I will say no. It's tough - maybe impossible - for engines to really accurately simulate lower level play. You usually get one of two outcomes : A) an opponent

I will say no. It's tough - maybe impossible - for engines to really accurately simulate lower level play. You usually get one of two outcomes : A) an opponent who plays 10 moves like God and then drops a rook out of thin air or B) essentially random moves. Beginners have little use or value from the deep analysis engines can provide as well. Once they're stronger then they benefit more but until then it's just an opponent who stomps you every game and you can't even understand it when it tries to tell you why. The most effective tools for beginning players will be playing other players (online or OTB) who are around the same level or slightly stronger and daily tactics training via tactical puzzles see: http://chesstempo.com http://chesstempo.com, http://chess24.com http://chess24.com and a host of others. As well, the St. Louis Chess Club has a ton of great videos with GMs Seirawan, Finegold, Akobian, and others, starting at the beginner range and going up. I think beginners can get a lot of value out of their lectures. https://www.youtube.com/user/STLChessClub https://www.youtube.com/user/STLChessClub