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.
Hypertext - Gimmick or Revolution?
by Eric Schiller
Of all the enhancements to ChessBase in release 3.0, the most intriguing is
the inclusion of a hypertext environment. Hypertext is a concept which
structures information on computers in a way which is not possible on paper.
To give a simple example, consider an encyclopaedia in book form. You look up
RHypermodernS, and read that it is a particular school of chess represented by
Nimzowitsch, Breyer, Blumich etc which contributed greatly to opening theory..
Now since you don't know who Blumich is (shame!), you have to go to the
index, find the entry for Blumich, and then turn to the relevant page where
his biography is found. This listing makes reference to various tournament
in which old Max did quite well, and you then go to the index, look up the
entry, and flip to the relevant page. Then you get the information about the
tournament, go to your library, and check out the games. Then it is back to
the encyclopaedia, where you are referred to articles on various openings, etc. All in all a laborious task.
Here is how it works in hypertext. You have an article on Hypermodernism
displayed on the screen. Want to learn more about Blumich? Click on his
name, and another window opens with the biography. Click on the name of
the tournament, and the file on the tournament is opened. A touch of a
key returns you to the point in the Hypermodern article from which you
departed.
In ChessBase 3.0, hypertext has been implemented in a fairly primitive, yet
very useful manner. Now when you open a file, say on a particular opening,
a hyptertext file appears (assuming one has been provided - more on that
below). The file may include an overview of the theory and much more.
Let us take an example of what might appear in a file on the Breyer Ruy Lopez.
First, you are greeted by a smiling portrait of Breyer, and the title
including the name of the author of the article. Then the variations are
listed with commentary and diagrams (in two different sizes, so that the
large ones can be used for emphasis). In each case, clicking on the variation
loads the relevant annotated game. You can play around in the ChessBase
environment, looking at the game with subvariations and notes. Then just hit
the HOME key to return to the hypertext document. This approach has great
potential for making databases of tournaments (which could include scanned
photos, bioUs and results), opening, middlegame, and endgame literature, and
a really neat encyclopaedia of chess. But authoring in hypertext does take a
bit of work, and the big question is whether the market will soon demand such
introductory files accompanying ChessBase data. If so, authors will have to
get used to putting a lot of work into their efforts, which is not such a bad
thing. As far as end-users are concerned, I don't see much reward in mastering
the authoring of hypertext documents, but I do see a tremendous benefit for
them in using pre-packaged hypertext documents.
ChessBaseUs hypertext implementation is rather limited in the initial release.
Particularly vexing is the inability to jump into a variation in the game -
landing sites are only accessible in the main lines. And the hypertext is
one-way, applying only in the hypertext document, but not allowing a leap
from inside one game to inside another.
Those who are familiar with commercial hypertext applications (for example
in its implentation as Guide or Hypercard) won't be overwhelmed, but those
who have never experienced hypertext will find a whole new world. And
remember, this is a free enhancement - not an add-on utility.
ChessBaseUs inclusion of hypertext is much more than a gimmick. If authors
start to take advantage of its present capabilities, it is a generational
leap in information packaging. And if Friedel and company expand this aspect
of their program, they may truly have something revolutionary on their hands.
---
Eric Schiller