I'm looking for free chess playing software without strings attached.

A quick look shows lots of supposedly free offers, but you have to install their toolbar which feeds popups from their advertisers, or it is a 60-minute limited use program that you have to buy, or you have to give your email address so the spammers can attack, or... you get the idea.

Does anybody have any recommendations? I am an adequate player but certainly no expert, it doesn't have to be Grand Master equivalent by any means, just something with selectable skill levels to play a quick game once in a while.

tanstaafl.

I used to use GNU Chess. There are addons for nice-looking chess boards for both Windows and X-Windows.

GNU Chess is quite strong and has selectable skill levels.

Jim
Edit: Get the windows version "WinBoard", with Gnu Chess here.

I found Sjeng a few weeks ago while looking for Foobar2000 stuff.

Good one TigerJimmy.

Couldn't you just find a copy of Chess Master 3000 for DOS on some Abandonware site? Not that I advocate for the questionable legality of Abandonware....