Checker-wise

Category

Description of App

With Checker-wise you can play international 10x10 checkers. Its most unique feature is an interface to the database of the games of the Dutch national checkers competition.

A lot of attention has been paid to the graphics, with the aim to make it look beautiful, without any distracting bling-bling. All moves are animated. You can choose from 2 different sets of pieces.

Checker-wise has VoiceOver integration, making it the only mobile checkers application which is fully accessible to blind users.

PLAY
Games can be either for 1 or 2 players, and either with or without a clock. Of course, all the standard features like swapping sides or rotating the board are available. The engine contains a strong opening book.

ANALYZE

Checker-wise contains a separate screen for analyzing positions. You can try out side variations and return to the main line with a simple double tap on the corresponding move in the move list. You can ask the engine for an evaluation.

SETUP
You can setup a position using an intuitive interface.

REPLAY
Look through the game you just played, and email the game notation, or copy it to the clipboard.

TOURNAMENT BASE
Checker-wise contains an interface to all of the games of the Dutch national checker competition. You can not only play through the games of the masters, but also analyse their games with the onboard engine, or take over the play from any position. And new games are added every week!

EXERCISES
Finally, there is a large collection of exercises which keeps track of which ones you've solved.

Each of these features alone is worth the price of Checker-wise! And regular updates expand the possibilities of Checker-wise even more.

Checker-wise is based on the Tjes engine (developed by me in 1996).

Enjoy!

Version

2.3

Free or Paid

Paid

Apple Watch Support

Not Known

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

Accessibility Comments

This App is from Marcel Nijman, the IOS Developer who created the first VoiceOver accessible IOS CHess App, Chess-wise. Like Chess-wise, the Checker-wise game board and all other sections of the App can be accessed using VO. I've written a very brief and basic explanation of how to navigate this App and how to begin play using VO. That explanation can be found in the "Other comments" section below.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads all page elements.

Button Labeling

All buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver and is easy to navigate and use.

Other Comments

Here is my own brief explanation of how to play the most basic version of an untimed round against the computer. I'm an amatuer at this game, so this is presented just as a primer on how to get oriented to the game board and how to perform basic piece moves. This explanation assumes you are holding your i-Device in portrait mode with the Home button closest to you. This explanation also assumes you are familiar with the basic layout of a checker board. 1. From the main menu, double-tap "Play" to expand the Play menu. VO will announce, "Play submenu opened." 2. Double-tap "1 Player." This will open the next submenu level. 3. Double-tap "casual." This will close the menu and present you with the game board. 4. All elements on the game board screen are properly labeled. The top left corner holds a Back button, the top center holds a popup history of moves, and the top right holds an indicator of who moves next. below the top row is the game board itself, and below that is a row containing buttons for a menu, a new game and controls to move back and forth through the game. 5. The initial game board is laid out in a 10x10 grid with the 20 black pieces occupying the 4 rows furthest from the Home button, which I will call the "Top" of the screen, and the 20 white pieces occupying the 4 rows closest to the Home button, which I will call the "bottom" of the screen. 6. The checkerboard squares are labeled by number, 1 through 50 with square 1 located in the top left corner and square 50 located in the bottom right corner. As you run your fingertip over the board, VO will announce the number of the square you are touching and, if a game piece is currently occupying that square, VO will also announce the color of that piece. 7. By default, you are controlling the white pieces and the computer is controlling the black pieces. You move first. 8. Moving a piece is a two-step process. Step 1: Select the piece you want to move by touching it and double-tapping anywhere on the screen. VO will announce, "Selected." Step 2: Touch the target square where you'd like the piece to land and then double-tap. If you've attempted to make an illegal move, the piece will not move and VO will announce, "Illegal move." If your move was legal, the piece will move but you'll hear no verbal confirmation. What you will quickly hear is the computer's next move which VO will announce simply as "A" to "B" where "A" and "B" are source and target square numbers.

Recommendations

2 people have recommended this app

Most recently recommended by Bryan Jones 4 years 10 months ago

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Comments

By Zoe Victoria on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 - 22:37

I haven’t won a game yet, whether the computer is really good or I’m really bad i can’t be sure. The interface has changed quite a lot since you submitted this entry, you should probably check it out.