PC Chess Software: HIARCS Chess Explorer Apps
HIARCS Chess Explorer Pro
The ultimate chess database, analysis and playing software for Windows PC

New HIARCS 15 chess engines, huge advance on HIARCS 14 WCSC
Suitable for all players from beginners to the World Chess Champion with human-like play
Playing ability: Beginner (750 Elo) to World Championship strength and beyond (3300+ Elo)†
Languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish
HIARCS Chess Explorer Pro is a new highly advanced chess database, analysis and playing program for PC Windows computers. It offers a very powerful user interface with the strongest ever HIARCS chess engine and world class chess database features. This advanced software supports major chess database formats from Chessbase CBH and CBV files, the chess standard PGN and the new fast and powerful HCE format which supports huge databases only limited by memory. Move your chess forward with the best chess software for PC Windows. This unique combination offers easy to use features managing chess databases, preparation, analysis, play and training for players of all abilities from beginner to Grandmasters and beyond.
New HCE Pro version 1.1 with HIARCS 15.1 now available.
Key features include:
- Advanced Database Support
- HCE database format offers huge databases only limited by memory - 1GB per 8 million games
- Fast searching for players, openings, events, material, pawn structure and positions.
- Comprehensive game database support (PGN, HCE, reads Chessbase CBH, CBV and EPD)
- Extensive game notation with variations, comments, symbols, diagrams and named openings
- Export and publish your work, games and preparation to PGN, PDF, EPUB e-book and HTML
- Reference databases, manage databases, duplicate search and clean up, watch live games
- HIARCS 15 chess engines – more than 200 Elo stronger
- Full range of realistic set Elo levels with human like playing style, have your strength matched
- Very strong analysis & play, more than 200 Elo stronger than HIARCS 14 WCSC engine
- Supports up to 32† threads/cores, and any UCI Chess User Interface (Chessbase/Fritz)
- Player Explorer
- View reports on players, their games, performances and favourite openings and statistics
- Build tree of games and openings of players instantly into a player report with a single click
- Automated repertoire summaries for databases and players. Merge misspelled players
- Game, Opening and Tree Explorers
- Revolutionary multi-source chess trees with moves, statistics from games and advice
- Build an opening repertoire tree instantly from database games to learn and prepare openings
- Access huge online opening books, view multiple books & Chessbase CTG books simultaneously
- Analysis and Evaluation Explorers
- Analyse positions and games with multiple engines simultaneously with load management
- Multiple lines of analysis with stats, move selection and integrate analysis with game notation
- Check games for blunders, inaccuracies and improvements with post game analysis
- Custom Playing modes
- Play against the computer with human-like play and full range of handicap Elo levels
- Choose rating, time controls, start positions and even openings and Chess960 for practice
- Train with the guess the move feature, learn and improve your tactical and positional play
- Coach points out mistakes, shows move quality and hints. Rates your play in Elo points
- Engine matches – set up and watch them play or have them play out test or analysis positions
- Packaged Databases
- Top quality database with 300,000+ Master games, IM/GM annotated games, tactical exercises
- Online access to up over to 1,000 GB of endgame tablebases and opening book databases
- Local book with latest GM Theory and access to much larger online books




HIARCS Chess Explorer Pro for PC is a software download product fulfilled immediately by email. It is the ultimate chess application for PC with world class chess user interface, chess engines and chess games databases, opening books and endgame tablebases
HIARCS Chess Explorer
The classic chess database, analysis and playing program for Windows PC

World Chess Software Champion HIARCS 14 chess engine
Suitable for players from beginners to the Grandmasters with human-like play
Playing ability: Beginner (750 Elo) to World Champion strength (3100 Elo)†
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish
HIARCS Chess Explorer is the established best chess software for chess database, analysis and game playing on PC Windows. It offers an intuitive graphical user interface with powerful features together with the World Chess Software Champion HIARCS 14 chess engine. The product is refreshingly easy to use and includes many features for managing chess databases, chess preparation, analysis and training for players of all abilities from beginner to Grandmaster.
Key features include:
- Advanced chess user interface, PGN chess database, analysis and game play
- World Chess Software Champion HIARCS engine, supports UCI chess engines
- Realistic levels for players of all strengths with coach advice, rates your play in Elo
- Game analysis, blunder check, learn/prep openings, instant trees and DB searching
- Player repertoire, opening books, analyse, play games, run engine matches
- Packaged PGN databases (35,000+ games) and opening books with statistics
- Online access to chess endgame tablebases & GM opening book




HIARCS Chess Explorer for PC is a software download product fulfilled immediately by email. It is the established leading desktop chess application for PC Windows with an advanced chess user interface.
Features | HIARCS Chess Explorer Pro | HIARCS Chess Explorer |
---|---|---|
Platform | from $69.95 | from $49.95 |
PC Windows | ✓ Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 | ✓ Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 |
Displays | Up to 4k | Up to 4k |
64 Bit Support | ✓ | ✓ |
64 Bit Optimised | ✓ | ✗ |
Engine | ||
Engines Included | HIARCS 15, 15.1 | HIARCS 14 |
Single Core Rating | 4GB, 3300 Elo | 2GB, 3100 Elo |
Deep Edition | upto 16 cores, 16GB, 3400+ Elo | ✗ |
Premium Edition | upto 32 cores, 32GB, 3450+ Elo | ✗ |
Supports add-on UCI Engines | ✓ | ✓ |
Engine matches | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
Endgame tablebase support | Nalimov and Syzygy | Nalimov only |
Gameplay | ||
Play against computer | ✓ | ✓ |
Rates your play in Elo | ✓ | ✓ |
Play Elo rated opponents | 750-3300 | 750-3100 |
In-game coaching | ✓ | ✓ |
Play using Millennium boards | ✗ Planned for v1.2 | ✓ |
Databases | ||
Database games included | 350k games | 35k games |
Max database size | 30 million games | 2 million games |
Annotated | 1400 games | 800 games |
Tactical test databases | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
PGN Database Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Chessbase CBH, CBV Support | ✓ | ✗ |
HCE Advanced Databases | ✓ | ✗ |
Books | ||
Online Book Access | ✓ | ✓ |
Extra Book Downloads | Add-On Option | Add-On Option |
Online Endgame Navigation | ✓ (Deep/Premium) | ✗ |
CTG Book Support | ✓ | ✗ |
Data Views | ||
Game Explorer | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
Player Explorer | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
Opening Explorer | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
Analysis Explorer | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
Tree Explorer | ✓ | ✗ |
Evaluation Explorer | ✓ | ✗ |
Database Statistics | ✓ | ✗ |
Database Search | ||
Filtering | ✓ | ✓ |
Quick Search | ✓ | ✓ |
Header Search | ✓ | ✓ |
Position Search | ✓ | ✓ |
Material Search | ✓ | ✗ |
Pawn Structure Search | ✓ | ✗ |
Opening Search | ✓ | ✗ |
Advanced Search | ✓ | ✗ |
Game Analysis | ||
Game Analysis | ✓ (advanced) | ✓ |
Batch Game Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
Comments and Variation | ✓ | ✓ |
Complex Nested Variations | ✓ | ✗ |
Advanced Features | ||
Reference Databases | ✓ | ✗ |
WorkBase autosave | ✓ | ✗ |
Find Duplicates | ✓ | ✗ |
Compare Duplicates | ✓ | ✗ |
Compact Database | ✓ | ✗ |
Tournament Tables | ✓ | ✗ |
Pop Up Variation Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
Advanced Graphics | ✓ | ✗ |
Layout Management | ✓ | ✗ |