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.

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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 ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 4,301
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, ...
Hugo Sereno Ferreira's user avatar
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 ...
Totero's user avatar
  • 1,708
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 ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 4,301
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 ...
Dafydd Crosby's user avatar
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 ...
Riccardo Zorn's user avatar
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. ...
firtydank's user avatar
  • 5,757
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 ...
Andrew Latham's user avatar
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 ...
jonasfh's user avatar
  • 273
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 ...
Andrew Lazarus's user avatar
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?
Binoj Antony's user avatar
  • 3,351
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 ...
Peter's user avatar
  • 3,389
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.
fotipute's user avatar
  • 175
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 ...
user avatar
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 ...
Allure's user avatar
  • 26.1k
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?
R K's user avatar
  • 645
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 ...
Sami Liedes's user avatar
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/...
technewbie's user avatar
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?
Blessy Antony's user avatar
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 ...
User's user avatar
  • 501
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 ...
Fate's user avatar
  • 4,726
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 ...
Alessandro Della Corte's user avatar
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 ...
Unni Krishnan's user avatar
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. ...
chubbycantorset's user avatar
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
nanotek's user avatar
  • 376
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 ...
axiopisty's user avatar
  • 383
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....
Randy Minder's user avatar
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 ...
fercis's user avatar
  • 221
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.
user1205901 - Слава Україні's user avatar
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 ...
wintermeyer's user avatar
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 ...
sigismond kmiecik's user avatar
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 ...
Nebri's user avatar
  • 374
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 ...
A. N. Other's user avatar
  • 6,816
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 ...
Rebecca J. Stones's user avatar
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 ...
RajSanpui's user avatar
  • 813
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 ...
Alex Petrov's user avatar
  • 1,218
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, ...
Ian Bush's user avatar
  • 4,357
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?
blunders's user avatar
  • 4,137
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. ...
Romain's user avatar
  • 667
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 ...
Leonardo's user avatar
  • 203
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 ...
Ten Bitcomb's user avatar
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 ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 4,301
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 ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 4,301
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....
gabor.harsanyi's user avatar
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 ...
rpattabi's user avatar
  • 722
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 ...
AKP2002's user avatar
  • 1,098
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 ...
Romain's user avatar
  • 667
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 ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 4,301
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?
Zistoloen's user avatar
  • 1,412
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 ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 4,301

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