You might think of Sigma Chess 6.1 as ‘chess on steroids’. Probably not the game of choice for the chess novice such as myself, Sigma Chess is the sort of game that ought to bring back the thrill of the ‘hunt’ for chess enthusiasts and plain ‘ol gamers alike.

The folks behind Sigma Chess and HIARCS are teaming up to create what they think will be the best, most powerful chess game for OS X. Going by the name Sigma Chess 6.1, the title will feature the GUI interface of Sigma coupled with the HIARCS chess engine to create a game capable of playing at World Class Championship levels.

Some of the engine’s listed features are as follows:

* Suitable for all players from absolute beginners to World Chess Championship strength (1250 Elo – 2750+ Elo!).
* Can play at any chess strength you set in Elo offering a challenging learning experience for all players.
* Monitors your play and measures your progress in Elo including Elo history graph and statistics.
* Endgame database support of Nalimov tablebases up to 6 pieces for perfect play in the endgame.
* Unlimited levels and time controls including Casual, Blitz, Active, Fischer and Tournament.

The final release will be available in 3 versions, including a lite version, a regular version, and a pro version. More details can be found at Sigma GameWare’s site.