ExaChess Downloads
ExaChess Lite
ExaChess Lite, the free reduced-feature version of ExaChess, includes the ExaChess (Pro) full user documentation.
- ExaChess Lite 4.0.2 (recommended) (version 4.0, 3.5MB - dmg file)
- ExaChess Lite 3.1.3 for OS X versions earlier than 10.3.9 (version 3.1.3, 1.7MB - dmg file)
ExaChess
ExaChess (Pro) is not available for general download. Please try ExaChess Lite as a demo version. See Ordering for information on how to order ExaChess.
If you are a registered user of any prior version of ExaChess, then ExaChess 4 is a free upgrade (electronic delivery option only). Contact Exant Software (the publisher of ExaChess) for download information.
UCI Chess Engines
ExaChess 4 supports UCI chess engines, of which there are several for the Macintosh. ExaChess includes the strong Fruit engine, and is compatible with the very strong commercial HIARCS engine.
- Fruit. This is a very strong UCI chess engine developed by Fabien
Letouzey. It was commercially available for short period in its development, but
was originally and is again freely available. The latest release is Fruit 2.2.1.
- Fruit 2.2.1 from the FruitChess site (0.3 MB)
- HIARCS. A powerful World Championship winning commercial chess engine available
direct from the developer.
- HIARCS Chess web site.
Chess playing programs
Earlier versions of ExaChess implemented an AppleEvents interface, and a number of Mac chess playing programs were modified to support this interface. The included ZZZZZZ is one such program. The information below pertains to these programs, but needs checking to bring it up to date. ExaChess 4 continues to offer the AppleEvents interface.
The following chess playing programs for the Macintosh can use ExaChess as a front end and can act as analysis engines for positions within ExaChess. In alphabetical order:
- Crafty. Bob Hyatt's freeware program. Version 14.11C is fully
compatible with ExaChess. Note that a number of available Mac versions of
Crafty do not work with ExaChess. Compatible versions are Crafty 14.11C (a
Carbon application), Crafty 14.11B (a Classic application) and Crafty 11.13.
The newest of these supports the new AppleEvent suite required for analysis
as a game is browsed and game annotation from within ExaChess.
- Crafty 14.11C from this site (1 MB)
- Source code for Crafty 14.11C (0.3 MB)
- The Crafty FTP site has many extras, including very large opening books, endgame table databases, and full source code for the latest Unix and Windows versions.
- GnuChessMac. Dan Oetting's cleaned up version of GnuChess 4 for
the Mac. Not updated to support the latest AppleEvent suite and therefore
can't annotate games from within ExaChess.
- GnuChessMac 4.0 from this site (180K)
- Source code for GnuChessMac (232K)
- MacChess. Wim Beusekom's freeware chess program. Only versions
3.0e and 4.0e work with ExaChess; the 68K version (MacChess 2.5) and the
5.01 version do not. Not updated to support the latest AppleEvent suite and
therefore can't annotate games from within ExaChess.
- MacChess 4.0e from this site (453K, PPC only - sit file)
- MacChess 5.01 from Info-mac (490K, PPC only, English language version, not ExaChess compatible - hqx file)
- Screamer. William Bryant's freeware chess program. Largely
compatible with ExaChess. A new version of Screamer (Screamer II, a Carbon
application) has been promised but hasn't yet appeared. The Screamer site is no
longer up.
- Screamer 1.0 (build 57) from this site (1 MB, PPC only - sit file)
- Screamer 1.0 (build 57) from Info-mac (1 MB, PPC only - hqx file)
- Sigma Chess. Ole Kjaer Christensen's chess program. Featuring
beautiful graphics and an optional 3D board, it is a Carbon application
available in a freeware Lite version and a registered version. Version 6.0
is largely compatible with ExaChess.
- SigmaChess 6.0 from the SigmaChess site (2.9 MB, sit file)
- Vanessa Chess. Manfred Schubert's freeware chess program for Mac
OS 8, 9. Largely compatible with ExaChess. Has an attractive user interface
and many features including support for multiple simultaneous games and
extensive Applescript support.
- Vanessa Chess 2.1.1 from the Schubert-it site (2.0 MB, sit file)
- Vektor3. Manfred Schubert's shareware chess program for Mac OS X.
Largely compatible with ExaChess. Similar to Vanessa Chess with attractive
user interface and many features including web publishing and print
publishing.
- Vektor3 3.2.1 from the Schubert-it site (2.4 MB, dmg file)
- ZZZZZZ. An updated version of ZZZZZZ (version 3.6, fully
compatible with ExaChess) is included with ExaChess Lite and ExaChess Pro.
- Source code for ZZZZZZ (412K)
Chess fonts
Various freeware and commercial chess fonts are now available on the Internet.
- The Nørresundby Chess Club site is an excellent reference page to chess fonts available on the Internet, most of which can be downloaded directly from the site.
- Alpine Electronics sells the three high quality fonts known as Hastings, Linares and Zurich.