I used to use NicBase but it is now defunct. What new database should I consider? I have a copy of Chessbase 8 that I'm trying to use, but it seems rather clunky and non-intuitive.
Is there a better choice between ChessBase or Chess Assistant? I have noticed that Youtube info is very scarce when it comes to Chess Assistant. Personally, I think at my rating I probably could do without a database and just live with opening books or Nunn's Chess Openings fed into COW Pro supplemented with my own analysis and training.
Thanks to anyone who can help me out with this?
Thanks,
Mark
Chess Database Needed or Not
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FreeRepublic
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- Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2019 12:31 am
Re: Chess Database Needed or Not
I used to go to The Week in Chess and download a week's games at a time. These can then be imported into COW, It's free.
I now use Chess Assistant. It's great once you learn the ins and outs of using it. There are a lot of features, some hidden. However in addition to buying CA, one has to update it annually. An annual upgrade costs $75. This includes the next year's games, updated automatically. You could think of it as paying $1.50 for an automated update for one week.
A hybrid solution is to buy Chess Assistant, and go to The Week in Chess and update a week's worth of games (free) every week. It saves you money, but you have to spend more time.
It could be that ChessBase or Chess Informant offer solutions similar to Chess Assistant, but I'm sure you will likewise have to pay both for the initial product and for updates.
I now use Chess Assistant. It's great once you learn the ins and outs of using it. There are a lot of features, some hidden. However in addition to buying CA, one has to update it annually. An annual upgrade costs $75. This includes the next year's games, updated automatically. You could think of it as paying $1.50 for an automated update for one week.
A hybrid solution is to buy Chess Assistant, and go to The Week in Chess and update a week's worth of games (free) every week. It saves you money, but you have to spend more time.
It could be that ChessBase or Chess Informant offer solutions similar to Chess Assistant, but I'm sure you will likewise have to pay both for the initial product and for updates.
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FreeRepublic
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2019 12:31 am
Re: Chess Database Needed or Not
"Is there a better choice between ChessBase or Chess Assistant? "
That is a tough one to answer! ChessBase can read both CBV and PGN files. Chess Assistant reads PGN files, but not CBV files. Books published in the CBV format open reliably and well into CB. CA is a great game database however. I think it is cheaper to buy and probably less expensive to get annual game updates using CA. As we speak, I am uploading a COW Pro eBook with games from CA.
There are at least two other game sources that are less expensive and possibly adequate for your needs: Chessgames.com and pgnmentor.com.
You might want to consider buying a COW eBook on an opening that interests you:
https://www.bookup.com/catalog/ebooks/
You can supplement it, if you wish, with games downloaded from one of the above sites.
That is a tough one to answer! ChessBase can read both CBV and PGN files. Chess Assistant reads PGN files, but not CBV files. Books published in the CBV format open reliably and well into CB. CA is a great game database however. I think it is cheaper to buy and probably less expensive to get annual game updates using CA. As we speak, I am uploading a COW Pro eBook with games from CA.
There are at least two other game sources that are less expensive and possibly adequate for your needs: Chessgames.com and pgnmentor.com.
You might want to consider buying a COW eBook on an opening that interests you:
https://www.bookup.com/catalog/ebooks/
You can supplement it, if you wish, with games downloaded from one of the above sites.
Re: Chess Database Needed or Not
I bought several COW books and I won’t recommend doing so: they are mostly outdated.