Computer difficulty levels
Every game has five levels. Levels change how deeply and how long the computer searches and how much it is allowed to err. They are not measured against any rating scale.
Chess and Crazyhouse
The computer is a real chess engine. At lower levels it is limited in strength, search depth and thinking time; at the top level it searches longest within a sensible time limit.
Checkers
The computer searches the game tree with alpha-beta pruning. Lower levels look fewer moves ahead, use a simpler evaluation and sometimes pick a slightly weaker move on purpose; higher levels look further ahead and weigh kings, advancement, mobility and structure.
| 1. Beginner | Very shallow search with deliberate mistakes. A comfortable first opponent. |
|---|---|
| 2. Easy | Sees short tactics but misses longer plans. |
| 3. Medium | A balanced opponent for casual players. |
| 4. Strong | Plays solid, purposeful moves and punishes mistakes. |
| 5. Expert | Searches the longest and plays the best moves it can find in the time allowed. |
On phones and low-power devices the computer automatically thinks for a shorter time to keep the page responsive.