Material searches with ChessBase

Answer

Via its search mask ChessBase offers the possibility to make targeted searches in databases, looking for specific constellations of material. A right click on the database symbol in the database window – Search starts the search mask. Choosing the tab Material launches the dialog box in which you can define the search criteria.

The dialog box offers numerous settings for you to choose from. What is fundamental for the search for constellations of material is the section in which the number of the various pieces is defined.

In that box you will find the white and black pieces with immediately beside each piece a box where you input the number of that piece you wish to search for. You can do so by typing in a number or with the help of the small arrows in the box.

Next to the symbol for each piece there are two input boxes. This allows you to specify for your material search a minimum and a maximum number of those pieces.  As an example let us take the setting for pawns. The values from “3-4” mean that in the search the only positions taken into account contain a minimum of three and a maximum of four pawns.

The setting “0-8” ignores the number of pawns, i.e. it does not matter how many pawns are on the board. The possibilities of a search for material can best be explained by means of practical examples.

Let us assume you are interested in games which one side had two knights while the other possessed two bishops. This type of position was investigated particularly thoroughly by the first official world chess champion, Wilhelm Steinitz.

In the search mask we put in the following settings:

The entries for the minor pieces below the symbols for the pieces will be explained later. For this search the option “Ignore colours” (to the right of the symbol for queens) is useful. Then the search mask retrieves from the database all the games which meet the material criterion independent of colour. In our example the value for the knights is “2-2”. This means that the search for material must find a minimum and a maximum of two knights In our example we have specified the same setting for the bishops. The number of pawns – as explained above – is ignored on account of the setting “0-8” and in our example is of no importance in the search. A click on OK starts the search and the  program opens a new window with the search results.

A click on a game entry loads the game and you can immediately play through it. It is particularly agreeable that the position on the game which meets the search criterion is shown immediately. With this one can very quickly and very efficiently get a look at the games involved since a double click loads the game into a new board window. This easy overview of positions of this type was not available to Wilhelm Steinitz....

Let us take a look at some other possibility with material searches. Imagine you are interested in games in which a player had one or two knights whilst the opponent was operating with one or two bishops. In such a case in the dialog box the quantities of knights and bishops would be set to “1-2”.

Rook endings are among the most frequently occurring types of endgame. A search for games with rook endings is quickly carried out with our material search. In the following example we are looking for games where one side had a rook and five pawns and the other a rook and four pawns.

The definition of the number of rooks was set at “1-1” for both sides.  This means that each side had exactly one rook on the board. For pawns, “5-5” clearly establishes that one side must have precisely five pawns, whilst “4-4” fixes a number of exactly four pawns for the opposing side. A click on OK again brings up the window with the results of the search in which you have a clear view of the games which have been found. Another remark about the choice of “Ignore colours”. As mentioned before the program filters out from the database all the games which meet the search criteria irrespective of colour. If this option is deactivated, the program only lists games in which White has a rook and five pawns on the board. All those games in which Black had the extra pawn are ignored in this case.

The symbols for pieces are represented by buttons. If you click on the symbol for a piece, the quantity for that piece is automatically set to ”1-1”. This is practical if you want to quickly set the number for a piece at “1”.

The search for material can be combined with other search criteria. There is, e.g., no problem searching for all games involving Kasparov with a specific distribution of material. To do so, you simply first enter the player’s name under Game data and then specify the Material search.

The search dialog contains various buttons with which the search criteria can be modified and refined. Let us first consider the buttons for “Minor pieces” and “Total” below the bars for the pieces.  Here too a minimum /maximum value can be defined. Under “Minor pieces” you fix the number of minor pieces which can be on the board. With this button it is of no importance to the search whether the minor piece is a knight or a bishop.

A simple example makes the principle clear. We are searching the database for games in which each side had two minor pieces on the board. It makes no difference to us whether they were knights or bishops. In the dialog box under “Minor pieces” we put the values ”2-2”.

After the obligatory click on OK all games which meet the desired criterion are shown, namely  two minor pieces for each player. That could be constellations such as BB – NN, N+B – BB or NN – NN etc..

As usual the games are listed in the window with the search results and can be easily viewed. So using the “Minor pieces” button always makes sense when there is no need to specify the type of piece.

Another example of this. In tournament praxis endings frequently occur in which each side had a rook and a minor piece of one sort or the other. To filter these games out of the database, you make use of the following settings:

With practice in using it you will see that the material search is particularly useful when looking for middlegames and endgames in which there are not many pieces. With the “Total” button it also becomes clear why the material search is suitable above all for targeted searches in the endgame.

The “Total” button extends the possibilities of the Material search. Its value defines the number of pieces which are on the board. The “Total” option only works when the button for ”Any pieces” or  “No pieces” has been clicked on previously!

Let us try out the button with a practical example. Click on the button for ”Any pieces” . Under “Total” the program shows a maximum value of 16, after all the maximum number of pieces is 16.

For our search we enter into “Total” the values “0-4” in both boxes and start our search with OK. A click on a game entry in the window for search results is at first irritating. Each player has three pieces on the board, although we defined our search as being for four pieces. What has happened? The “Total” button searches for the absolute number of pieces on the board, which in chess of course includes the king, which, unlike in the other phases of the game, plays a particularly active role on the board in the endgame.

If you click on the “No pieces” button, that also has an effect on the “Total” option.

Suppose you are looking for pawn endings with the distribution K+3P – K+4P. Clicking on “No pieces” sets the standard value. The number of pawns and other pieces is not taken into account, only the number of pieces, in our example the king.

So under “Total” the value can also be set at “1-1”. Now the number of pawns remains to be defined. We establish the number of pawns as “3-3” and “4-4”.

The search dialog now looks like this:

A click on OK starts the search and in the window with the results all the games with the desired distribution of material are listed.

The material search is above all excellently suited to the exploration of specific endgames or middlegames in which there are not many pieces. Searching for material is very complex, but also very flexible. To get the fastest access to it requires frequent experimenting.

Tip: With ChessBase 14 you can store the parameters for your searches and load them at a later date to make use of them again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Created on
03.08.2018
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