Questions tagged [software]
Questions about chess-related software, but not including chess-playing engines; there's a more specific tag for those questions, the [engines] tag.
455
questions
55
votes
10
answers
78k
views
Is there a good online opening training software?
There are a lot of websites to train your tactics, but I can't find any for opening repertoire. I am looking for something similar to 'Chess Position Trainer' but online, where I can import a pgn file ...
42
votes
12
answers
29k
views
Is there any free software to automatically analyze and annotate games?
I'm looking for free software that automatically analyzes and annotates chess games (post-mortem), preferably marking blunders, suggesting good alternatives, pointing out missed tactics (forks, pins, ...
33
votes
18
answers
35k
views
Are there mobile chess tutoring/training apps for Android or iPhone?
I'm looking for a Chess tutoring/teaching app that I can dip in and out of on my phone. At the moment I use Shredder Chess to practice when on the move (which basically involves repeating the puzzles ...
25
votes
4
answers
22k
views
Is there a freely available online 7 piece Endgame tablebase?
The only 7 piece site I heard about is http://tb7.chessok.com/ , and upon registration I am able to setup various positions with 2-6 pieces . However as soon as I setup a position with 7 piece, I get ...
20
votes
5
answers
18k
views
Chess program for Linux/Unix console
For reasons I'd rather not get into, what chess programs work well on the console (ie. does not require X Windows)? Something with an ASCII visualization of the board would be incredibly helpful (I'm ...
19
votes
12
answers
7k
views
Tools for automated notation: webcam movie to PGN
Sometimes during blitz games over the board, or when in zeitnot, it gets very difficult to annotate them.
I've seen several software / hardware to help in writing the notation, even one that's FIDE ...
18
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Software for opening repertoire practice
I am developing an opening repertoire for white based on d4 and c4. I think this is going all right, but what I am looking for is a chess program that can exercise my repertoire knowledge.
...
17
votes
11
answers
27k
views
Alternatives to chessbase on OS X
Most of my chess preparation and studying used to revolve around ChessBase products. I stored my databases and notes in .cbh files, used computers with the ChessBase interface to study and do ...
17
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why can a chess move improve the chance of winning, according to the computer?
When watching the Sinquefield cup on http://grandchesstour.org/, it is possible to try different moves qnd see how the computer evaluates the position after your suggested move.
Most moves will ...
17
votes
3
answers
2k
views
High-quality (not bitmap) diagram software
I'm looking for software that can take FEN and generate a high-quality diagram, in PDF, Postscript, Windows metafile, or something else that will look good at 1200x1200 dpi or better. I thought the ...
17
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What software can I use to self-assess my own Elo rating?
What software (preferably free) can I use to do a self assessment to determine my own Elo rating?
15
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Are there positions which cannot be properly analyzed by any computer?
Are there positions in chess which every engines is unable to analyze
properly ?
Maybe calm positions with a positional advantage the engines do not
recognize ? Or positions won in the long term ...
15
votes
6
answers
4k
views
What would be the elo of a computer program that plays at random?
What would be the Elo of a computer program that plays random moves?
For the sake of simplicity, assume that he never asks for a draw or resigns and never accepts a draw offer.
15
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is the dead position problem solvable?
In chess, there are some dead positions (FIDE Laws of Chess).
5.2.2 The game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate the opponent’s king with any series of legal
...
15
votes
3
answers
5k
views
How does engine strength scale with hardware?
Say I run Komodo on my 4-core machine. How much stronger would Komodo be if I used an 8-core machine? A 40-core machine? A 4000-core machine?
Is there a general relation for this? Also, does this ...
15
votes
1
answer
11k
views
What is Syzygy tablebases?
I just want to know in simple language exactly, What the Syzygy tablebases are, Why they are used, What are their advantages, disadvantages?
15
votes
5
answers
2k
views
What is the highest known lower bound for mate in N from starting position?
Edit: It seems my question was not clear enough. Let me rephrase: What is the largest N for which we can knowingly say "chess, from the starting position, is not a forced mate in N moves"?
Chess is ...
14
votes
8
answers
12k
views
Chess software to analyze games
My son is into chess and plays chess tournaments. I would like to know what good chess software is available to analyze his games. The software should analyze move-by-move and should point out weak/...
14
votes
4
answers
19k
views
Is there any chess software that tutors beginners?
I am a beginning chess player, and I want to learn more about openings, the middle game, and the endgame.
Can anyone suggest any good chess software that 'tutors' beginners?
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What Chess Software allows creating a chess Ebook?
I would like to take an annotated pgn file, and convert it into an ebook I could conveniently read on amazon kindle (or its pc version), or android/Ios device. It might have to create diagrams where ...
14
votes
1
answer
68k
views
How to download Stockfish and install it on the Fritz/ChessBase GUI?
I'm on Windows 8. I have the Fritz/ChessBase GUI since I bought both Fritz 12 and Houdini 3 Pro.
I would like to know how exactly can I download and install the free latest version (and most powerful ...
13
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Is there a free online chess repertoire tool?
Is there a free online chess repertoire tool? It can be some place where you register, save variations and comments, and navigate with a board what you do. I was used to chessply, but apparently it ...
13
votes
7
answers
10k
views
How can I scan a chessboard and obtain its FEN?
I am planning to create a chess puzzle book for beginners. Diagrams need to be published in the book. Right now I have all the materials in PDF. But I need a software to create diagrams for a ...
12
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Computer evaluations: How trustworthy are they?
Fritz 12 with Rybka gave a friend of mine an evaluation of +3 for white in this endgame position,
[Title "White to move"]
[FEN "8/8/8/3k3p/3P3K/2P3R1/8/7r w - - 0 1"]
which turned out to be a draw. ...
12
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Website or program that creates puzzles from blunders in your past games
I'm looking for a website or program that would look at your past games on Lichess or chess.com and find moves that you played that were blunders and create puzzles around those
12
votes
2
answers
19k
views
How to represent chess state with a bitboard
I'm interested in programming a chess engine and using bitboards to represent the state of the game. I know there are a few open source chess engines that use bitboards, but its not so easy to look at ...
12
votes
9
answers
3k
views
Can a chess engine tell you why a move is bad or good?
Can any chess engine tell you why a move is bad or good? For example, say a chess engine says the score against my opponent is currently +2 in my favor. I then make a move and my score drops to say 1....
12
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Is there a computer program that generates quality chess problems?
Is there a chess engine that automatically generates quality chess problems. For example I will input 3 - it produces a mate in 3 problem. But the problem shouldn't be so obvious that one can solve in ...
12
votes
5
answers
6k
views
What alternatives are there to Chess Position Trainer?
CPT is software for testing (among other things) one's opening repertoire knowledge.
I'm wondering if there are any other similar pieces of software I should consider.
11
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Render a chessboard from a PGN file
I’d like to render a 2D chessboard image and save it after the last move as a PNG or JPEG from a given PGN file on a Linux console. How can I do this?
I have a PGN file and I want to get a screenshot ...
11
votes
5
answers
880
views
Any chess software with "force move" facility?
Does anyone know if there is a chess program on the market (PC or iPad) which provides force-move functionality while it is the computer's turn to play (the opponent tells the computer program which ...
11
votes
2
answers
4k
views
software to analyze my own database of games with statistics
I've been playing on lichess.org for my online games, and is the primary way I enjoy chess. One of the big reasons why I started playing on lichess.org was that they offer a simple way to export your ...
10
votes
11
answers
8k
views
Is a Finite State Machine a good way to model chess?
A very common model in programming is the Finite State Machine (FSM) (see here for a great worked example.)
Is a FSM a good way to model chess? What are the best ways to go about it? What chess ...
10
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why does Lichess only tell me my "inaccuracies", "mistakes", and "blunders", and not e.g. my "brilliancies"?
A computer analysis of a game in Lichess lists your "inaccuracies", "mistakes", and "blunders". An example is below:
What I don't understand is why Lichess doesn't point out my good moves. It seems ...
10
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Deep Rybka vs Deep Fritz vs Houdini vs (other), which one to buy?
I want to invest my hard-earned money to buy a chess engine which can help me to:
analyze games easily
experiment with different opening repertoire
strategical analysis
positional play
I don't ...
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How do people use chess software to improve their practical skills?
I'm currently using chesstempo to get better at tactics, reading books on strategy, analyzing grandmasters' games, etc.
My current rating is around 1800 and I am planning to gain 200-300 points ...
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Downloading Games From Lichess
I'd like to be able to automate downloading specific games that have been played on Lichess. Is there any software available that, if given useful information such as the Lichess usernames, colours, ...
10
votes
7
answers
3k
views
How can I generate legal random chess setups?
Is there a free online website that attempts to generate "legal" random chess setups X amount of moves into the game?
10
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Which interface protocol should I implement for my chess engine?
I am writing a chess engine in C++ https://github.com/RomainGoussault/Deepov.
I know there are several interface protocols out there (UCI, Winboard protocol, etc) and I don't know which to implement. ...
10
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Is there software that simulates the Tri-D or 3-D chess as seen in Star Trek?
I want to try this game without making/buying a board and it is easier to learn to play when the computer can prevent invalid moves. Does any software, preferably freeware, exist which simulates this ...
10
votes
3
answers
896
views
Has there ever been a game where multiple humans play against a single chess computer?
I'm wondering if the following scenario has ever been played out:
Once side of a chess game is played by multiple humans at once,
collaboratively determining what the next move will be. This ...
9
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Is PGN split utility available anywhere?
A couple of places on the web mention a free utility called pgnsplit, that does the following:
"A commandline tool to convert pgn-files including games with variation into pgn-files where each ...
9
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Do major chess publishers use custom software for typesetting chess books?
As I try to understand how one would publish a large chess book, it feels that chess gives some pretty custom requirements for an editor or publisher. I am pretty sure that chess authors use Chessbase ...
9
votes
6
answers
19k
views
Looking for online Swiss pairing software
I would appreciate if somebody could recommend a good Swiss pairing program. I'd prefer online version with multi-language option and free version but cheap one is also good.
I've found http://www....
9
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Fritz: Full analysis Vs Blunder check
In Fritz, I am interested to know the differences between the Full Analysis and Blunder Check.
The differences at the first look seem superficial. For example, I wouldn't mind if there is no natural ...
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Creating a Opening Lines Book in ' tree-like' format
I came across this Opening tree graph question where a very elegant Opening tree as displayed.
Is there a way I could make a personal opening book in this format? If yes, then which software should ...
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Find magic numbers for bitboards
I am writing a C++ chess engine and I am looking for magic numbers for Little-Endian Rank-File Mapping bitboards to generate moves for sliding pieces.
The rival chess website gives magic numbers but ...
9
votes
1
answer
568
views
How do you search a chess database for exchange sacrifices?
I am looking for a way within any of the common chess packages to search for a specific maneuver, such as a rook capturing a protected. bishop. I've heard of CQL, but have never used it. I am curious ...
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How can I train myself in pawn endgames?
I'm looking for a chess program which offers to play pawn endgames to improve myself.
For example, can I force Fritz 13 to play pawns endgames? If so, how can I achieve this?
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is there a tool to automatically download a player's latest ICC games (history) into a pgn file?
ICC stores your last 20 games, some of the clients also allow storing them into pgn files as you play. But if you use a client that does not support it, you then have to manually go and get each game ...