Unless it's black to move, in which case Queen 4 = d5. God, how did anybody play back games before modern algebraic notation?

[JointStrikeFighter]

I don't mind 3-D chess games. They require a bit of a mental adjustment because of the new perspective, but that's one of the little things that keeps the game fresh.

Funny I can't play chess in a 2d environment for shit but am fine on a real or 3d rendered board

[Master of Ossus]

Or maybe he's an extremely GOOD player who's forcing the game out of book for the hell of it.

Haha. That would definitely get the computer out of its opening book very quickly and force it to start calculating its moves.