Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Although the basic functions can be used immediately, a number are only activated after you
login with your ChessBase/Playchess account name. Please note that if you do not already have
an account, creating one is completely free. Click on Log In or the link to create an account.
If you want to create an account, you can do so by either filling out the
info or if you prefer you can also register using your Facebook account
Once you have an account, just enter your name and password
After you have logged in, you will see a welcome message at top
Before using the engine, let's enter a basic position to test it. Just click on New Game
and then enter the moves until you reach the position you want. Naturally, you can
just run it from any position in a game you are consulting.
After entering the moves, we may wish to run a search to see what games have been played.
Here I reordered the list by Black Elo to show the strongest players who played it with black.
At the top, click on the Engine button
At the bottom right, a new pane will open, running Fritz 14. It will appear
just below the Let's Check information.
You can save this information, by highlighting the analysis and then clicking Ctrl-C. Press Ctrl-V to paste it in a document or other. Here is what it will look like:
(0.28) 4.Nf3 h6 5.h3 Qd7 6.g4 Bh7 7.Qb3 b6 8.Bg2 Nc6 9.Be3 Na5 10.Qb5 c6 11.Qa4 Ne4 12.0-0 g5 13.Nxe4
Depth 18/18 NPS = 173kN/s, time = 41s
You can also turn on the multi-ply analysis, showing the results for more than
one move. To turn it on, click on the + sign, and to reduce them, click on the
minus. To turn off the engine, click on the engine button where you turned it on.
The option of changing boards in the Online Database is not new, but
now you will see a number of new choices, such as a new Fritz, Modern,
Room, as well as some intriguing names like Balloon, Metal, and Future
When you click on the second Fritz, the board area will go black as it loads the 3D data.
Note: Bear in mind it can be a bit glitchy as it loads, so my tip is to let it load for a few seconds, depending on your connection speed, change the game, and even click on a move in the notation. In my experience, this solves all the issues every time.
Here is a view of the Modern board and piece set
The board is not static, and you can move around it just as you do in Fritz or ChessBase. Click on
an area outside the board, and while keeping the mouse button pressed, move the mouse around.
Here is a view of the Metal set of pieces and board
One of the most intriguing sounding: 'Balloon' lives up to its name
Using the mouse scrolling button, you can zoom in or out and see the high details of the pieces.
Here it becomes apparent that the name Balloon is taken to the extreme with manned baskets.
A look at Future shows a very original set
A favorite in Fritz, Room depicts a classic wooden board in an elegant room with table, chairs, and bookshelves
At the top right, there is button called More Tools. These options will soon be explored.
