VIP opponents in Fritz emulate the opening repertoire, playing style, and even an approximate voice of a famous chess player. Available VIPs are Morphy, Lasker, Capablanca, Tal, Fischer, Karpov and Uhlmann.
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The style is based on the ChessBase Style Report, derived from a comprehensive analysis of the player's games.
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The opening repertoire is drawn from a database book created from the player’s most significant and representative games, typically from their peak period.
When playing against a VIP opponent, an animated avatar reacts to what is happening on the board. Instead of a still portrait, each VIP is shown as a short looping video clip whose mood is driven by the current position evaluation - the avatar looks confident when winning, worried when losing, bored in a dry equal position, and so on. A small random pause and a soft cross-fade between clips keep the animation from looking mechanical. When the VIP speaks, a separate talking clip is played and the mouth movement is synchronised with the spoken voice (lipsync):
Fischer is better
When you play against Fischer, he may choose the Poisoned Pawn Variation—a line he famously used in top-level competition.
Click on “Openings Book” to view the key historical games that form the basis of his repertoire in Fritz.
The VIP personality opening books are Fritz database books located in:
ChessBase/Books/Personalities
Each VIP opponent also features an AI-generated voice that reflects their real-world characteristics:
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Morphy speaks with a US-American accent, tenor-pitched and slightly insecure.
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Lasker has a strong German accent, nuanced and intellectual.
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Capablanca has a distinct Cuban accent.
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Tal sounds Russian, with kind humour.
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Fischer speaks with an American accent, mimicking his original pitch and tempo.
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Karpov sounds unmistakably Russian, with a high-pitched voice.
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Uhlmann speaks with a heavy East German (Saxonian) dialect.
These details bring each legendary player to life—on the board and beyond.