Chess · Windows desktop
An amber CRT, phosphor glow and scan lines. A machine that comments on every move — yours and its own — praises Soviet opening theory, questions your middlegame, and never misses a chance to defend the honour of the Soviet chess school. Six levels, from Easy to Boss. The machine has opinions. You have been warned.
In 1966 Mikhail Botvinnik began work on a program, classified under the name ПИОНЕР, that was meant to think like a grandmaster rather than merely calculate. It never played at full strength and was quietly shelved. Pioneer 2 is a creative homage to that machine: the experience of sitting at a 1985 research-institute terminal, playing an opponent that talks back — built on a thoroughly modern engine.
Authentic Soviet-era monitor aesthetics: phosphor glow, scan lines, vintage typography, Cyrillic panel labels. The engine's own thinking scrolls past in real time — depth, evaluation, candidate moves — and the commentary panel below it keeps up a running judgement of the game.
Pioneer 2 comments on every move. On your opening: "This variation was solved before you were born." On a capture: "Your bishop has been nationalized." On a quiet move: "This move serves the plan. You cannot see the plan. That is the plan." And on checkmate: "Botvinnik sends his regards."
Underneath the CRT is a current engine: principal variation search, null-move pruning, late move reductions and static exchange evaluation, with a Texel-tuned PeSTO evaluation, piece-square tables and king safety. Six levels from Easy to Boss, and an integrated opening book. Can you beat the machine?
| Platform | Windows 10 and 11. Desktop application. |
| Installation | Standard Windows installer, about 82 MB. |
| Engine | Custom: PVS, null-move pruning, LMR, SEE. |
| Evaluation | PeSTO, Texel-tuned; piece-square tables; king safety. |
| Opening book | Integrated. |
| Levels | Easy · Hobby · Medium · Hard · Expert · Boss. |
| Interface languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, Serbian. |
| Connectivity | Runs fully offline. No account required. |
| Licence | One-time purchase, perpetual, per installation. |
No. Pioneer 2 is a fictional simulation and a creative homage. The real Pioneer project led by Mikhail Botvinnik from 1966 into the 1980s was a pioneering research effort in artificial intelligence; Pioneer 2 borrows its name and its ambition, not its code. The engine underneath is a modern one.
Six levels from Easy to Boss. The top levels use the full search — PVS, null-move pruning, LMR, SEE — with a Texel-tuned evaluation, and are a genuine challenge. The lower levels are playable for beginners.
No. It is a one-time purchase of €21,99 for a perpetual licence. No recurring fee, no account. The version you buy keeps working indefinitely.
No. Pioneer 2 runs entirely on your own computer. No connection is required to install or use it, and no data is sent anywhere.
Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Perpetual licence. Secure online checkout — card or PayPal — delivered instantly as a Windows installer. The installer is not code-signed: Windows SmartScreen shows a warning on first run — click More info, then Run anyway. Invoicing for multiple installations on request: [email protected]