Is there any readable manual or guide on the web to help with using
ChessBase Light? Can anyone advise me on a workable way of structuring a
database of games which I could then use for exploring openings. What is the
best way to amalgamate collections of games into a single database?

I have managed to download some collections of games from the web, but each
is called a database in Database Light. Surely there should be just one
database for all the games, or perhaps one for pgn files and one for cbh
files. What's the best way to amalgamate them, or better still, to download
games straight into an all games database? I have started to do it by
opening the games windows, selecting all the games in that collection and
using the clipboard to transfer them to one database, but think there must
be a better way.

Would appreciate suggestions and guidance.

There's no specific info on CB-light, as of what I know, but you could
read the help files, and alot of stuff around CB6/7 can be found at CB's
support section - T-notes, where you should look into the earliest years.
Remember that CBLight ONLY can contain about 8000 games in each base, so
if you download larger collections, you can't open them with this
program - so you'll need some pgn/chf utillity for this, and you will
have divide them into smaller ones (ECO is an option for selection).
CTRL+X, or select new database in the Database menu. Default, and in CBL
I think only, is the cbh-format. If you've opened some pgn-files, you
can just drag them to your own bases - you don't need the clipboard for
that, unless you're making searches (thats where the results are stored).

But check out the helpfile, and the wisdom of Steve Lopez in the T-notes.

hd

andrew chapman skrev:
Is there any readable manual or guide on the web to help with using
ChessBase Light? Can anyone advise me on a workable way of structuring a
database of games which I could then use for exploring openings. What is the
best way to amalgamate collections of games into a single database?

I have managed to download some collections of games from the web, but each
is called a database in Database Light. Surely there should be just one
database for all the games, or perhaps one for pgn files and one for cbh
files. What's the best way to amalgamate them, or better still, to download
games straight into an all games database? I have started to do it by
opening the games windows, selecting all the games in that collection and
using the clipboard to transfer them to one database, but think there must
be a better way.

Would appreciate suggestions and guidance.

"andrew chapman" wrote in message ...
Is there any readable manual or guide on the web to help with using
ChessBase Light? Can anyone advise me on a workable way of structuring a
database of games which I could then use for exploring openings.

Probably the most workable is to make a different database for each
tabiya.

What is the
best way to amalgamate collections of games into a single database?


Unlike full versions of ChessBase, ChessBase Light has a database size
limit of 8000 games (or something like that) so amalgamating databases
with a total number of games greater than that is impossible. You'll
have to buy ChessBase 8 if you want to do this.

I have managed to download some collections of games from the web, but each
is called a database in Database Light. Surely there should be just one
database for all the games, or perhaps one for pgn files and one for cbh
files. What's the best way to amalgamate them, or better still, to download
games straight into an all games database? I have started to do it by
opening the games windows, selecting all the games in that collection and
using the clipboard to transfer them to one database, but think there must
be a better way.


Only by buying CB8. In the database window, you can select any number
of databases to search by using Ctrl+left click.

Would appreciate suggestions and guidance.

I've been where you are now. It's not very easy to learn how to use
Chessbase Light. Eventually you'll get it by hit or miss. If you can't, ask
specific questions here or on a chess-related forum.

Your method of transferring games from one database to another is as good as
any. Anything that works is OK! There are several ways, as you'll discover
eventually, but it's only necessary to know one of them!

As for structuring databases to explore openings... The database has
various operations that will allow you to do so, so you don't have to worry
too much about structuring the game databases. Just lump all the games into
the same database then use the database's operations. For example you can
search for any position and get the corresponding statistics.

A good way to start is to enter all of your own games, then play around with
them.

Note that if you buy a current Fritz/Shredder/Hiarcs/etc chess program it
comes with a "GUI" (graphic user interface) which has many of the same
database features as Chessbase 8 itself, and it's a heckuva lot cheaper! So
you might consider that after playing around with Chessbase Light for
awhile, if you need more database capability. It's also easier to learn
because it comes with instructions. Not many people actually need Chessbase
8, which is way overpriced.
--
Euc1id


"andrew chapman" wrote in message
...
Is there any readable manual or guide on the web to help with using
ChessBase Light? Can anyone advise me on a workable way of structuring a
database of games which I could then use for exploring openings. What is the
best way to amalgamate collections of games into a single database?

I have managed to download some collections of games from the web, but each
is called a database in Database Light. Surely there should be just one
database for all the games, or perhaps one for pgn files and one for cbh
files. What's the best way to amalgamate them, or better still, to download
games straight into an all games database? I have started to do it by
opening the games windows, selecting all the games in that collection and
using the clipboard to transfer them to one database, but think there must
be a better way.

Would appreciate suggestions and guidance.

Thanks very much for your help.

This is probably obvious but I can't find how to sort the databases by ECO
code. In fact I saw it somewhere I think but now I've lost it and seem to
have been through every menu and every icon looking for it.

"andrew chapman" wrote in message
...
Thanks very much for your help.

This is probably obvious but I can't find how to sort the databases by ECO
code. In fact I saw it somewhere I think but now I've lost it and seem to
have been through every menu and every icon looking for it.

Open your database, then: Technial --- Sort database --- ECO

-af-