by Steve Lopez

OK, I finally got my copy. My friends in Germany somehow forgot me this time around and I had to get a copy from CBUSA -- in fact, some of you had copies well in advance of me. So first let me apologize for my vague answers (or non-helpful answers) early in the week (although I still batted about .750, which isn't bad at all); I'm now equipped to check into things within the Fritz8 program.

It's Saturday as I write this and my copy came yesterday (Friday). So instead of a complete lowdown on all the new goodies in the program, let me instead address some questions I've received and/or which have popped up in the Interrant message boards over the last week or so. I'll have the "new goodie" lowdown after I've spent some more time with Fritz.

Q: The choices in the Opening Training menu are in German? How do I fix this?

A: This one's pretty easy to fix. Go to the Tools menu, select "Options" and then the "Language" tab. Make sure you have "English" selected for both "Program language" and "Alternative annotation language". This will make the Opening Training menu appear in English.

Q: I can't get the new 3D board to appear. What's going on?

A: This is a problem that I had on my system and I solved it quite by accident. First off, let me say that the system requirements for the new 3D boards aren't all that high. You don't need some monstrously RAM-eating 3D card to make it work; my graphics card only uses 6.5 MB of RAM and the new board displays fine on my machine.

But there are some other issues that come into play here:

1. You must have DirectX 8.1 installed for the new 3D board to work. You're given the option of installing DirectX 8.1 as part of the Fritz8 installation procedure (and, if you play computer games with 3D graphics that are less than a couple of years old, you probably already have it installed on your system). If you didn't install it as part of your Fritz8 installation, you can run the setup from the \DirectX folder on the Fritz8 CD #1 to do so.

2. Your graphics driver must be able to handle DirectX 8.1, so update your graphics driver. I recently had to do this to be able to run some drag racing game I recently bought; my original driver was two or three years old and predated DirectX 8. You can typically get updated drivers at the website for the company which made your graphics card (or sometimes even at the site for the company that manufactured your computer).

3. You must be running your monitor in 16-bit High Color or 32-bit True Color mode. This is the hole I fell into with my system -- I had the option of either 16-bit High Color or 24-bit (not 32-bit) True Color. I can't get the 3D board in True Color (and 24-bit is admittedly pretty weird), but in 16-bit High Color mode, the board works like a champ. So this is probably the first thing you should check into if the new 3D board isn't displaying. If it's still not working properly, then install DirectX 8.1, then update your driver as the final thing you try. (And, by the way, to check and change the graphics settings you can right-click on the Windows Desktop and select "Properties". Many machines also have a small icon for this near the clock on the Taskbar).

Q: What's the second CD (the Multimedia CD) for?

A: That CD contains the Talk files for Fritz (the files that allow it to talk during a game). That CD will need to be in the drive for you to be able to hear Fritz yak at you as you play.

Q: What's this "registration" business for the Playchess server?

A: You'll need to register your program now to play on the server. It's easy, quick, and painless. It's also a good idea -- even if you've had an existing account for a long time, you'll eventually get booted back to "Guest" status if you don't register. The first time you log on to Playchess after installing Fritz8, you'll be asked to type in your registration number as it appears on the front of your manual. Just type it in, click "OK", and go. It's easy.

Q: Do you plan to discuss the new Fritz8 features in ETN?

A: Of course. Yes. Absolutely. In fact, nearly all ETN references from now on will be to Fritz8 (although the older articles for Fritz6 and 7 are 99% applicable to 8 as well). In the coming weeks, we'll look at the new 3D board and other new features, and I'll likely be discussing some tweaks (like adding openings to the Openings Training menu). Just give me a little time to figure it out -- I've had the thing for just 24 hours as I type this.

Until next week, have fun!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

© 2002, Steven A. Lopez. All rights reserved.
Back issues of Electronic T-Notes from 1997 and 1998 are available on the ChessBase USA web page