even more chess software reviews
Eric Schiller
Chess Software Reviews by Eric Schiller, National Master.
This file is one in a series of reviews of software which will be of
interest to chessplayers. I am posting these in response to queries posted on
USENET. Most have appeared elsewhere, but are being revised here.
DISCLAIMER: As an author of books and databases on chess I use most of these
items in my work, which gives me considerable expertise. At the same time, I
also produce commercially available databases in the formats supported by these
products. Since my data is available in ASCII as well as proprietary formats, I
do not feel there is any dangerous conflict of interest here, but wish the
reader to know that I can benefit indirectly from the sales of many of the items
discussed. Regular readers of my reviews know that I am a harsh critic of the
drawbacks of the programs, and maintain an objective attitude.
The first set of reviews will discuss the three leading database managers:
ChessBase, NICbase and BOOKUP7. NICbase 3.0 was supposed to ship in late
August, but I have yet to receive my copy. A review will appear as soon as
I have evaluated it.
Bookup7 - THE tool for openings study!
Reviewed by Eric Schiller
Unlike ChessBase, which is magnificent at managing game data
but which has serious problems with opening transpositions,
Bookup7 is geared for the serious opening analyst. By
indexing every position, the program flawlessly traps even
the most mind-boggling transposition and enables the user to
organize data by positions which can be graded and labelled
at will.
BOOKUP organizes data on the basis of position. For each
position it displays a board with excellent graphic pieces, a
window for comments, a small window for evaluations, and a
list of "candidate" moves which represent the various
possible continuations stored in the database.
Analysis can be printed out in a tabular form like that used
by BCO, MCO, and ECO.
One of the most important features is the ability to import
data from other sources, including ASCII (text) files, such
as those found on the USA Today Sports Center or produced by
other programs such as ChessBase, NICbase ChessEdt, DBChess
etc. Moves can also be entered with a mouse, or via the
keyboard (fastest).
I can state that there is a large supply of opening databases
available for Bookup7, I can't review my own productions, of
course, but there is a wealth of data available from other
sources, including Chess Laboratories, which markets Bookup7,
and from DixonData (3066 Adirondack Avenue, Columbus, OH
43231. 614-890-4140.), which has a wide range of opening
titles, mostly in the 2-3,000 position range. These disks
should be viewed as starter systems, since they include very
little commentary and evaluation, and there are over 75
titles already available. (My own databases (50+ titles) run from 3,000
positions to 16,000 positions, and cost between $19.95 and
$29.95 - contact Chess Laboratories for info).
There are some quirks which do not seriously affect the
performance of the program. The program could use more
sophisticated navigation, allowing forward or backward
scrolling in user-defined increments. Still lacking are a
facility for searching of comment windows to locate specific
games. And above all, the program should standardize
notation! It allows the user to input moves in a variety of
legal formats, but one is often faced with a hodge-podge of
notations on the screen, especially when some of the data is
imported from textfiles. Finally, wordwrap is needed in the
comment windows.
Most databases simply store information. But when combined
with the Zarkov 2 chessplaying program (also available from
Chess Laboratories), one can have the computer evaluate any
or all positions in a BOOKUP database! And Zarkov can use the
BOOKUP databases as its opening book, relying on the
evaluations in the database, or on its own evaluations. This
makes it excellent for training purposes.
The ability of Bookup7 to import data from text files
improves the utility of the program a thousandfold. It also
makes the combination of Bookup7 with NICbase or ChessBase
even more valuable than "the sum of the parts".
Any word processor can prepare text for import into Bookup7,
but owners of other database manages, whether specifically
designed for chess or simply general programs, can really
speed up their opening or endgame study.
The first thing to do is to get the data. Chess games can be
downloaded (from the USA Today Sports Network, for example),
exported (from programs like ChessBase, NICbase, DBChess),
purchased (from Chess Laboratories), extracted from word
processing files etc.
By using a series of macros, more powerful editors can make
importing a breeze. You need to have text where the
information about the game is located on one or more lines
preceding the moves, and then the moves themselves (NICbase
exports in a compatible format, ChessBase needs considerable
cleaning up, though this can be done with macros in most word
processors.
Bookup7 will prompt for the source and destination files and
ask how many ply (half-moves) of each game you wish to have
imported. It will then read the information into a comment
window attached to the final position of the game. Like this:
Kasparov - Karpov
World Championship 1990 (1)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 (etc.)
Strip out all captures and checks (the import routine reads
both periods and spaces as delimiters.) Leave the header
information in any format that you wish, though I recommend
following NICbase for formatting.
This import ability makes Bookup7 the most useful way of
organizing opening data at present. To create a new database,
simply prepare a file of games in text format, and import the
first 50-60 ply (that's 25-30 moves) of each game. Now sort
the database (to increase speed) and then add information
manually - from books, articles, or your own notebooks of
private analysis!
Keep in mind, however, that some programs provide copyrighted
data, and it is not entirely clear what legal restrictions
might apply to transferring purchased data into Bookup7. The
games themselves are not copyrighted, of course, and Bookup7
does not import comments (yet).
If you are more concerned with openings and endgames than
with storage of complete games, Bookup7 is by far the best
program to get. With its import capability and Zarkov
interface, it is the most flexible of all the programs
reviewed here - and the least expensive as well! The export
functions are still limited, but a program (BookMaker) which
exports the entire database to a word-processing file in
ASCII outline form is in beta-testing.
BOOKUP7 $99, Zarkov $75 from Chess Laboratories, PO Box 3541,
South Pasadena CA 91031. 818-799-7567 (voice) 818-799-2530 (fax)
contact bog...@bombay.gps.caltech.edu for more information.
Credit cards accepted. Moneyback guarantee. Not copy protected.
---
Eric Schiller