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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.
The Mega Database 2025, is not just an update with new games played in the year. There are a number of improvements here as well!
Many iconic and historic tournaments have marked the history of chess. The Top Tournaments list on the front page of Mega Database 2025 provides direct access to these tournaments without the need for additional searches.
ChessBase has covered numerous tournaments throughout its many years of existence, including both current events and those from the past. Major tournaments have dedicated articles in the ChessBase Magazine (CBM). If you want to access these tournament reports now, you can use the 'Text Titles' feature.
This shows a list of all the text articles that’s written by ChessBase about tournaments.
The opening tree has existed for as long as I can remember. Yet it used to be a bit messy to navigate and find the variations.
The opening tree in the Mega Database 2025, is very neat and concise. It allows for easy navigation through the different variations, and correctly marked transpositions help us to see where the openings merge and deviate.
There are some features which are interesting yet don’t come under any of the above topics, I still wanted to mention them here.
There is an introduction of ChatGPT into CB18, and this for example tells us more about a player.
The Chat GPT in player ID card, tells us more about players, such as early life, career, etc.
I can only imagine how much and what other ways Chat GPT can be integrated into CB18 in the future, and how it will make preparation even easier.
CB18 creates a QR Code while copying the game, so that it is easier to share it. This QR code reduces all the line space it takes to share an individual games PGN by text.
ChessBase have truly outdone themselves with the new CB18 — this software makes life so much easier for players and coaches alike, thanks to its fantastic features! We all know how precious time is; after all, time is money! CB18 is designed to save you a ton of time when you need it most.
Imagine those nail-biting moments when the pairings are announced and the games are about to start. Having a profile of your opponent's style can make a world of difference! Plus, if you’re working with new students and want to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses to offer personalized advice, CB18 has you covered!
Honestly, the Style Report and Error Report alone would make this software worth it, but there’s so much more to explore! It includes awesome tools like online database linking, improved reference searches, game filters, and plenty of other features that really help enhance player preparation.
I've been using CB18 for a month now, and I’ve had a blast trying out all its features — I've clicked on almost every button out of curiosity! While I believe I’ve discovered most of what it has to offer, there’s a chance I might have missed a few hidden gems. But that’s the best part: I’m looking forward to diving in even more and can’t wait to see what future versions of ChessBase come up with!
I really hope this review helps you decide whether CB18 is right for you. Enjoy it as much as I have, and happy playing!
Order ChessBase 18 in the ChessBase Shop now
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