Frequently Asked Questions

  1. I am very interested in your product. Can it be used on my device?
    PocketGrandmaster should work on almost all Pocket PCs. To make sure it works on your Pocket PC, just download, install and test it! See here for a (incomplete) list of devices on which PocketGrandmaster was successfully tested.


  2. I downloaded PocketGrandmaster from Handango but the setup program said my hardware is not supported?
    You probably have a Pocket PC with a MIPS (e.g. Cassiopeia) or SH3-processor (e.g. Jornada 540) and tried to install PocketGrandmaster for StrongARM-processors. You can download PocketGrandmaster for your hardware from the download page.


  3. How to get the program to play White? And is there a 2-player-mode?
    If you want PocketGrandmaster to make the first move, just start a new game and press "!". If you don't want to play against the computer, open the "Options - playing" dialog and uncheck "Autoanswer".


  4. I am clearly not up to the level of the game. How do I change the level?
    For weaker play select the menu "Tools - Levels - Fixed" and limit the depth to e.g. 1 or 2. You can also select "? - Help" to show the helpfile which also describes the Blitz- and Tournament-levels.
    When playing you can press "?" (Hint) and PocketGrandmaster will suggest a good move for you.


  5. Which program is stronger? Have you all done a comparison?
    We didn't really play enough games, but we think PocketGrandmaster using the Fruit-engine is currently one of the strongest chess programs for Pocket PC.


  6. I have to hard boot my Pocket PC, can I simply re-download the demo from handango then re-input my registration key?
    Yes, your registration key will work unless you change your name in the owner information of your Pocket PC (in that case please contact us for a new key). Note that a hard-reset clears the owner information, therefore you have to enter your name again before registering.


  7. I bought a new Pocket PC, installed PocketGrandmaster and saw my device ID had changed. Can I use my old registration key?
    Yes, see previous question.


  8. Why is my registrationkey not working?
    A registration key is rejected if there is a difference between the name we computed the key for and the name entered in the owner information of a Pocket PC. Sometimes the name given in the order (e.g. "Bill Gates") differs from the name in the owner information (e.g. "William H. Gates III") and then we can't compute a working key. In this case please send us the device ID you find in the "Register"-dialog within PocketGrandmaster and the name you entered in the owner information and we will generate a new key.
    Another way to make your registration key work is to change the name in the owner information of your Pocket PC to the name we used to generate your key.


  9. How do I install a chess engine in PocketGrandmaster 3.0?
    PocketGrandmaster 3.0 lets you choose between different chess engines, currently PocketEngine.pge (Anaconda), Fruit, Toga, Ruffian and SOS. To install a new engine, download it from the download-page, and follow the described installation process. After installation, start PocketGrandmaster, open the "Engine"-page of the "Options"-dialog and select the newly installed chess engine.


  10. After installing the Announcements, there is no option to turn the announcements ON.
    This can happen, when PocketGrandmaster or the announcements are not installed in their standard folder. When the PocketGrandmaster executable is installed in
    \.. any path ..\PocketGrandmaster\PocketGrandmaster.exe
    then the announcements have to be installed in
    \.. any path ..\PocketGrandmaster\announce
    Perhaps you have to move the annouce-folder into the PocketGrandmaster folder.


  11. I've made my own chess graphics, can I include them in PocketGrandmaster?
    Yes, the graphics currently used are available on the download-page. If you send us your graphics in the same format (size of squares) we can include it in the next release of PocketGrandmaster. You can also use a resource editor (for example ResHack) to change the graphics in PocketGrandmaster.exe - try at your own risk!


  12. I have PocketGrandmaster 2.x, how do I install PocketGrandmaster 3.0?
    You should first uninstall PocketGrandmaster 2.x to remove any files no longer needed by the new version. Then you can install the new version just like the old one. Your registration key remains valid if it was purchased after 1.1.2004, otherwise please get an update here.


  13. I purchased PocketGrandmaster from Handango/SWReg/PocketGear but have not been sent a registration code to date.
    First, please check your account/order statistics on the web site of the registrationservice (Handango, PocketGear or SWReg) you used to register.
    If your order was processed correctly and we did not send a key for one or two days, please let us know. Possible problems are:
    • The e-mail address we tried to send the key to didn't work and our mail was undeliverable. Please check if the e-mail address you gave when ordering was correct and send us short note if it was wrong.
    • After a purchase we usually get a notification-mail from the registrationservice you used. However, there have been a few cases where we were not notified of a purchase because of a technical problem at the registration service. They told us the problem is fixed now, and furthermore we now do frequently check for new orders ourselves.
    • Some customers did not get their key, although we sent it and our mail did not bounce. The reason is very likely a mail-filter on the customer's side. In this case please let us know and we will send the registrationkey in a letter.


  14. The keyboard (SIP) does not appear, when I try to enter the registration key?
    Try to switched your default input option to "Transcriber". Also, if you have an external keyboard, make sure that it's driver does not interfere with the virtual keyboard.