Is Fritz & Chesster down?

Learn to think strategically, try out tricky mental exercises and master fun and exciting challenges – all with a generous helping of chess knowledge. These things and more await you on this unusual chess adventure that has already received great international acclaim.Start playing Fritz & Chesster Volume 1 and join Prince Fritz and his cousin Bianca on their journey through the rules of chess and many tactical motifs.Once upon a time there was a small country, a very, very small country. And this very small country was ruled by a very wise king. In fact he was the wisest King there had ever been. And he was called "King White"This is the beginning of a very interesting new product by ChessBase: Fritz & Chesster. It is possibly also the most important piece of software created by the company, for a very simple reason.Like none of the other products, Fritz, Junior, Shredder, or even ChessBase itself, Fritz and Chesster is one that can recruit new players to the game.We predict that tens of thousands of children will take up chess because they had access to this program.Fritz and Chesster does not teach chess in the usual way. It does not set up a board and explain how each of the pieces move. Instead it targets children who have never played chess before in their lives and teaches them the basic rules in a Sesame Street like environment. There are cartoons and stories for the children to follow, and then there are tasks for them to solve interactively.Oh ye, Oh ye, Oh ye!Listen all young heroes wellWhom the chess game doth compel:Aspiring masters of the gameCome and enter here your nameThen I beg click on the sealThe world of chess awaits your zealEach piece and each rule is explained in a subgame, which you can play against the computer. Many of them are far away from the actual game of chess, but at the same time they give the children full insight into the sometimes daunting rules of the game.Take for instance the first sequence. Young Prince Fri...