ChessBase Complete: Chess in the Digital Age 1936490544, 9781936490547

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Citation preview

�ChessBase

�om

ete

CHESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Jon R.

Edwards

Foreword by Karsten Miiller

2014

Russell Enterprises, Inc. Milford, CT USA

ChessBase Complete Chess in the Digital Age by Jon R. Edwards Foreword by Karsten Millier

ISBN: 978-1-936490-54-7

©Copyright 2 0 14 Jon R. Edwards

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

"ChessBase" and the ChessBase Logo are proprietary brand names and trademarks of Chess Base GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, and are used herein by permission of Chess Base GmbH.

Published by: Russell Enterprises, Inc. P.O. Box 3 1 3 1 Milford, C T 06460 USA http://www. russell-enterprises.com [email protected]

Layout and cover design by Fierce Ponies Enterprises, Brooklyn, New York Cover photo by Winterberg I Dreamstime Stock Photos

Printed in the United States of America

Foreword Discover the Digital Dim ensions of Chess For software programs like Chess Base, there seems to be a golden guideline: 90% of the users use just 10% of the functions. Once you get started, you learn first how to enter your games into a database and then you play bullet on the Playchess server. Content, you can easily stop looking deeper into the many faces of ChessBase. And that is a real pity, because the program offers so much more. The author, Jon Edwards, is not only a real power-user and computer expert, but also an experienced chess teacher who uses the program regularly in his classes. He is very qualified and succeeds wonderfully in explaining all aspects with great clarity, using many ChessBase graphics to illustrate his points. ·

He not only shows you how to begin with the program and get access to the Playchess server, he also reveals tips and tricks for advanced users. For example, on a basic level, do you know what you can do with the X and Y keys in engine analysis? Or how to publish content with ChessBase? And on a more advanced level, Jon also discusses topics such as how to prepare for an opponent, how to create an opening repertoire, how to use "Let's Check" and the engine cloud, the various Table bases, how to read books with the help of the program, how to coach students and many, many more. You will be amazed at the many fascinating possibilities you may have overlooked. Edwards points out that he is independent of Chess Base and only in the distant past worked with Chess Base USA. This of course cannot be said about me. In the interest of transparency, I have recorded a series of 14 FritzTrainer DVDs on the endgame from 2006-2 0 1 3, I write the endgame section of ChessBase Magazine and have the feature Endgame Magic on the playchess server, to mention but a few of my Chess Base projects. In addition, almost all my other publishing proj ects - like the book Fundamental Chess Endings that I wrote with Frank Lamprecht - simply would not have been possible without the ChessBase program. That said, I highly recommend Edwards' work and I wish you a lot of fun as you dive into the deep ocean of chess in the digital age.

GM Dr Karsten Millier Hamburg March 2 0 1 4

3

Introduction Perhaps you are curious how a very young Norwegian conquered chess so early in life. Carlsen's handlers insist that early on, he put in only an hour and a half a day. The not-so-well kept secret? That time was spent with ChessBase. Any master will tell you that to get good at chess, you must play in tournaments, you must review the games of great players, and you must also subj ect your games to scrutiny. Chess Base helps with all of that with such efficiency that its users gain the opportunity to become very good, very quickly. You can play there all day long, you can easily review thousands and thousands of carefully annotated games, and the software permits you to locate your errors, to fashion an effective opening repertoire, and to hone your tactical and endgame skills much more quickly than previous chess generations could imagine. We have arrived at a significant generational split among chess players. My "older" generation, a funny word to use because many "seniors" continue to seek out the latest and greatest toys, grew up on books. We poured over the modern classics, Fischer's 60 Memorable Games, Vukovic's Art ofAttack in Chess, David Bronstein's book on Zurich 1 9 5 3, The Second Piatigorsky Cup edited by Kashdan, and Tal's 1960 book on his match for the World Championship. If you have not yet read these books, please do! We readers came to rely upon the published sources, many hundreds of opening tomes and encyclopedias, biographies of great players, hundreds of books about great tournaments, Informants and magazines for recent games, and Averbach, Fine, and Smyslov for Endgames. Many of us built up large libraries. Through the 1980's, it was not uncommon for a young, maturing player to put in five or many more hours a day on preparation. We enj oyed it without having any sense of our inefficiencies or even the hours as they sped by. Life was good. Life is better than ever. Know simply that a single software package, ChessBase 12, and its polished data now permit savvy chess players to accomplish more in an hour than I ever did as a chess youngster in ten. At its heart is a simple fact. With ChessBase, players have instantaneous access to all of the data they need. If chess were an academic discipline, and there is good reason to think of it that way, we would refer to ChessBase as a scholar's environment, a place harboring all relevant information as well as the sophisticated tools required to make sense of it all. With the latest version of this chess software, we can quickly generate a detailed book about any move, or variation, we can locate combinations, as well as middlegame and endgame positions similar to our own, we can instantly see the results of thousands of computer engines as they survey openings and all grandmaster games, and we can rent powerful computer engines right out of the cloud. Of course, not all of us are tech savvy. There's a general recognition among serious chess players that ChessBase is important for improvement, perhaps necessary, but many in my older generation and even some younger players are intimidated by the software, and not without reason. 4

A few scoff viscerally at the thought of using computers and software. Some are afraid of change, or are simply aware of their technical limitations. Many take the plunge only to discover that the software is tough to install correctly, and even if they get past that point, they really have no intuitive sense of what to do next. And of course, some dismiss the modern approach without ever understanding what it is or what it can do for them. I am writing this book because I have come to know, as a chess player, as a chess teacher, and as a chess author, that Chess Base is instrumental to every aspect of chess. One of the main purposes here is to explain how the software can help you too, to improve your play, your learning, your teaching, your writing, or simply your love of and enthusiasm for the game. As you read this introduction, you may not yet know what the program can do for you, the creative possibilities at your command. But at least you are curious ! I explain here all that you will need to know with concrete examples and simple instructions. After that, how strong a chess player, how good a chess teacher, how good a chess author you become is truly up to you. This book is not a ChessBase manual. ChessBase includes a comprehensive help facility within the program and provides a free online manual which you can locate quickly with an internet search. I do discuss all of the program's main functions. For those who become desperate to find the answer to a specific ChessBase question, I have added an index that mirrors the language in ChessBase's free online manual. That way, you can see what they have done easily and quickly find my treatment of that topic. I am confident that, between their Help facility, their online manual, and this book, you will find your answers. Rather than write another help facility or manual, I have created real life scenarios that focus upon why the software is so important for chess players of every class. These descriptions should intrigue that portion of the chess community that believes that ChessBase is only there to help you locate and then play through chess games. With ChessBase . . . •

Reading chess books becomes M U C H easier and MUCH more fun

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Opening preparation is quick, comprehensive, fully-up-to-date, and effective.

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You can compete at any time of the day or night.

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You can prepare quickly and effectively for an opponent, viewing their opening preferences and their attacking style.

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You can quickly locate and review important games in every opening, middlegame type, and endgame.

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You can quickly review the games from recent international events and review the games of your favorite players.

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You can instantly see what worldwide engines think about most opening and many middlegame positions.

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You can use your own computer engine to participate in a worldwide effort to expand opening knowledge.

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You can use engines right out of the cloud, or place your own engine there for your own use while you travel. Introduction

5

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You can instantly see where you and your opponents erred.

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You can reliably prepare chess books for publication in print or on the web.

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You can send relevant games to students for their review.

Not all of these scenarios will resonate with every chess player, but there is surely much here for everyone. I have strong technical credentials, but I think of myself today primarily as a full time chess coach and author. While reading this book, I hope that you think of me simply as a guide on the side, as a chess player talking to another chess player explaining how the software can help you to improve your play, to assist your access to current grandmaster games, to improve your opening research, to sharpen your tactics or endgame play, to improve your coaching, or whatever else you are interested in doing within the world of chess. A bit of background will help. I learned how to play chess when I was six, but I only began to take the game seriously when I got sick for six months when I was nine. My parents asked what might help to pass the time in bed. "Chess books," I replied. I still remember my first chess book, Great Momen ts in Modern Chess, as well as the look on my father's face two days later when, having consumed Reuben Fine's wonderful book, I asked for another. As I mentioned, I grew up in the age of books. Now, with our two sons out of the house, my wife and I are looking now to sell our home. But the houses we've looked at have no books and no plac e to put them. That's a problem when you own three thousand chess books. A lover of books, I still built a bridge to technology. I was Senior Editor for Reviews at BYTE Magazine, I was Assistant VP for Computing at Princeton University for 15 years, and later their Coordinator of IT Institutional Communication for 10 more. Along the way, I won the APCT Championship four times, the 10th US Correspondence Chess Championship, and the 8th North American Invitational Correspondence Chess Championship. For those later triumphs, I used ChessBase. I cannot imagine winning those titles or playing meaningfully today without the program. Grandmasters can rely upon dozens of examples to reinforce their understanding of chessboard themes. Early on and after, I had ChessBase. At work for 25 years, I relied upon Microsoft's Office Suite for 8 hours a day. Now in "retirement;' I use ChessBase every day for at least that long. The result is that I have developed some fluency with the software. Please note that I do not today work for Chess Base. Twenty years ago when ChessBase version 4.0 was released, I worked for a time for ChessBase USA to turn out a few volumes of the ChessBase University series. Those royalties ended more than 15 years ago with the result that I have no meaningful monetary affiliation left. I am writing this book because the product is essential for chess players. In my experience, many potential users don't have a clear sense of what the software actually does, while many users appear not to know how to make the most of it. I will indeed guide you through both the easy and challenging uses of the program. I hope that even a casual reading of a chapter or two will convince you that ChessBase really can help you to a cc elerat e your chess improvement and that you're never too old to try something cool. 6

Introduction

Three important notes before we get started: (1) ChessBase requires a PC, preferably a PC with a fast processor. If you have a Mac, know that I love them too, but don't try to run ChessBase in its PC emulator. (2) Some will want me to begin by delving into technical aspects of the program, especially its installation. I have placed those details in the first appendix, and you can turn there now if you have just purchased the application. Installation of the Chess Base software is indeed challenging, especially for those who refuse to read the instructions. Many users remain unaware that they never completed their installation. To work properly, the software must be activated (From the Database View • FILE • Activation • Activate) . You must also update the software ! Many long time users experience application crashes precisely because they have failed to update the program. From the Database View: • FILE • Activation • Update Program. (3) As might be true for any program on its 12th version, ChessBase has introduced numerous, modern features that significantly enhance the program and improve the functionality of various legacy approaches. In most cases, those new approaches are significant improvements and are prioritized within this book, although I have also explained how to use those legacy functions.

A brief technical note: I have Chessbase 1 2 installed on a Dell XPS-8300 with an Intel Core i7-2600 CPU @ 3 .40 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, and a 16-bit Operating System. The new ChessBase 13 will be available near the end of 2014. ChessBase assures us that the program features and interface described within this book are not expected to change. The new version will provide some new storage capabilities as well as new mobile functions.

Jon Edwards Pennington, 2 0 14

Introduction

7

Table of Contents Foreword

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Introduction

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Table of Contents

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2

Maintaining Quality Data

SCE N A R I O

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Working well with ChessBase

SCE N A R I O

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Preparing for an opponent

SCE N A R I O

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Playing

SCE N A R I O

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Playchess Tournaments

SCE N A RI O

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Preserving and annotating your games

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102

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S C E N A R I O 12

Training and Teaching

S CE N A R I O 1 3

Competing a t Correspondence Chess

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(Because you must)

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111

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141

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(It's better than baseball)

(Lighting up the board)

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(It's not dead yet)

{With tips on printing)

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Installing and Activating ChessBase and Playchess

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(Complex searching made easy)

Watching Grandmaster Chess

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(Subjecting your games to unbiased scrutiny)

S C E N A R I O 11

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(No more surprises)

A Grandmaster by your Side

APP E N D I X

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(Competing/orfun and profit)

SCE N A R I O 10

s C E N A R I O 1 4 Writing about Chess

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(Organizing and viewingyour chess information) ....3 1

(At any time ofthe day or night)

Engines and Kibitzers

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(Because they're preparingfor you)

Honed opening preparation

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SCE N A R I O

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(Garbage in, Garbage out)

SCE N A R I O

SCE N A RIO

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(And some very simple searching)

The Future of Chess Books

SCE N A R I O

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....... ......180 .

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APP E N D I X

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The Userlnterface

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APP E N DIX

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Setting program options

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APP E N D I X

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Tech Talk

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APP E N D I X

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Keyboard Shortcuts................................................3 2 6

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About the author

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337

Index

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338

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The Future of Chess Books (And some very simple searching) "I have a lot of chess books," a common refrain heard at every chess tournament book store. "Imagine, I once heard. I have five chess books ! " Even when folks have only 10 or 50 books, they feel like they have a lot. I have about 3,000, a lot says my wife, but Grandmaster Lothar Schmidt passed last year with a holding of well more than 40,000. I love my old chess books like children, but I matter of factly began to realize two decades ago that the future of chess books lay with ChessBase. There's truly nothing to fear from the technology unless you insist on ignoring it. Using its most basic functions, ChessBase actually makes reading the chess books I own much more fun and productive. And using its more advanced functions, ChessBase quite literally generates fully up­ to-date books instantly on the topics that interest me the most.

Reading a chess book Let's start simply in a familiar place . . . reading a chess book. As a young learner, when I read a chess book, I always set up my chess board and moved the pieces along with the analysis. But I rarely played through involved variations and analysis over the board in the certainty that I would once again have to set up the board from the beginning to return to the point where those variations had started. ChessBase need not eliminate your library; It just makes the books you own more fun and much easier to read. Now there's no reason to avoid variations. You can play through them and then return to the main line with a single keystroke. Indeed, many of the databases come with well annotated games that are, frankly, a j oy to read. I find myself reading famous chess books again with fresh energy. Let's take Fischer's 60 Memorable Games as our example. As it turns out, all of those games appear in ChessBase's large databases, and more than a few are annotated proficiently in the ChessBase MegaBase.

Searching for Bobby Fischer OK, that was a fun header! Begin by double clicking on Mega Database 2013 or upon your largest database.

Opening mine looks like this when I open it with a simple double click:

§§

LJ

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Filter list

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Soll Drfinrd

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EditGamr Data

Prop•rtifl

Lucena,L Lopez de Segura,R Polerio.G Lopez de Segura.R Polerio.G Leonardo.G Leonarclo.G

Scov11ra

Busnardo Polerio,G Sllcluleto.G

EloB

Vinoles.N

Quintana Leonardo.G

Lorenzo

Leonardo.G

leonardo.G

Lopez de Segur.. Lopez de Segur..

Boi,P

Polerio.G Busnardo Polerio.G Polerio,G �'Anninio.D

Sllduleto.G

NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN NN

Polerio.G Greco.G Greco.G

Greco.G Greco,G Greco,G Greco,G Greco,G Greco,G Greco.G Greco,G Greco,G Greco,G Greco.G Greco,G

Greco,G

Bl

StlrctAll

Cross

Table

Edit

nings Themes

White

Introclu�!H! Meaa 2!!U Deeutellvi.F

Cf

'.§)Goto Lin•

0

Nrxt

Tournament

•*

Activate/deactivate

Tournaments

TKtics

Result

Text 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-1 1-0 1-0 0-1 1-0 0-1

Line

1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0

Line

Strategy Endgames.

. Mov.. 21

ECO

B01

�

Tournament

Fritztrainer

Activate

Round

Valencia

Date

1475

32

AOO

Huesca

1515

32

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Sora

1575

13

C40

Rome

1572

12

9

10

10 14

10

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C41 C53 C53

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13

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C53

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17

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C42

C57 BOO

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Madrid Madrid Spain casual Rome Rome

Rome Rome

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Europe Europe Europe

Europe Europe Europe Europe Europe

Europe Europe Europe Europe Europe Europe Europe

1

1575 1575 1575 1590 1590

1590 1590

1610 1620

1620

1620

1620 1620

1620

1620

1620 1620

1620

1620

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Note "Filter List" in the ribbon. Selecting that brings up the following window.

��b� ��:·· · ·· ···�-;��-v��-���-�-�;�-��;�·ki�-1�����--�ii-�t-Fi�-�h��:�-���-��-t;�-���-�-i��·�-���-i����-ci� - · · · clicking on the Players tab, searching for the player's name (The search function is to the bottom left of the screen), and then clicking on the name of the player whose game you want to view. 10

SCE N A RI O

1

J!ltl it e: )lack::

!oumamenb

Fischer

IE] Wins only

R

� Ignore colours

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f 3500

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Any Text

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fi

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Note that I have already typed "Fischer" and "R" in the field for the white player, and also note that the "Ignore Colours" box is checked, the default for the filter list. The result when you press OK will be to bring up 1,407 games, with Fischer playing both White and Black. Not surprisingly, other R. Fischer's have played chess. And so I might limit the search to look for games between 1955 and 1992. That more useful search shows up 9 7 1 games, all played by Bobby! Such iterative searching often helps to produce the desired results .

•.

·�·,· ��·.If ���· ·� �j� ���� ��· ���· F;�·� h� �:�· � � �·�� ·�·i�h ·�h�· �hj��· ��· bj�·�·k· �;�·���: ·�����· h;�· name by White or Black and click off "Ignore Colours" .

The Future of Chess Book

. . . . . . . . . . . .

(And some very simple searching)

11

Nlimbtr 111556

�

111557

1.11558

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111560· 115651 115660· 115688

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White

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Fl.....R

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FllldMr.R

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117370

117'371 117372 117373 117374

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117376

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FllCMr.R

.......ll flec:tw.R Fltdw.R FIKhlr.R FllCIMir.R FllCMr,R 0-...1 Ruth.D

Blade

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Pupols.V

Wllmllf.K FftcfMf;R FIKMr;R FllC:.hs,R Fox,M FfsdMr;R Mnl:hai,H hfP,C Fisdttf,R FltcfMf,R c..do,J Vlne,K FlKh•,R Plmy.M Fitch•.R

lafon,S FlldMir,R

NUh,E

Flschw.R

Gnm,H i..pi tc.,P Pope!,$ Popovych,:O Santul.,.,A Stwens.W

F1Khtr.R Fitditt,R

EloB

Result

'Yz·Y> 0. 1

O·l

0-1 ¥.-!/. l·O

•O·l

MOVH

28

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21

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1-0

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108

Tounument

USA-chU18

44

0-1

%-%

ECO

css

876

ACS

825

877

D•ll'

1955

USA-chU18

1955

CAN·op Montrml

1955 1956

USA-riB

24.Bxf3 Bxf3 25.g3 Bxdl

21.Qxd7+1! Kxd7 22.BfS+ K.S 23 .8d7+

Kf8

nata rl ich auch

22.B(S+ KeB 23.Bdl+ KdB 24.lbtc6+ with mate (weniger klar ist 23.Bf5+ QJ«ll+ 24.Qxdl+ Nd4 25.g3 26.Qxdl with a boring but winning endgame. mit einem langweiligen aber gewonnenen Endspiel. J

ein schachspielender Computer -- ohne Z6gern den Zug 20 ... Kd8 wilhlen, um die nahende Vernichtung -zu vermeiden.

Kc8 ( 21 ... IOdl

23.Qdl+!! - the same motif mit dem gleichen Motiv) 23.8e2+ less dear is

24.Bxe7# It was not su r prisin g that chess players of the time, i m pressed by this kind of greatness, did not want to listen to dull positional advice.

But the old combinational school, Jed by its first kn i g ht Anderssen, was doomed in the battle against the modernized wa rfa re techn i ques of Paul Morphy, whose tactics foundations. Es ist nicht verwunderlich, daB die Schachspieler jener Zeit angesichts sotcher groBartigen Angriffspartien wenig Neigung

kombinatorische Schule, gefOhrt van ihrem strahlendsten Ritter Anderssen, war letztendlich zum Untergang verdammt. Ihre Vertreter

had much better positional

hatten, stumpfe strategische Regetn

zu

l ern en. Aber die alte

konnten den fortschrittlicheren Technilcen eines Pa u l Morphy.

dess en tak:tische Schl�ge ein viel solideres positionelles Fundament besaBen, nicht l ange widerstehen.

1-0

Some Things to Try I have learned to try things in ChessBase. In the annotator window, sort the annotators by number simply by pressing the "#" tab. We see that GM Lubomir Ftacnik has been very busy. According to the textual introduction (the database's text tab), he has had the lead in editing the Mega Database. In the Source Window, we learn by scrolling that ChessBase has included the annotated games from ChessBase Magazine from its first issue in 1987 nearly through to the present. I didn't manage to obtain a full run and I am grateful for the opportunity to catch up.

ChessBase Magazine ChessBase publishes ChessBase magazine 6 times a year. It is a thin publication with a DVD inside its cover. Purchasers of ChessBase will often receive a 1 year subscription to the magazine. Insert the DVD into the drive and, in the main menu: • HOME • Show Contents of DVD

The Future of Chess Book

(And some very simple searching)

21

Here are the contents of issue 156: Tide liMlll • ADE Wodd (-.aU� Oli • r� fl • llijillg GP 2013 " 1S6 Tnining R •1 • Ooltmlnd :ZOU • • lliel 2013 JI � 1S6 (ftllgllne # 1S6 TK'lic1 JI ti CBS QM-. Glmbit bchlnge ..h6 n » ti "" Ruy l.GfMll Mt 8 097 � .,.,_. � _ 7_ 17 16 ,. 1'6 Sllr*9Y u 8 C78 Ruy U,CS...bS ...., Id 8 IMI Sidtlae ICM Vllillion U.0.0 - ll 11 8 EB7 � SlellMldl l...B 8 04 IClAg's GMIMJ.NO tw t 0 00 Flt!fldl J.Nc3 16 • • 0 197 �9.M Nel 0 A» ....._ Gemliil6Md � 7 7

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To switch from one View to another, use the Database ribbon: • View • and then Tile, Details, Symbols, or Small Symbols. Alternatively, you can make your selection at the bottom of the database window.

To create a new database

You m ay soon want to create separate databases to hold your own games, your children's games, your favorite openings, and the games of your favorite players.

It's very easy. Just go to the Database ribbon and select • H O M E • New. In the file window that appears, select the directory in which the database will rest, give it a name, and then press create new. Save Single fie r :080 N E) Databases ·old r .OB F) PGN files r.PGN) Books r:CTG) II Databases ('.CB H . *:OBO N E. ·:CTG , ·,cs F. *.PGN) A new icon will appear in the database window.

32

SCE N ARI O

3

*.CBF is the database type in old versions of ChessBase. *.PGN (Portable Game Notation) is a non-proprietary database format that many other chess applications will recognize. ChessBase has introduced a new format *.CBONE which is a self-contained, single file that you may find useful when you create relatively small databases and the speed of searches is not an issue .

� � · .I.� ����� ·�·� �� ·d ��� b �·�� · f�� ·��·� ·h · �f ·�� · ��u d ����·. · j � ·�h·�� ���� · j ·�·�·�· ���ij� ·k� � �· �·��·�·k · . . ... •. ·;of·,·every opening, game and theme that we cover.

•.

·;·,· � � · ·K·e � � ·�·� � �· d ��� b·� ·���· j� ·f�·l·d � �� ·�h·�� �i11· ��k·� · j� ·�·� �� ·I ����·�� ·I·� ���� ·�h·�· ti i�·�: · j . ..... . . .. .. ... . store my large databases in \Bases, I store my chess projects in \MyWork, and I store my

students' bases in \students.

If you rely upon one of the icon views, you will likely want to give your databases consistent icons. When you have a new database in your database window, right-dick on the icon and select Properties.

�

I

Q\U�•\i•lw;mk\Doc,m •""\Ch=B�\MyW

Uns ecific

Work

My g a m es Large database

[] ·.

�

u •

O penings

Recent Tou rnam ents Ta ctics Analysi.s

[�,J [ .@tl$o! '.ii '=··�"!ftll•��t� J .

Magazi ne/Express

Correspondence

�

4

Informant

Classical Tournam ents

. .

2046 Games

0 Keys, 0 Positions

Tra i n i n g En dings Stu d i es Blitz Computer chess

!El Reference-OB

Name Sacrifices

OK

!El Repertoire Database [[] Always open tm

Help

Working well with ChessBase

(Organizing and viewing your chess information)

33

The name of the database appears in the name field, and you can now select the type of database you want. In this instance, Tactics might be the most appropriate selection. In this way, the database in which you are interested will become more quickly apparent.

My Databases The folder pane will always contain "My Databases" your home database that contains your favorite databases and directories. Computer

Public Documents

...'lt Network �· ·� Game H"istory .

!

r±J ..

.....

Pu rchased Data

(E. illliiM¥@

My Databases lists the databases that you access the most. My Databases will always include your reference database and your Clip Database . . To place a database in My Databases, simply open it with Ctrl-0 or, in the Database view, select i+ H O M E i+ Open.

·· ·�·,· � �· ·s·��� �� j ·� � �t�·1· 1i i��· � �� · � �·� ·� ��� �·��i �� i iY· � i�.c�ci . i n. .M�.il� �;1i;��;.· M �i·���·;�·���� �·�·� · · · · ·· contains the games you play on Playchess. MylnternetKibitzing contains the games if you organize you watch on Playchess. You may also have MylnternetTournaments i tournaments on Playchess, and MylnternetMach neGames if you play with a computer on Playchess. If you want these files to liv e in My Databases, simply open them. You should find them in the main \ChessBase folder on your local drive.

New in ChessBase 1 2 : My Databases will no longer contain the databases that are contained in your temporary \temp directory. Those are the files that were contained as e-mail attachments.

·· ·�·,· � �· ·11· ���· �� �� �h·���-�-�� �i iti·1 � � ��· � ��� � ·�;,·�· i i�� �i· ci���·b·� ��� i � .'M�il�;�b;;e;� ·� ���······ · · · ·· them first in an appropriate location on your hard drive and then open them. Highlighting a database and opening it with Ctrl-0 brings that database into My Databases, or you can drag a database into the list. Use Remove or delete to remove a database from My

Databases.

·· ·�·,· � � · ·N �� -�·1 i . �t�� � � ·ci���·b� ��·� · �i1 i · ;; e· ��� � �ci ·�·� ci��··1 �'7��;1i;�� i'1;��;.· ·1 · k ��·�·� �·�·h· �t · · · · · ··· · · · · my ongoing work in the folder \chessbase\MyWork. But all of your favorite databases will neatly appear when you click on My Databases, essentially your database home.

34

S C ENAR I O

3

Opening a database from within My Databases Double-clicking on the database symbol opens the database and presents you with a Game List window, simply a list of all of the games contained in that database. Some of these databases are small, but many are large. Indeed, some contain millions of games.

•. ·;enter· · � �·key.r� ·�·��� ·�· ·ci���i;�·��: ·v·�� ·�·�·�· �i·��i� .hi�;,·1i� h�·i·� ·1·�· �i�·�i� ·�·1·i�ki ·�·�ci ·�h�·�· �����· �h � .......... . ,

You can then browse through your directories until you locate the database you want. Once opened, the databases will reappear in your My Databases window the next time you enter Chess Base.

To delete a database Careful here. Everyone who has worked with computers has experienced the panic of losing data. Computer crashes are one thing. Manually throwing away information is an avoidable idiocy. If you feel constrained by the clutter in your My Databases window, you have two choices. You can remove the icon without eliminating the database itself, or, perish the thought, you can physically delete the database.

� Mal�tena, n ce } ch B o o ster

ch B o o ster t e n a n ce

Folders

i:;.

View

Re n a m e Fil es U n a n n otate DB

{i1 Delete All files

Home

� Databas e Preview � Fo lders � Daily Tadics

To eliminate the icon from the database Window without deleting any data: Right-Click on the icon • Remove or simply click on the icon and press the delete key. To eliminate both the icon and the data, click on the icon • Select the Maintenance tab in the ribbon • Select Delete All Files . . . or Right-Click on the icon • Select Delete All Files.

A pane providing access to your directories appears by default towards the upper left corner of the Database window. To click it on and off, select VIEW • Folders

Pa nes

Working well with ChessBase

(Organizing and viewing your chess information)

35

"Database path" opens up the folders and contents listed in your local hard drive under \ChessBase. "Computer" opens up a higher level directory by drive and so provides you with access to external drives as well as your computer's DVD. "Network" provides you with access to the files in any network connected devices, in my case the other computers in my home. "Game History" provides a comprehensive review of all of the files you access within Chess Base by date. It's almost as if the NSA was watching my every move. All of the ChessBase files I have opened are logged by month back to 2004! "Purchased Data" summarizes just that, the databases you have purchased. "My Databases" returns you to the most used and familiar database view, the look at your favorite databases.

Database Preview and Quick Board You can view the list of games in a database without actually opening it. Within the Database window • File • Database Preview.

Home

ITf] Database Preview ITf] Folders ITll Daily Tactics

Panes

When you now click on a database once to highlight it, the games of that database will appear in the Database Preview pane. You can scroll though this list and even open a game directly by double-clicking on it. You can arrange the information about the games by right-clicking on the column above the game entries. And you can add a quick board to play through the games right there: • Right-Click on any game • List Format • Quick Board. Here's an image of the Database Preview and a Quick Board from my Mega Database 2 0 1 3 : Number

Whit•

lotcmM:lilmMq. DeC.ntellYi.F '""'""' Loper de Segw°&R

EloW

lopez de Segwa.R

11

"°"'""'6 "°"'""'G

. ...... ...

...

......

"

21

1-0

12

1-0

"°"'""'G

1-0

9

....do,G ..

0-1

13

1-0

10

u..

10

1-0

Polorio.G

0-1

..

......

l2

10

14

Vo�ndo H�m """' Soro ··Modrid

C53

·-

C53 C53

Spoincoruol Madrid

"""' ·-

Polorio.G

1-0

11

C33

13

Polorio.G

0-1

Une

24

C53

13

D'Ar....,_D

1-0

C57

·�

Polorio.G

24

C53

15

...... ..... ..

17

Greco,.G

NN

1-0

11

C29

Europe

18

Greca.G

NN

1-0

19

C23

Europl!

19

Greco.G

NN

1-0

17

C57

NN

1-0

17

NN

1-0

13

BOO

Europe Europi!

Polorio,G

20

,- ,

21

S C E N ARI O

3

Gr.co, Gioacch i no - NN 1-0 C42 Europe 1620

ECO 801 AOO C30 C53 (40 C40 C4l

12 14

36

1-4..{}lcorr

NAPZ>!-Cl1 1gnore

0 Ignore

[CJ Remove Deleted Games Help

Simil.ar moves

Exact

,

1

0

Slow

0

Faster

@ Fast

As you see in the dialogue box that governs the finding of doubled games, you have many options. Some doubles will involve different spellings in the name and tournament fields, some will be of different length owing to the inclusion of extra moves or the omission of moves in one of the games. Some games may be annotated, or indeed, very well annotated .

1. � � � �·��·1·1� · �·� �·t�·� ·�o· k ��·�· �ti � · ;, b�����; ·�·� ��.' ci �ti ��·ci· b� ·c·h� ��·s�·� � - �-�- �ti � ·1·�� � � � · �·�·ci· . . .. •. ·;better·,· � ·=· .annotated game. You may want to merge annotations so as not to lose any, and you have the option at the bottom of the window to delete the game that will be eliminated. .... .... . � • ;�fc ;.�:;::f.·::��::: 1 ����. ��:��� :� ::�i�E ;;.�:�i � · · � Database without creating doubles that you will later need to remove. In the database Window, highlight the database whose games you wantto add • Maintenance • Cannibal i ze . . . or Right-click on the database • Tools • Cannibalize You will be prompted to create a new database into which the interesting, new games will be placed. Once there, you can add them to the Reference Database. It's all a bit of work, but worth it to prevent the corruption of the data entering the Reference Database.

�;::� �� !:! ::;�

r-�

cannibalize U'pdat�

Clipboard The Clip Database functions much like a clipboard, a way station for games being assembled for a move to another database. The information is stored there temporarily, awaiting its disposition. You can drag and drop (copy and paste) games into the Clip database, but you can perform that move to the Clip Database more efficiently by pressing FS. That will move any highlighted or group of highlighted games into the Clip Database.

· ·· ·;·,· � � · v� �··� �� · hi.g ti i i �.i,� �� · �·��i ·;�- ci ���b·�-� �·�-� ci · �� ��·� - F�·,· · · · · · · ···· · · · · · · · · · ···· · ··· · · · · · ······ · · · · · · · · · ··· · ·· · ...... . ..... . ..... . . . . . .... . . . . . .. . . .. . . . ... ... . . . . . . . · · · · · · · · h��� �� · · · ci· � � � · � � h i 1 ��� � � �� � i k � •. ;·, � �· a i,·i·� ti i·� � ti ·�· .· ·i i· · , · � c L1 f>: ·· ·;·,· � �· v� �· ·� �� · ��·� ii�· �·� � ��·� · ��-1 � ��� ci· ·�·� ���· 1�·� �-�ii·�· c i i� -c;�-��-b� ��-· wi�h i�·�ii·�- c i i � · - ·· · · ······· · · Database, highlight the games you want to remove from the database, right-click, and then select Remove Selected.

.

To move the games from the Clip Database into another database, drag and drop them, copy and paste them, or simply drag the Clip Database icon onto the icon of the destination database. Working well with ChessBase

(Organizing and viewing your chess information)

45

Opening a game Each database contains games, and opening any database will reveal its Games list. To view the game, simply double click on it . . . or with it highlighted, press enter. ChessBase users typically play through hundreds of games simply by pressing the right arrow and progressing slowly or quickly through the game. But it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with many options now at your disposal.

Player index I have opened Fischer-Benko from the 1963-4 US Championship. Note that the game window contains pictures of the players. Not all of you will want to devote screen real estate to the photos, but if you enj oy this feature, in the Ribbon: • VIEW • Players Photos.

·· ·�·,· � �- wii·�-� - ��-�-� ii·�·k· ��--� · � i �-�� � � h�·��·.· ch � �·� 8 ���· �ii1· �� ke· ·�� � ��· tii �t · �·1·� ���;� · io ·· · · · · · · · · · · ··· · · Dossier. There, you can read their particulars and flip through their photos. -�::;,.:,.;. . .��� ���......-�.±! """" l!';J amr- §,o11dl t!] a.rt loot U... @') SllWl .. j

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( Of 15 . ..cS 16.NbS N6xb5 17.BxbS exploiting the pin on the d-file.J 1 6. 15-Khl!? Benko misses an opporunity to calm down the game.

�s;t�:::.i::t�.i:

N4xf5 17.BxfS ]

[ After l5-..f5 Fischer gainsonly a sma11 advantageafter 16.Bh6 ( Or l 6.Bg5 QeB 1 7. QM Rf7 18.exfS N4xf5 1 9. Qg4 ) 16 . . . Qf6 17.Bxg7 Qxg7 18.QKg7+ Kxg7 19.exfS N6xf5 20.Rael RaeS 2LN� w ith a comfortable ! Memorable Games, but Blad:: can play on with 21...Nd6. j

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bottom left. Just type in "Donaldson" and you can avoid scrolling through the mammoth list of names.

By highlighting the player's name, you can see all their games as well as a scrollable list of the tournaments in which they have competed. Highlight one of the tournaments and press "T" to bring up an interactive crosstable. Double-dick on any game in the Donaldson Game List to view it. Highlight your opponent's name and press the enter key. You will now see a screen with a photo of your opponent as well as pertinent information about him or her. ChessBase calls this the player's ID-Card. l now have an image of my opponent. For Donaldson, there are six photos on file. For the strongest grandmasters, there are often a great many.

65

Donaldson

John W

Birihday.

1958

(56)

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The power of ChessBase reveals itself when you now select "Prepare Against White"

. ·� ,· � �· Al��·;�-��i��.1�: �i�h i·�· �h � 'p j��� r. Li·��:-�� �-�-�-�· Ri�h�· �·ii�k � � .th�· � ��·e· �f �� � ; •. ·opponent, and then select "Prepare Against White". ChessBase provides another option: => · · · ..................

Right click on player name => Search white games.

66

S C E N ARI O

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Here is the screen that emerges. You immediately have access to all of the database's games in which Donaldson played with White. As you can see, he has a versatile repertoire but he appears to favor 1.Nf3. Against my 1 . . cS, he is likely to transpose to the English Hedgehog. .

Within a minute, I find four games in which he has played 1.Nf3 cS 2.c4 Nf6 3 .Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 S.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Rdl a6, a position with which I am familiar. Knowing the variation that I am likely to face, I can spend the hour or so brushing up on those lines, once again with the aid of ChessBase.

···;·,· � - - �-� -�-- � -�-�-� � - �- � �--�-�- � �-�· ; · y�·�; ·� � � ��-�-��:�-� � �-�� -�-�� -�-�-��� �-; �·· · ··· · ·· ··· ·· ·· · multiple databases. For example, John Donaldson may have played correspondence games that appear only in the Correspondence Chess Database. If you have the time, consider first creating a database call Donaldson . You can also search for his games efficiently across many databases by highlighting more than one database at a time and only then bringing up the search wi ndow. With multiple databases highlighted, • Right-click on any one of them • select "Search"

·· ·;·,· �� · -1·� � �i·�-� - � ��- �h ��-y��-�- � � -A��-�ci - � r · c � � 1 �-� � - � �� ��-;i·�� - t� �·�h �i-; w�·;1ci· ch� �-�-i �� �·h;� · · · · · · · match, or perhaps you are j ust an avid spectator. It is relatively simple to follow these instructions to forecast in what opening variations the games of the match are most likely to be fought. Preparing for an opponent

(Because they're preparingfor you)

67

Player Statistics With the player's name highlighted in the Player Tab, you can bring up his tournament record. Select Player Statistic in the ribbon, or right click on the player's name and then select Player Statistic.

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The first column shows Donaldson's cumulative performance against each opponent. You can sort here by name, number of games, or result. The second column lists the tournaments in which he has competed. You can sort by tournament name, date, result, or bring up a Crosstable for the highlighted event.

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The third column lists the number of games and overall score in each ECO line. You can sort here by White, Black, or as here by ECO code.

Statistics are our friends

We can learn from good data. If I have enough of John Donaldson's games, I might well be able to discern in which openings he does especially well or poorly. Rather than continue to put Donaldson on the spot, let's look at mine.

68

SCE N A RIO

4

.

I have clustered all of my correspondence games into a single database, "Mycorr'. When I open that database, I simply see the games that I have played in the order in which I have played them. Here's the database opened to those games leading up to an d in my win in the US Championship.

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S C ENAR I O

5

·· ·;·,· � � · \Ni,·i·1 � ·�·��� h i�·�· � ���·�:·��� · ��·�· ���� · � �· �h�.o�ii·�·�· o���b���·· · ·· ·· ·j��·i�·i� ·i°� ·, ·��j · · · for perspective on the opening choices the players are making � (While in the Game window • VIEW • Online Database) or also � . to compare th e p I ayer s moves wit. h th e E ngme,s a c h ess engine Moves recommendations (In the Game window • HOME • Default Kibitzer. Slider

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Go to • Tournaments • Official A • Click on the Player tab You will see your name as well as a growing list of interested participants. .

Playchess Tournaments

(Competingforfun andprofit)

95

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Your status will change to "Wants In" and soon thereafter as "Registered" when the Director officially enters you into the event. You will also see messages from the Tournament Director in the Chat window:

Rei n n c lcj_l.� c l d a u : Vo u a re i n . J ecJ.:.. a r·cJ s Rei n n c l d_Goldau (To all): 5 10 F ridays Blitz-Tou rna m e nt Rei n r K l cl_(�oldau: Vo u a r·e regi s : er·e d . J edwa rd s

96

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(No more surprises)

121

As is evident in the results, Black has many interesting options on the fifth move. The most played option, the Classical Variation with 5 . . NaS, is most often played. The MegaBase tells us that this choice has been played by Kasparov, Inchuk, Karajkin, and Bacrot. ChessBase provides a hot symbol meant to indicate that the move is currently in vogue, and the results also list those players with the most experience in the line. They may not have the highest ratings here, but they are the specialists and attention should be paid to their games. .

5 ... NxdS?! permits both the Lolli with 6.d4 as well as the Fried Liver Attack with 6.Nxf7. Not surprisingly, White scores well after 5 . . . NxdS, 7 1 .4% over all. The Fritz with 5 . . . N d4 and the Ulvestad with 5 . . . b4 are competitive, offering White tough prospects. This single screen summarizes the world's experience with this position. As you develop fluency in interpreting the results, you will find that you are able, by clicking on each variation, to play through significant analysis in very little time. I have sorted the games list by clicking on the VCS column. "R" and "V" stand for Variations. "C" stands for text. "S" is for Symbols. When you sort on this column, the most heavily annotated games pop to the top. A game marked with a "V" has more variations than a game marked with a "v". So too with "S" and s" and with "R", "r", "V", and "v".

vc,._�--.-.....----:1..,,.L.&.:>.J�--'---� 1 C Vari ati o n s (7 9 M oves) , Text, Sym b o l s V

As with the results in Online Database, the statistics are alw ays provided from Whit e's point of view, even when it is Black to move. That may seem confusing at first, but it provides some comfort since players don't want to have to think about whose move it is when evaluating a move o r variation . ·�·I· � : . Th � · M �·g·a ·B·�·� � ·i·n ·� j � d·�·� · �h �·�·; ��i·� � l ·�·�j�.I � � ·f;�·� · � �·�� i��� ��· ·�f· C h ��·� B·� � � . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . magazine. Rather than having players listed, they will be distinguished with CBM in the tit le of the game. Strong players should embrace these files. Of course, you can easily find these games by sea rching for "CBM". As is often the case, these files will be among the most heavil y annotated games in the database and the refore appear at or near the top when you sort Mega Base games by VCS. Tl P :

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···�·1· � = · v� �· ·c � � · a·1·� � · P·��ti��·b i� ·� ����h �h·� � �· ·;�·s � i��·b� ·� ��i � � ·b� ·wll i�� ·�·r ·8·1·� � k ·E·L a: · o �i�·�· · · ···· so will very quickl y provide you with a collection of the games played by the best players. Of course, you can also search by players' names in order to find the results of a particular player, or by date to locate the most recent games in a line. 122

S C ENAR I O

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· ·;·l· �� · Th� · �·i dd l �· ·P � � � ·i� · �·s�f � j ·f�·r ·q� i �k·� �· ·n ��i·g � �l � n �ithin the . mo �t . hea � i1� · � l·a�� d · · · ···· · · · ·· · · variations. You can quickly increase or decrease the number of available lines there by clicking on the + or - magnifier on the right side of that pane . ·;· · � ; · ·C·h ·� ��·0·�·� � · ;,·�·� · �d·d·� d · �· ·.� H.� �; · �·�· � ��· �·h �� · �d· �� � · · �h � ·���� · � � �i�·� ·�·� ��i� �·�� �� �· . . . . t I i p v i es I by the strongest players. ChessBase uses the players ratings and the date of the games to determine the "hotness".

•.

Op ening Keys Before there were databases, we had opening encyclopedias. Modern Chess Openings (MCOs) reached 15 editions. The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECOs) appeared in five volumes, each with multiple editions. Smaller versions appeared from time to time, notably from Horowitz, from Batsford, and from John Nunn. All of them suffered from the same ultimate fate, the steady emergence of new ideas. The books were out-of-date the moment they were printed. Many of the books were also flawed pedagogically. An edition might recommend a line, but students of the game need to see full game scores to appreciate how to convert such an advantage. Of course, today's databases address both problems. We can easily keep them up-to-date, and they make it very easy indeed to play through complete games. ChessBase's Opening Key is a technological marvel that is no longer as essential as in decades past now that we have the Online and Reference Databases. But database users should still be aware of its existence and there must surely be users who prefer use of these keys to the newer methods. The Opening Key applies the ECO Classification to the game data in a database. Those familiar with that ECO organization will be at home here, while those who are unfamiliar with it will wonder whether this all represents a huge barrier of entry. Know simply that knowing the ECO Classification is worthwhile but not essential to meaningful progress. If the codes seem somewhat arbitrary and capricious to you, you can skip this section without j eopardizing your rating and future in chess. To see the Opening Key, open your largest database, presumably BigBase or the Mega Database, and then press the Openings Tab. Text

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(No more surprises}

123

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The rough outline of the E C O Classification i s here, along with some very high level descriptions (French, Sicilian, Dutch, etc) as well as the number of games contained within the database associated with each ECO range. The plus signs on the left permit you to drill down, reaching much greater levels of granularity. In the following screen shot, I have drilled down several levels to reach the many sub-keys associated with one of my favorite variations of the Sicilian Dragon. By clicking on any sub-key, I bring up a list of all of the games associated with that key.

124

SCE N A R I O

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