Chessmaster 9000

What works

Gameroom, database, classic games library. Classroom tutorials launch but ask for CD which I didn't have (bought the game online)

In a nutshell, playable but *slow*. Forget it if you prefer speed chess :) 

What does not

Option buttons (when setting preferences) do not work.

Couldn't switch to 2D boards at all 

Sound

Classroom (partially due to CD, was very slow too)

Mentor and Thinking lines functions do not work or make the interface unresponsive

Workarounds

What was not tested

-Tutorials, CM live, Tournament etc.

-Winboard/Xboard compatible chess engines

Hardware tested

Graphics:

• GPU:
• Driver:

Additional Comments

Here's some additional details: -Using Chessmaster 9000 v1.02a -Using latest Slackware distro (Slackware-current) with KDE4.6 release candidate (also tried the game under XFCE and fluxbox with similar results) The game does not run out of the box but takes some trial and error. Try the following tweaks the first time you launch it: -Default 3D board remains invisible (can't see the squares or the pieces). Pick another board that renders correctly: -Preferences --> Chess Sets --> uncheck "Match Boards and Pieces" -pick a 3D board (Brass and Chrome worked for me) -pick "Black and White Figurine" under the Flat category (worked for me) -need to repeat steps above in gameroom, libraryroom etc -once configured, game runs slowly, a move may take 5 to 12 seconds to render, haven't tried it on a different PC yet. -Graphics issues with rendering and redraw, interface hangs at times. To resolve, switch to database or library room then back to gameroom. Disable Mentor and Thinking lines windows, which make the game unresponsive) -Under Preferences --> Board Settings --> check "Two Click Moves" -Database and classic games library worked well enough to step through grandmaster games. -Classroom starts up but asks for CD -Couldn't find a way to make option buttons work. -Sliding piece behavior on the board makes the game run even slower, and couldn't be disabled due to option buttons on the user interface not responding at all (checkboxes work though).