ChessBase´26 – Tips for Beginners, part 30: Use "Folders"

by Stefan Liebig
9/6/2026 – ChessBase´26 is amazingly versatile and often surprisingly user-friendly — as the first 29 parts of this tutorial series have already shown! One particularly important feature in this context is the “Folders” window, which lets you quickly locate anything you want to use within your storage directories. In this episode, we’ll show you how to activate the window (in case it’s been disabled) and what you can view and work with there.
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Strictly speaking, when working with ChessBase´26, you never need to leave the main ChessBase window. Within the interface, you can access all storage locations for your files, as well as view items you have purchased in the Shop. In this episode, we show you how this works:

Activating the "Folders" window

The basic requirement for using ChessBase´26 in this convenient way is that the "Folders" window is open. To do this, simply click on the main menu item View and check the box Folders (in tutorial parts 23, 24, and 25 we have already explained some other functions and display options, such as the two additional options shown above — "Database Preview" and "Status Bar" — as well as the update functions arranged below).

In this view there are two areas that we will explain in this episode: the upper part with the directory structure, and the lower part with the fields Search, Large, and Advanced.

Directory tree

Let us first take a look at the directory tree when the Advanced box is not checked:

You will see the main directories of your ChessBase version.

If the Advanced field is not visible, you will need to widen the window.

You can now click on as many plus signs as you like to display subfolders:

We can see here that the long "Database Path" window is expanded, showing a wide range of options. For example, under Books and Bases you will find the stored opening books (Books = .ctg files) and the installed products (Bases such as the Mega Database 2025):

Note on storage locations:

Where an installed product is located depends on the product. Installed products may be found under Bases (Mega/ Corr/ Opening Encyclopedia/ PowerBook databases – each in their own subdirectory).

Video courses, on the other hand, are by default located under C:\Users[Name]\Documents\ChessBase\Shop.

Ultimately, however, the user can decide where everything should be stored by deviating from the standard installation.

You can also see in the directory folder that you can browse the Shop there. For example, you will find new products or those you have already purchased, which you can then open directly with a double-click. In the direct list you can also see what to expect in the course, and you can open this content as a database as well:

The same applies to the "Video" window, where you can access the ChessBase video shows by Karsten Müller, Daniel King, or Harald Schneider-Zinner (the download may take a few minutes):

Through the "Live" window you can also view the data from the ChessBase live coverage on the homepage. Here is an example:

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When the "Advanced" box is checked, you also gain access to your Windows Explorer directories – shown here already partially expanded: everything visible between "Database Path" and "OneDrive" is now also available for access:

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Search

Suppose you want to search for games of certain players from your databases – you can do this very easily and quickly using the search function.

Example 1: You can start the search in a directory directly via the directory structure. By selecting a directory in which local databases are stored, you can start a search across all databases in this directory – without having to mark all the databases individually (see Example 2):

Example 2: You have installed the Opening Encyclopedia 2026 and want to search for games by World Champion Gukesh with White. To do this, go to "My Databases" and in the main window to "Opening Encyclopedia 2026". You can even select two or more databases (CTRL + left mouse button, or SHIFT + left mouse button for entire blocks) and search them simultaneously:

Then click on "Search" and in the mask that opens, enter the player you are looking for under White. Then click "OK" (or enter additional desired parameters beforehand):

The search result that appears after a few moments looks like this:

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Be well prepared with the new Opening Encyclopaedia 2026! Whether you want to build up a reliable and powerful opening repertoire or find new opening ideas for your existing repertoire, the Opening Encyclopaedia covers the entire opening theory on one product and is the ideal start for your opening training. Many new articles enrich the current theory with new or revisited ideas. The Encyclopaedia can help you learn openings quickly and give you a head start on your next opponent. Each article contains explanations and annotated games illustrating typical plans to deepen your understanding.

Big Icons

The option is quickly explained: there are two settings that format the directory structure differently – just click and choose the one that suits your preference.

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  • Practise opening variations with three modes.
  • Advanced notation: add comments, symbols, variations, arrows and markings to your games
  • Advanced sharing options: share games and positions via link, image, GIF, FEN or QR code
  • PGN compatibility: upload and download games or databases as PGN files

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ChessBase has developed over decades to become what it is now in its 2026 version. The program has countless options, which we will present here in small portions – so you can design your interface for pleasant daily use and keep learning about new options and how to use them to get the most out of ChessBase´26 and save time.

We hope that this tip will help you to have more fun and be more successful when using ChessBase´26. You can find more tips and hints on our support pages and FAQ pages.

All parts of the series and more links:

YOUR EASY ACCESS TO OPENING THEORY: Whether you want to build up a reliable and powerful opening repertoire or find new opening ideas for your existing repertoire, the Opening Encyclopaedia covers the entire opening theory on one product.
YOUR EASY ACCESS TO OPENING THEORY
Be well prepared with the new Opening Encyclopaedia 2026! Whether you want to build up a reliable and powerful opening repertoire or find new opening ideas for your existing repertoire, the Opening Encyclopaedia covers the entire opening theory on one product and is the ideal start for your opening training. Many new articles enrich the current theory with new or revisited ideas. The Encyclopaedia can help you learn openings quickly and give you a head start on your next opponent. Each article contains explanations and annotated games illustrating typical plans to deepen your understanding.

_REPLACE_BY_ADV_5

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Topics: ChessBase´26, Tutorial
Stefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
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