Chess

Chess++ is a freeware chess-playing program for the classic Macintosh, written by Steve Bushell and circulated through Info-Mac in 1994. It provides a straightforward Mac-native interface to a complete chess engine - no registration, no nag screens, just a board and an opponent ready to play.

What It Provides

The program presents a standard 8x8 board with click-and-drag piece movement, legal-move enforcement, and an internal engine that plays both colors. It is aimed at casual players who want a clean game of chess on a black-and-white or color Mac without the overhead of a commercial chess package.

Distribution

Chess++ was uploaded to the Info-Mac archive on 2 May 1994 by Lloyd Wood, who explicitly noted he was not the author and pointed correspondents to Steve Bushell (python@world.std.com) for support and questions. The program is freeware and may be redistributed freely.

Compatibility

The package is a small System 6/7-era binary that runs on essentially any 68K Macintosh of the period. Its modest footprint makes it a reasonable choice for compact Macs and PowerBooks where larger commercial chess engines would not fit comfortably.

Where It Fits

Within the Info-Mac game/brd (board games) collection, Chess++ sits alongside heavier titles like ChessWorks and ChessKing. It is the lightweight, no-strings-attached option - useful as a default chess board when you do not need analysis tools, opening books, or rated play.