Fritz

Fritz is one of the most iconic chess software programs ever created. First released in 1991 by ChessBase, it became the standard for desktop chess play and analysis. Originally developed by Frans Morsch, the engine has evolved through multiple generations of programmers, with the current Fritz 20 (released May 2025) powered by Frank Schneider's Ginkgo engine, rated approximately 3,580 Elo.

Fritz made history through its matches against world champions. In 2002, Deep Fritz drew 4-4 against Vladimir Kramnik in the Brains in Bahrain match. In 2003, X3D Fritz drew a four-game match against Garry Kasparov. Then in 2006, Deep Fritz defeated Kramnik 4-2 in Bonn, in a match that included one of the most infamous blunders in chess history when Kramnik missed a mate-in-one. Fritz also competed in the 1995 World Computer Chess Championship, where Fritz 3 defeated an early version of Deep Blue.

Fritz 20 introduced several notable features including opponent style simulation, where the engine analyzes your next opponent and plays like them. It offers historic opponent modes that simulate legendary players such as Morphy, Lasker, Capablanca, Tal, Fischer, and Karpov, each calibrated to era-appropriate Elo ratings. A new bullet training mode helps players practice under time pressure, and AI chat with voice output provides commentary and analysis in natural language.

The software also features Romantic and Hypermodern playing styles, 3D animated boards, game controller support, and includes a two-month ChessBase Premium membership. Fritz remains Windows-only, requiring at minimum a desktop PC with 4 threads, 8GB RAM, and Windows 10 (64-bit), though an Intel i7/i9 or Ryzen 7/9 with 16GB RAM and Windows 11 is recommended for optimal performance.