This page contains answers to common questions you
may have, along with some tips
and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as questions. This page
will grow over time as new questions and answers are added.
- Which computers will Sigma Chess HIARCS run
on?
- How do I install Sigma Chess HIARCS on
my Macintosh?
- How do I install the HIARCS 10
chess engine?
- How do I register and activate the full
capabilities of HIARCS?
- Is Hiarcs the strongest Macintosh chess
program?
- What levels are there for the
beginner and average club player?
- Is there a HIARCS chess product
for the older Mac Classic OS 7, 8 or 9?
Sigma Chess HIARCS is compatible with Apple Macintosh computers running Mac
OS X 10.1 or later.
It is compatible with the new "Mini Mac" computers.
First download the Sigma Chess HIARCS product from our Macintosh
download page.
Once you have downloaded the Sigma Chess HIARCS zip archive, move the
archive to the Applications folder. You can unpack the archive by double
clicking on the archive icon. You will now have a Sigma Chess HIARCS folder in
your Applications folder.
For further details please read the How
to Install document.
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You will first need the Sigma Chess HIARCS product which contains a high
quality UCI capable Graphical User Interface. Once you have the Sigma Chess
HIARCS product installed correctly, the following steps will install the
HIARCS 10 chess engine.
1) Downloaded the HIARCS10.zip archive and
save the
archive into the /Applications/Sigma Chess HIARCS/HIARCS folder.
2) You can unpack the archive by double
clicking on the archive icon. The archive will unpack a Hiarcs10 folder
containing the Hiarcs10 chess engine, small opening book, ReadMe and License
files. The chess engine is now installed on your harddisk and the last step is
to tell the Sigma Chess GUI about this new chess engine.
3) Start Sigma Chess and open the Engine Manager dialog via the
Analyze->Engine Manager menu item.
4) In the Engine Manager dialog select the "Add.." button and
browse to the Hiarcs10 folder and select the "Hiarcs10" chess
engine. The engine will then be loaded into Sigma Chess and can now be used.
Registered customers should ensure a valid license key is contained either
in their home folder or in the "Hiarcs10" folder so that Hiarcs 10
runs fully activated.
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In order to activate the HIARCS chess engine you must first purchase
and register the product.
To register the product you will need the unique registration code which is
found on the initial HIARCS start up dialog and also in the Engine Manager
when the HIARCS engine is selected. You can reach the Engine Manager dialog
via the Analyze->Engine->Engine Manager... menu item.
You will see the registration code in the Author section (near the top) of
the Engine Manager dialog. It is contained within <> and takes the form
<XX-XXXX-XXXX-XX>, for example MU-45C1-9ADB-12.
Please email your registration code and purchase order reference number to hiarcs@hiarcs.com
and in response you will receive an activation license key by email
attachment.
Simply save the license key into the HIARCS folder (e.g.
/Applications/Sigma Chess HIARCS/HIARCS) on your Macintosh to activate the
HIARCS chess engine.
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The HIARCS 10 chess engine on the Macintosh is a significant improvement
on the HIARCS 9.0 chess engine currently available for PC computers. The
HIARCS 9.0 chess software has been extensively tested and ranks higher on the
SSDF rating lists than any other chess software available on the Macintosh.
The HIARCS 10 chess engine is significantly stronger than the HIARCS 9 and
9.6 chess engine. This means with HIARCS you have the strongest chess program
available on Apple Macintosh computers. Depending on your Macintosh hardware
you can have World Championship Chess strength of 2800+ Elo.
In conjunction with Sigma Chess Pro, HIARCS can provide you with customised
opponents from beginner at 1250 Elo to Super Grandmaster at 2800 Elo. In
addition Sigma Chess can provide Elo rating statistics so you can have your
progress measured and even graphically presented.
Is there a HIARCS chess product
for the older Mac Classic OS 7, 8 or 9?
Yes, HIARCS was the first world class chess program to support the
Macintosh. We began supporting the Macintosh as far back as 1995. You will
find details our last product Hiarcs 7 for Macintosh
here which is still available from some retailers. We now support the Mac
OS X and no longer support the older Mac OS Classic 7, 8 or 9.
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Sigma Chess
6.1.3 HIARCS 10 for Macintosh OS X
Contains the Sigma Chess 6.1.3 GUI and HIARCS 10 UCI chess
engine for Apple Macintosh computers. Also
included is a small openings book and various Sigma chess libraries and
databases. For even stronger performance and opening theory we recommend
the addition of the free large or massive tournament openings book on this page
for registered customers. Until purchase, registration and activation Sigma
Chess HIARCS will operate in as a Lite product with restricted features.
Download
Sigma Chess HIARCS.dmg (4,444Kb)
IMPORTANT: Do NOT run the software directly from the Sigma
6.1.3 HIARCS 10 Installer volume. Instead copy the enclosed
Sigma 6.1.3 HIARCS 10 folder
from the volume to a suitable location on your hard drive (e.g. the
Applications folder). Then eject the volume.
Please
read the How to Install document in the download for details BEFORE using the
product or click here to read now.
Requires Apple Macintosh running Mac OS X 10.3 or later
- including the new Tiger 10.4 OS.
Not compatible with Mac OS 9 or earlier; or MS Windows.
Please read and agree to the HIARCS License.txt license agreement
before using the software.
Last updated: 29th December 2005.
HIARCS 10 chess engine for
Macintosh OS X
Contains the HIARCS 10 chess engine and new small openings
book. You will already need the Sigma Chess GUI or another UCI capable
Macintosh GUI to use this chess engine. Sigma Chess HIARCS owners simply need
to copy Hiarcs10 archive to their HIARCS folder and open the archive. Full
installation details are found in the Mac HIARCS FAQ.
Download HIARCS 10 chess engine
(404Kb)
Please read and agree to the HIARCS License.txt license agreement
before using the software.
Last updated: 11th December 2005.
HIARCS
9.6 chess engine for
Macintosh OS X
Contains the HIARCS 9.6 chess engine only. You will already need the Sigma Chess GUI or another UCI capable
Macintosh GUI to use this chess engine. Sigma Chess HIARCS owners simply need
to copy Hiarcs9.6 archive to their HIARCS folder and open the archive. Full
installation details are found in the Mac HIARCS FAQ.
Download HIARCS 9.6 chess engine
(177Kb)
Please read and agree to the HIARCS License.txt license agreement
before using the software.
Last updated: 11th December 2005.
Contains a large openings book for even stronger play with the
Macintosh HIARCS product. It is recommended that strong players update the standard
book which came in the Sigma Chess HIARCS 9.6 Pro download in order to get wider and deeper opening variations. This book has been
expanded by thousands of moves and improved. Offers 123,156 positions and
38,049 variations. This book is a superset of the medium book delivered in the
standard download.
Download
LargeBook.zip (755Kb).
Please read the ReadMe.txt file in the archive as this
explains how to install new opening books.
Last updated: 16th January 2005
Contains a massive tournament openings book for strongest opening play with the
Macintosh HIARCS product. This huge book offers 377,379 positions and 73,065 variations.
This book is a superset of the large opening book.
Download
HugeBook.zip (2,339Kb).
Please read the ReadMe.txt file in the archive as this
explains how to install new opening books.
Last updated: 16th January 2005