Something New, Something Improved
Mig
Greengard writes a monthly column on getting the most from your ChessBase software.
It includes tutorials and an essential Q&A section where you can send in your
questions. Called "ChessBase Cafe" it appears at the ChessCafe.com website.
The latest column always appears at this link: http://www.chesscafe.com/mig/mig.htm.
This month it explains the differences between some of the latest products
from ChessBase: The MegaBase 2004, Opening Encylopedia 2004, and the latest
Powerbook. You can send
in your own questions, after reading the columns to make sure it hasn't
already been answered, of course.
All the ChessBase Cafe columns are saved in Adobe Acrobat format in the ChessCafe
archives. For your convenience we've listed all of them below with direct links
to the archived versions. (You'll need the Adobe
Reader to read these documents. It may already be installed on your computer.)
#8,
December, 2003. Something New, Something Improved. Breakdown and
differences between new ChessBase products. MegaBase, Encyclopedia, PowerBook.
Many of the questions I receive start with “what’s the difference
between…” but even explaining the exact differences doesn’t
really tell inexperienced users what would best suit their needs. I just
received a pile of new products and what follows is a combination buyer’s
guide and tutorial for the latest and greatest. Remember, it’s never
too late to give yourself a Christmas present! |
#7,
November, 2003. In Playchess.com, No One Can Hear You Scream. Tips
and tutorial for improving your chess with online play. Analzying your games,
statistics, and game data. Playchess has turned into one of the most active
online gaming sites in the world with over 100,000 games played per day.
You can even watch GMs like Adams, Short, Susan Polgar, and Nakamura battle
it out. (Some will even play YOU.) Fancy stuff like audio/video broadcasts
and anti-cheating algorithms add to the cool factor. |
#6,
October, 2003. Q&A Marathon: Advanced Tips and Problems. It’s
all about the readers this month. I’ve been saving (hiding from) the
really tough questions that have come in so this time I’m tackling
a few of the mind-bending inquiries that have arrived over the past few
months. As always, I try to pick questions that have been sent in by several
people and/or will be useful for all readers. |
#5,
September, 2003. Training by Becoming a Tournament Organizer with Fritz.
Our project this month is getting personalized opening training material
from Fritz using the Tournament function. It can be very helpful to have
sample games between strong opponents to study the openings. The best way
to get a feel for an opening is to go over complete games. Basically what
we are going to do is have our mighty engines play a thematic tournament
amongst themselves. |
#4,
August, 2003. Better than Books: ChessBase Training CDs. Most people
buy chess books in a sincere attempt to improve the quality of their play.
Instructional books make up the huge majority of books offered and purchased,
but the problem is how inefficient they are for a majority of readers. ChessBase
produces enhanced chess books in CD-ROM format. A sampling and how to use
them. |
#3,
July, 2003. Quick Opening Preparation for Mortals. The study masters
do before and during tournaments largely revolves around preparing for specific
opponents. So let’s look at how mere mortals can use ChessBase to brush
up on a few openings before a tournament or a game. Create custom opening
books from databases in minutes using the book and repertoire functions. |
#2,
June, 2003. The Fritz Fairy Analyzes and Annotates While You Sleep.
Chess isn't all that hard – when you have a slave to do all the tedious
stuff for you. In his Chess Cafe column Mig Greengard tells you exactly
how to give Fritz the job of analyzing your games, checking for blunders
and writing annotations in plain English. He also answers email and answers
your questions. |
#1,
May, 2003. Inside Output: Publishing with Fritz and Friends. In
the first installment of ChessBase Cafe Mig tells us about automatic HTML
and diagram output with ChessBase 8, with lots of useful links and tips.
Put games online or in print, make diagrams that look just the way you want,
and export ready-to-publish HTML and word processor documents. |