Guess the move - advance with arrow

[bcalmac]

In "Guess the Move" mode, one can click on the double triangle icon to advance to the next move. Would it be possible to also advance with the right arrow key? This was the behavior in HCE "Hide next moves".

I think there's still use cases for hiding moves while providing a convenient way to advance to the next move. Say I'm reviewing an unknown game and I want to casually "guess" the next move. Then I would just think about the move and then press the right arrow key. It's hard to chase that small icon every time.

"Guess the move" in HCE Pro works great for puzzles, but for games it would be good to have a convenient way to advance.

[bcalmac]

Alternatively, I wouldn't mind getting back the "Hide next moves" functionality from HCE.

[mrudolf]

Alternatively, I wouldn't mind getting back the "Hide next moves" functionality from HCE.

Yes, we are trying to merge hide next moves with guess the move. Is right arrow enough for that?

[bcalmac]

I’ve experimented a bit with both HCE and HCE Pro and I still find “hide next moves valuable”. Using “skip” with “guess the move” doesn’t have the normal move animation (this can be fixed) and it advances by 2 half moves, which is not what you want when you just go through a game.

I would also be OK with a mode where the notation is hidden completely, like closing the notation panel in Chessbase.

But minimally, the right arrow would indeed be an improvement.

[mrudolf]

I’ve experimented a bit with both HCE and HCE Pro and I still find “hide next moves valuable”. Using “skip” with “guess the move” doesn’t have the normal move animation (this can be fixed) and it advances by 2 half moves, which is not what you want when you just go through a game.

I would also be OK with a mode where the notation is hidden completely, like closing the notation panel in Chessbase.

But minimally, the right arrow would indeed be an improvement.

Yes, right arrow won't solve it, because it will jump by two moves, not by one.
So, probably we need a separate "Hide moves" mode.

[KLc]

I'm really looking forward to have the "Hide next moves" from old HCE back (In addition to "Guess the move", which is nice as well for opening training)!

[KLc]

Also +1 for right arrow to skip a half move in "Guess the move". Imagine training opening lines for black. "Guess the move" is perfect for this but it starts with the first move always (which is White's move in this case).

[KLc]

I've just noticed that there's "Color to Play" button in the "Guess the move" window. This is great. One needs to activate it in a black repertoire for every line, however. But staying on a fixed color is maybe also not optimal if one works on a tactic sets. Maybe there could be color options "White/Black/Automatic" which are preserved!?

[mrudolf]

I've just noticed that there's "Color to Play" button in the "Guess the move" window. This is great. One needs to activate it in a black repertoire for every line, however. But staying on a fixed color is maybe also not optimal if one works on a tactic sets. Maybe there could be color options "White/Black/Automatic" which are preserved!?

Yes, this makes sense.

[KLc]

A "hint" function in guess the move would also be highly valuable. It could highlight the piece to be moved for example. A second hint could maybe draw the arrow where the piece goes (I still prefer doing the move by myself). Chessbase also has a hint functionality in their replay training, maybe you can have a look at this.

Next, since you're saving some "metadata" about databases anyways you could save statistics on the performance of "guess the move" and offer spaced repetition. But maybe fixing bugs and adding simple functionality like a hint function should be the priority for now...

[KLc]

I've just noticed that there's "Color to Play" button in the "Guess the move" window. This is great. One needs to activate it in a black repertoire for every line, however. But staying on a fixed color is maybe also not optimal if one works on a tactic sets. Maybe there could be color options "White/Black/Automatic" which are preserved!?

Yes, this makes sense.

In addition to White/Black/Automatic there should also be "Both", which could be used for example when trying to memorize a whole game.

[KLc]

If there are variations, it would be nice if only the first move is shown in "guess the move mode" so that one can work through them as well.

[EloDeficit]

Having just tried Guess The Move with puzzles downloaded from Chess.com, it worked very well.

However, the “Color to play” button needs to be clocked for each of these puzzles. I can imagine other puzzles not starting with the opponent's last move and not requiring this action.

Maybe an easy solution could be simply assigning a shortcut key for changing sides. One would not have to click on a relatively small toolbar button with the mouse, which is more cumbersome.

[mrudolf]

Having just tried Guess The Move with puzzles downloaded from Chess.com, it worked very well.

However, the “Color to play” button needs to be clocked for each of these puzzles. I can imagine other puzzles not starting with the opponent's last move and not requiring this action.

Maybe an easy solution could be simply assigning a shortcut key for changing sides. One would not have to click on a relatively small toolbar button with the mouse, which is more cumbersome.

Perhaps you should be able to select whether it starts with side to move (most puzzles) or the opposite side (for puzzles with previous move provided).
I will need to think about it, as the best would be to limit the need for user's repetitive actions.

[bcalmac]

@mrudolf, thanks for adding "Hide next moves" in 1.2!