Hello... I'm new here and relatively new to chess. I have a bunch of questions regarding the myriad of available software. A friend of mine gave me a program called Chess Mentor deluxe which is not a chessplaying program. I like it, however I'm looking for something to store my games from ICC/OTB tournaments as well as getting a chess program to analyze the positions for me and offer move ideas.

There are tons of programs to choose from. I have looked at

Fritz 9
Chessbase
Chess Assistant


The thing is I cannot tell what sets them apart from each other. Ive also downloaded SCID, however I have no idea how to use it.


Does Fritz 9 have what I need? What do chessbase/chessassistant do that Fritz 9 cannot?

What is the purpose of all of these big game databases? 1 million games and such. There is no way to look through every one of those games. I'm just learning how to study this game so any help will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks and sorry for the noob questions.