Review by FM Jovan Petronic
"The new ChessBase Corr Database 2006 can be read with ChessBase 9.0, Fritz 8/9
or the ChessBase 9.0 Reader that comes with the CD.
The ChessBase 9.0 Reader automatically opens the database on the CD. There are
exactly 588.148 entries stored. The CD package cover reveals that these are
made up of classical correspondence mail games, as well as e-mail games, ranging
from 1804-2006!
Unfortunately, there is no introductory, correspondence chess-related text to
the database, which would be useful for the average user.
Don’t let the years trick you. Correspondence games take a while to complete.
A Correspondence Chess Playerbase for ChessBase 9.0 users with approximately
63.000 names is included! The Playerbase can be accessed via the Tools/Options
menu in the Reader.If your data is not included in the Playerbase, you can use online access
through “Update My Player Encyclopedia Entry”.
A closer look inside the database reveals not only the advertised tournament
games, but Correspondence Opening Surveys, too!? There seem to be a significant
number of these included.
Popularity of correspondence chess is easily seen by the number games played by
the most active players, among close to seventy-five thousand in all.
Openings, Themes, Tactics, Strategy and Endgames keys are fully classified and
searchable through specialized keys.

More than 48.000 tournaments are available for browsing!
A large number of annotated games, close to 500 annotators, by Correspondence
and OTB (grand)masters, is another highlight of this database.
High-corr-rated games ensure quality of this remarkable collection.
Conclusion:
The tournaments collected and published here are of the obvious
highest quality, “featuring all games of the correspondence chess world championships
1-18, correspondence chess olympics 1-15, correspondence chess european
championships, national chamionships (AUS, CSR, DEN, GER, NED, USA) and
memorials (1965 SUI jub75, 1991 FIN jub30, NED jub 25, NBC Millennium Email,
ICCF 50th Jubilee Elite and ICCF 50th Jubilee World Champions)”.
OTB players may as well benefit from researching these games, as they contain
masterpieces that can be useful in pursuing novelties necessary for modern tournament
preparation, ideas that can only be found in games such as these.
Correspondence games, although its players might argue differently, are
relieved of typical OTB time control stress situations, thus hinting on
potentially higher quality precision techniques in openings, middlegames and
endgames alike.
Even with the growing powers of computer chess engines, having witnessed a
number of regular correspondence chess players spending countless hours in
analyzing their ongoing games over the board, without external aid, I have no
fear of software overtaking the human element in producing competitive and
evergreen correspondence games of chess.
My personal earlier experiences with experimenting OTB chess,
using Correspondence Chess based knowledge, have brought me success on more
than a few occasions and will always play an important part in tournament
preparation and general study of the game of chess.
ChessBase continues its quest in storing the history of chess,
updates it on a regular basis, to the joy and convenience of all chess friends
and professionals. This jewel, enriched by the powerful features of ChessBase’s
software, is a must for all past, present and future correspondence chess
players and a goldmine for chess excavations."