Should You Buy Chessbase?

In today's video I'll be addressing a key question many chess players have on their minds: is Chessbase worth it? Topics covered include: who the program is right for, what are the main benefits/features of Chessbase, as well as my recommendations for the best online tools for players who are interested in getting better but can't afford to buy the software.
Please note, Chessbase is not available for Mac users. For full product description, check out Chessbase here: shop.chessbase...
For more instructive chess content, check out my Patreon: / hellokostya
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[@justinwr092]

I have Chessbase and I think it's great. I'm an adult improver and not a strong player at all (started the game late in life). I'm the equivalent of the weekend golfer who has the latest $400 Ping driver and goes out once a month to shoot a 95 on a public course, and I think that's totally fine. I won't get as much out of the software as a titled player, but I'm at a point in life where I don't mind spending some money on my hobbies. It just enhances it that much more.

[@456death654]

Why is this one of the most intelligent comments on KZbin

[@crm1492]

This is me as well.I don’t golf, but I have a good friend with a $400 Ping. I don’t upgrade the program often.

[@justinwr092]

@@456death654 About time I got some recognition around here 😛

[@gygeson5888]

Well said! Chess can actually be a fairly inexpensive hobby compared to many (e.g., Golf).

[@alohamark3025]

There are amateur guitar collectors who spend over 5 figures on instruments, without benefiting or improving as musicians. Chess is not one of those hobbies. Its enjoyment is not gated by money. Entry is cheap, with a board and pieces costing under $8. With this video, IM Kostya Kavutskiy has convinced me to purchase ChessBase. Chess is an art form, where the actual moves of a game are not paywall-gated like most items in the U.S. Copyright Office. As one of the oldest "artistic" creations in human history, it is also one of the noblest and most open inventions.

[@TuringMachine001]

Disadvantages: 1. Not being free Advantages: 1. Working offline 2. Allowing deeper server-side and client-side engine analysis (compared to lichess) 3. Allowing exploration of more lines (compared to chessable) 4. Allowing search for games with particular move

[@zeus1141]

Scid vs PC though 😕 and you get all that and free 🤷‍♂️

[@musthaveV8]

3 and 4 are pretty big deals

[@tedzards509]

As for 2, lichess offers you to connect to an externally hosted (for example on your pc or a rented server) to use in lichess analysis everywhere.

[@tedzards509]

​@@zeus1141SCIDs interface is even worse than chessbases though... The question is whether it's worth the money.

[@yago7133]

Yes, yes... Keep scrolling, I'm interested in that Qf3 line... Oh no, video ends.

[@tomekduresov706]

In my personal opinion chessbase is not that necessary for 99% of chess players, it is definitely a good tool for someone who is very ambitious about chess, and already very good at it, I would say 2200 and above, up to that it is not really that important, from my experiance as a 2000 recreational player chessable and lichess are more than enough for that level, truth to be told I bought a chessbase app from google app store for 10 or 15$, and it is a good thing to have, but not mandatory.. About opening studies, I think that everybody should create their own opening repertoires, for example everybody can make private repertoire on chessable, you can copy some stuff from other chessable courses but you will get a lot more from it if you make your own studies.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Yeah I went back and forth on this. I agree it's not 'necessary', but it would sure help a lot even if players are at lower level, with better potential overall than any other product. For players under 2000, a combination of Chessable and Chessbase is probably best

[@StephenRybacki]

I bought the CB14 Mega package (since upgraded to CB15) at about an 800 level of play. But I wanted to get serious as it is a bucket list item (I am now 61) so I sprang for the $400 which included the Mega Database, CORR database and End game table bases. I am around 1200 now some 18 months later. Is it worth it to me? Yes it is, but knowing what I know now, LiChess or Chess.com could've taken me probably just as far I suppose. That said, the Chessbase package is in mind a lifetime investment that I can use whenever I want now that the cost is paid. That right there is an advantage, isn't it?

[@CuriousPersonUSA]

Thank you for all the great videos, Kostya. I want to suggest a video topic. How would you approach creating your own repertoire and what players at various level should focus on.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Thanks! I recently made two long videos (about 90 minutes each) on this topic for my Patreon. There's a preview posted on this channel if you want to get a glimpse!

[@CuriousPersonUSA]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy Thank you. I will check it out.

[@rroolliinnss]

Thanks. As a beginner, I know not to buy.

[@andrewstrohman2122]

Thank you for this video. I'm trying to decide if Chessbase is worth the expense (for me) and its not easy to find good information on it. From a functionality standpoint I think I would benefit but all of the different price tiers are very confusing. I see everything from $119 to $470 for a "premium" edition. There are 6 month subscriptions referenced but its unclear what the subscriptions are for. So the bottom line question I'm trying to get answered is whether a $199 "Starter" edition of Chessbase 15 would allow me to take advantage of all you reference in this video or would I have to pay additional fees every year to keep using the software?

[@PeterSodhi]

I brought it with the megadatabase. Without the database it is not as valuable

[@chesslover6238]

Andrew, as listed below, the Chessbase Starter Edition is the one you should consider buying. Chessbase Starter Package: www.wholesalechess.com/shop/new-items/chessbase-16-starter-edition?gclid=Cj0KCQiAw_H-BRD-ARIsALQE_2PJRIjADWlWhxR8Dlv-AvCajz3mbHY-U9k30yE_zWoijDONOMnsrzQaAlLbEALw_wcB Also consider the following: Chessbase magazine: shop.chessbase.com/en/categories/chessbase-magazin Informant: sahovski.com/Download-c25038055 Opening encyclopedia: www.houseofstaunton.com/opening-encyclopedia-2020.html?aw=7&coupon=GOOGLE10&gclid=Cj0KCQiAw_H-BRD-ARIsALQE_2PDY4G1TXnbo_clgzpLu5_m0srjm5mhGvC0JvJSwAvac_xYVg7_u-YaAj-6EALw_wcB Correspondence database: en.chessbase.com/post/new-correspondence-database-2020 I will follow this advice for myself once I have reached an over-the-board rating of 1700. In the interim, I am spending my time studying thousands of tactical problems while I assemble a basic opening repertoire and a reasonable understanding of the endgame. I hope this information helps.

[@anananas9871]

I only have the chessbase mobile app because the other one is so expencive

[@RedStone576]

dang chessbase look so old, i'll probably make my own database locally lol

[@luisayala9301]

Scid is a good option gg i use 5 moore options free open sours

[@jamesontang3218]

I have used all 3 three and believe each has a place in a player's chess career. I use it to store my own games and look at the database to see what other players have played. It also helps that it stores the DVDs if you so ever purchased one(as I bought 2 to learn some new openings). I speak as an 1850 player. It took me a bit to get used to ChessBase but I find it even more convenient for me compared to other sources. For me, Chessable is really great for learning/drilling new openings and endgames. When I have to analyze a position during my game or an assumption on why X wasn't played/suggested for a book, ChessBase is great for logging your thoughts versus what the engine says.

[@jamesontang3218]

I also like to add I got my Chessbase was rlly the only convenient way at the time to send homework back and forth with my coach during our sessions.

[@PhilomathBret]

I'm 1855 USCF. Please add me on chess.com and/or lichess so we can play and chat to help each other improve. I'm PhilomathBret on there. I've been teaching chess to kids for almost 20 years now.

[@jamesontang3218]

PhilomathBret Greeny50000 on chess com mainly , backup is same on Lichess

[@earljohnpil3391]

@@PhilomathBret hey man. I know it's very late comment but I would like to play and learn from you guys as well. Can I join you? Thanks, appreciate it

[@dieter6219]

Chess is aquestion of inteIIigence and success there depends on your IQ. The chess base creators success is to make money, money, money. Thats because of their IQ. Its a reaI advantage to use outsourced database of Iichess, to serve and anaIyze your games.Iichess is pain in the ass for CarIsens chessabIe business and for chessbase. I support financiaIIy Iichess team, for their honesty, engagement for humanity and peace in the worId not onIy for the sake of moneymaking business but progression of humans minds.

[@fminc]

These videos that you do, that are offbeat so to speak about the books, services along with your actual instruction thru games and particular videos make you who are IM Kostya. Nicely done.

[@aliqutaee8416]

in the two programs chess rule 15 Fritz 17 How do I play a specific opening and a specific branch? (For example - play with the opening of the Sicilian defense - by branching the dragons)

[@wxua5859]

Hi can you please do a review of fritz 17. Thanks :D

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Unfortunately I haven't used Fritz -- I believe it's similar but has different features

[@LoPinkMoon]

Is there a way to go through PGNs on Chessbase without being prompted to choose between moves? Thanks.

[@llamadeusmozart]

What about total beginners who prefer doing chess puzzles and courses and all these things? I (=absolute beginner) currently consider either buying chess.com premium or Fritz 17 that comes with 6 months of chessbase. But not sure which would make more sense as an absolute beginner. I'm far from using databases to memorize openings lol but I want courses and puzzles and these things.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Hi, for total beginners I think a chess.com premium membership (yearly) is an excellent choice. Do lots of tactics and watch their videos and solve their courses. You won't run out of material, trust me! Chess.com also has Study Plans (under articles) to help you figure out what to work on next.

[@llamadeusmozart]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy Thanks!

[@Vale12364]

You're amazing.... Thnk you for this amazing video❤️❤️❤️ #appreciate

[@ThortheMerciless]

Is Chessbase worth it depends very much on what you are looking for and how much money you have. Every serious player has it, which kind of tells you something. I started using it back at Chessbase 5 and it's a really big help if you want to develop your own repetoire.

[@haraldohoo]

Just what i needed to understand whether i need to consider Chessbase -not yet. Thanks Kostya.

[@robinberner6484]

Hey Kostya, thanks for the video! I was wondering if you think it's worth buying the mega database?

[@nukmanub8117]

Do chessbase buy is lifetime? What is month premium account?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Yes you keep the software for life. Their premium account comes with some lessons and features

[@nukmanub8117]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy do the game that we save will be save online? I mean if my laptop got stolen is there a way to get the game that i saved back?

[@MusikPiratCH]

@@nukmanub8117 You can store your files on dropbox or clouds with ChessBase! That's up to your usage.

[@nukmanub8117]

@@MusikPiratCH thanks mate

[@dancruz7845]

How can I use this on a Mac? I keep searching the site looks like they don’t have a Mac version of Chessbase.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

They do not. It's a big problem for Mac users...there are some programs out there but nothing I've heard that's great

[@happle2574]

Hi, great review! I'm a bit late, but thought I ask. Could you tell me from your expertise, why do you think that kids should start opening prep from 2000 and adults from 1800? Again, great stuff, making my way through all your vids.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Honestly I haven't given it too much thought -- I just feel like kids have a lot more room to grow and learn before they should start trying to memorize openings whereas for adults it can be really useful (and more enjoyable) to get a position you understand right from the get-go. Thanks for your comment!

[@frenchdefence199]

Chessbase is evil. The only reason to use chessbase is to look at the latest games in a given opening from the latest games. But that's only if you're a Grandmaster. If you're looking to build your own repertoire through chessbase you're wasting your time and better off studying tactical diagrams without a board. Once again Chessbase is evil.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Evil?

[@frenchdefence199]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy All I'm saying is that if someone tries to build a repertoire using chessbase they're wasting their time because for one they will be so attached to their chessbase material that will be always worrying about losing it. They will also try to remember too many lines and get a mental overload at the game board. Also if they use chessbase they won't remember what is on their database as much as they want and will forget the lines. If you don't have the idea of studying tactical diagrams without a board chessbase is the next best thing. The only thing is, is that it will cost you your sanity.

[@joshuakohn4408]

Can you react to destiny vs mrmouton chess battle?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I will check it out thank you!

[@mr_mr]

Wow the price went up a lot in 3 years since this video was posted 😢

[@vespeneprotoss4346]

Is Chessbase the same as Fritz just without the engine? Why not just get Fritz if so? thanks

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I believe chessbase has more features when it comes to databases

[@billmorrigan386]

*No, a lot of Fritz features are missing.* Fritz is not just an engine. If you only want a database, then get the Chessbase. It works with various engines and has tons of features. It is THE database (if you get the full version) to get for serious club players and professionals. You can also have it bundled with a Fritz program. If you don't want or need millions of games from GMs, IMs, FMs, etc to be easily processed, e.g. you can input a position on move 12 in some opening and ask it how many games and who played them and then check those games, the ideas people used, the lines they played. So, you can easily work and navigate with all the professional chess games throughout the history. If such advanced features are not required, you can also access millions of pro OTB games through free online portals, albeit your search and processing options will be limited. If you are not a professional, it's possible to get just a Fritz program. It has all the openings and all the options but not the huge OTB database. The latter can be accessed, as I said, for free online, e.g. 365chess dot com. Yet, you won't have all functionality that Chessbase (quite expensive) offers. Professional players value this functionality and ease of use. I love it. But I also use 365chess dot com. LOL 🙂 And I don't use the Chessbase for storing my games or repertoire. 🙂 I only use it to check the games and ideas used and what specific players prefer to play. I also often use it out of my curiosity: I often check specific positions and variations in this database: How many times they were played; how many people played them; and how strong those people were 🙂

[@Janet_Airlines802]

What does chessbase give you that Fritz 15 doesn’t have? I have a database and access to the live database , can’t I do almost all of what I can do on fritz? Thanks

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I believe Chessbase has a lot more functionality with saving and searching databases. Fritz is more focused on being able to play against the engine, which you can't do in Chessbase

[@richierich2001]

thanks. so i have a good engine. I just purchased the Fritz 18, along with Powerbook 2022. Wish I knew how to access a manual, or something.

[@abhinandanbhise7965]

How can I download chasbase 17 on tab? I downloaded exe from chasebase website however it's not opening. That file is not supported on my tab..please hep

[@marcofrey2903]

So the only two things I'd be interested in is finding historical games (studying the way my chosen openings have evolved) but I guess books are great for that, and (less so) having a humongous database. Obviously that's not necessary at my level (1700) but sometimes I wish I could find more contemporary games in the opening lines I've chosen: which are not dubious, by the way. Stuff like deep lines in the Knight Attack, etc. I have no interest in Chessbase as a place to build a repertoire or do engine analysis. The UX looks ugly and Lichess looks great and works fine.

[@miketedder1079]

Questions: I own Fritz 11 (old, I know). I have saved all tournament games I have played along with analysis of those games and openings I play in Fritz 11 in bases I created on Fritz. Can I upload those data bases to Chessbase 15? I really don't want or need indepth analysis of openings, etc. Would a simpler off line program like one of the lesser Fritzs be suitable for me? Thanks from and Old Guy

[@firesignals9336]

Just use scid vs pc

[@JJ_TheGreat]

What about Chess Assistant? I have heard that it has several of the same features as ChessBase, at a portion of the price! Yet, you do not even mention it in your title...

[@seop1721]

Hi. I recently downloaded shredder, chess.com, and stockfish on my android phone and iPad. I don’t think the Elo ratings are believable, as I easily beat Shredder set at 1600 and then 1900. It now rates me as 2100. No way. Any idea about the apps vs the PC software? I have a decent laptop, but I’m wary to purchase chessbase if the Engine is just too weak on a laptop.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

The strength of the engine depends on the processor, so a laptop will definitely be much stronger than a phone/ipad. If you just want to run an engine, there are free options (like Arena), so Chessbase would only be worth it for you if you were interested in storing your analysis and looking through opening databases and such

[@PhilomathBret]

Why waste your time playing against an engine set to a lower rating level when you can just play against people on chess.com or lichess for free? Engines aren't good at imitating people. They're for analysis.

[@MusikPiratCH]

@@PhilomathBret There is also chess24 which is a good alternative to either chess.com (which I no longer like) or lichess (which I heard is best for playing games on)! For my use chess24 is best as I only watch videos, tournament commentary and some trainings. It's also great for banter blitz vs GMs and others.

[@artner9624]

this chessbase one time investment or it is for certain time.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Good question -- it is one time investment (not subscription), however you may wish to upgrade in a few years as newer versions come out with new features. But the bulk of the program can be used for a long time

[@pamelahermano9298]

I have HIARCS because Chessbase doesn’t run on my Mac. Does anyone know if there are large games database available for HIARCS?

[@alikwilson7447]

I’ve purchased all of that and a dgt board and pi clock and stay 1850-2050 on chess.com I really don’t understand how to improve

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

You got to analyze your own games and try to identify your weaknesses. If you're not sure where to start a coach could be really useful for this

[@al1lan721]

Damn bro, that's tough, I'm 1976 and haven't done any lmao but I haven't got any better too

[@afterglow5285]

depending on your region, chessbase steam edition is a lot cheaper, for example here it costs the equivalent of 30 USD while buying it directly costs 100 euros.

[@genuinepolitics4498]

I am playing chess from childhood. But just playing not improved. I think my elo is somewhere around 1100. But now I decided to take chess seriously. I want to became a player like 1800 elo in next 1-2 years. My current aim is to 1500 elo within this year end. Pls guide me some steps to achive

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Make sure to play classical games and follow a specific course/program. Try the free courses on Chessable, for example.

[@MusikPiratCH]

I think there are also the Yusupov books (3 tombs each for level 1500, 1800 and 2100). The first two books (level 1500) are available on chessable (but that's not for free).

[@chesslover6238]

You have an ambitious goal. Let me suggest the following reading list, which you may find on Amazon. Basic Chess Understanding and Improvement: 1. Yasser Seirawan: Play Winning Chess; Tactics; Combinations; Strategies; Winning Chess Brilliancies; Openings; Endings 2. Susan Polgar: World Champion’s Guide to Chess 3. James Eade: The Chess Player’s Bible 4. Antonio Gude: A Complete Chess Course 5. Lev Alburt: Comprehensive Chess Course I & II; The King in Jeopardy; Just the Facts; Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player 6. Irving Chernev: Logical Chess Move by Move 7. John Nunn: Understanding Chess Move by Move 8. Michael de la Maza: Rapid Chess Improvement 9. Jeremy Silman: Reassess Your Chess; Reassess Your Chess Workbook 10. Dan Heisman: A Guide to Chess Improvement 11. Axel Smith: The Woodpecker Method; Pump Up Your Rating 12. Bobby Fischer: My 60 Memorable Games 13. Mikhail Tal: The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal 14. Edmar Mednis: How Karpov Wins 15. Ray Keene: Petrosian vs the Elite 16. Igor Stohl: Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games, Volumes 1, 2, & 3 17. Alexander Alekhine: My Best Games of Chess 18. Cyrus Lakdawala: Capablanca: Move by Move 19. Martyn Kravtsiv: Magnus Carlsen's Most Instructive Games 20. Artur Yusupov: Build Up Your Chess 1, 2, & 3; Chess Evolution 1, 2, & 3; Boost Your Chess Mastery 1, 2, & 3 21. Colin Crouch: Modern Chess: Move by Move Tactics Training: 1. A. J. Gillam: Simple Checkmates 2. Tim Brennan: Tactics Time I & 2 3. Lyudmil Tsvetkov: 999 Basic Tactics; Never Ending Tactics 4. Yakov Neishtadt: Improve Your Chess Tactics 5. Laszlo Polgar: Chess 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games 6. Istavan Pongo: Tactical Targets in Chess, Volumes 1 & 2 7. CT-ART 6.0. Complete Chess Tactics - Training Software 8. Dave Couture: Progressive Tactics 9. Todd Bardwick: Attacking the Chess King Workbook; Chess Tactics and Combinations Workbook 10. Fred Reinfeld: 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations; 1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate 11. Richard Palliser: The Complete Chess Workout 12. Antonio Gude: Fundamental Chess Tactics; Fundamental Checkmates 13. Author not listed: 100,000 Chess Problems, Volume 7/30 14. John Nunn: Chess Puzzle Book; 1001 Deadly Checkmates; Learn Chess Tactics 15. Nikolay Minev: Mastering Tactical Ideas 16. Carsten Hansen: Chess Tactics Volume 1, 2, & 3 17. Boris Archangelsky: Sharpen Your Tactics 18. Karsten Muller: The Chess Café Puzzle Book 1 & 2 19. Valeri Beim: How to Calculate Chess Tactics 20. Martin Weteschnik: Understanding Chess Tactics 21. John Emms: The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book 22. Lyudmil Tsvetkov: 1000 Elementary Checkmates; 500 Opening Tactics for Amateurs; Amazing Chess Tactics; 500 Opening Checkmates for Amateurs; Practical mates 23. Vladimir Barsky: A Modern Guide to Checkmating Patterns Pawn Play, Middle Games, and Strategy 1. Jerry Silman: The Amateur’s Mind 2. Charles Hertan: Forcing Chess Moves 3. Todd Bardwick: Chess Strategy Workbook 4. Herman Grooten: Chess Strategy for Club Players; Attacking Chess for Club Players 5. Johan Hellsten: Mastering Chess Strategy 6. Konstantin Sakaev: The Complete Manual of Positional Chess, Volumes 1 & 2 7. Jacob Aagaard: Positional Play; Attacking Manual 1 & 2 8. Mauricio Rios: Chess Structures A Grandmaster Guide 9. Edmar Mednis: King Power in Chess 10. Hans Kmoch: Pawn Power in Chess 11. Drazen Marovic: Understanding Pawn Play; Secretes of Positional Chess 12. Sam Shankland: Small Steps to Giant Improvement 13. Max Euwe: The Middle Game, Volumes 1 & 2 14. Ivan Sokolov: Winning Chess Middle Games 15. John Watson: Secretes of Modern Chess Strategy 16. Valdimir Vukovic: The Art of Attack in Chess Basic Endgames 1. Jerry Silman: Silman’s Complete Endgame Course 2. Jon Speelman: Batsford Chess Endings 3. Karsten Muller: Fundamental Chess Endings; How to Play Chess Endgames 4. Ruben Fine: Basic Chess Endings 5. Van Perlo: Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics 6. John Hellsten: Mastering Endgame Strategy 7. Mark Dvoretsky: Endgame Manual 8. Laszlo Polgar: Chess Endgames 9. Glenn Flear: Practical Endgame Play-Beyond the Basics 10. John Nunn: Understanding Chess Endgames; 11. Jacob Aagaard: Endgame Play 12. Jesus de la Villa: 100 Endgames You Must Know 13. Irving Chernev: Capablanca's Best Chess Endings: 60 Complete Games 14. Tibor Karolyi: Endgame Virtuoso Anatoly Karpov Basic Opening Play* 1. John Watson: Mastering the Chess Openings, Volumes 1, 2, 3, & 4 2. Paul van der Sterren: Fundamental Chess Openings 3. Lev Alburt: Chess Openings for White, Explained; Chess Openings for Black, Explained 4. Richard Palliser: Play 1. d4! 5. Chris Baker: A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire 6. Aron Summerscale: A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire 7. Eduard Gufeld: An Opening Repertoire for the Attacking Player; An Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player 8. Vincent Moret: My First Opening repertoire for White; My First Opening repertoire for Black 9. Christof Sielecki: Keep it Simple: 1.e4: Keep It Simple 1.d4 10. Graham Burgess: A Cunning Chess Opening Repertoire for White; An Idiot-Proof Chess Opening Repertoire 11. Sam Collins: A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White 12. Jouni Yrjölä: An Explosive Chess Opening Repertoire for Black 13. John Watson: A Strategic Chess Opening Repertoire for White 14. Viacheslav Eingorn: A Rock-Solid Chess Opening Repertoire 15. Larry Kaufmann: Kaufman's New Repertoire for Black and White * I am very reluctant to recommend an opening repertoire because choosing openings to play is really a matter of personal preference and go well beyond the recommendations of this reading list.

[@griffisme4833]

Depends, are you patient?

[@davidyork475]

At 8.10 comes the confession that the 'reviewer' has not used other programs - this confirms that the mash up of unrelated video is not worth suffering just to listen to an 'advertisement'.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Hi David my idea was to compare chessbase with using Chessable/Lichess. Obviously it wouldn't make sense for me to comment on programs that I haven't personally used. Also if you listen closely you'll see that I don't recommend chessbase for the majority of players out there. Pretty shoddy advertisement if you ask me! Lastly the point of the b-roll footage is to give people something interesting to watch instead of my silly face. Anyway cheers!

[@thijsslob3799]

Right now I use scid and im about 1700. Scid is not user friendly should i get chessbase?

[@Oscaro9928]

At 3:26 you mention a program that has the same functions... I could not quite hear what that was can someone respond with that, thanks.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Lichess! lichess.org/study

[@samuelhe2502]

Is the software available for one device per purchase? And can you transfer saved files from one device to another?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I've typically been able to install CB on multiple machines using the same serial key. I'm not sure what the number of uses allowed is, somewhere around 5 would be my guess (max I've done is 3). Transferring saved files is as simple as transferring .doc files or any other simple files. I personally keep most of mine in Dropbox so that they can sync across two machines.

[@MrSupernova111]

Great review! Thanks!

[@almarn]

There is PLENTY of free alternatives. SCID vs PC for example. Too many people or organization trying to sold pay services and products in the chess field (with Microsoft or Apple licencing hassles..). NO WAY. I do not see any necessity if your elo is not at least 1800. By the way Chess base Reader for Windows is free of charge...

[@bertwilson8310]

I like Chess Assistant but a big factor in what you like might be what you first encounter and get used to. I might give CB a try.

[@nikhilchehal5152]

When we update it, do we have to pay again?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Update no, upgrade to more recent version yes

[@nikhilchehal5152]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy Thank you😁😄

[@mikedishman5909]

Was wondering if you can help me out with something please.I have chessbase 15,and i was wondering you you can help me with my pdf,&pdf-x files.I have some books in pdf,&pdf-x format i want to put on my chessbase 15.I have already transfared 3 books over to my chessbase 15,in pdf,&pdf-x format but i cannot remember how to do it,its been a long @t you know how,it would be greatly appriciated..TY

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Please support chess authors

[@henryrankin8]

I have used a Chessbase alternative, SCID vs PC for years. It is a completely functional database and with all of the free internet sources, it is possible to build and maintain a fine database. My personal database has 8 million games, I analyze with Stockfish 15, and I add the TWIC games weekly. The tactics and problems database files I have outside of the main database I have has roughly 300,000 problems.

[@howardgraff4084]

@henryrankin8 please could you list the free internet sources that you reference and does SCID vs PC (very unhelpful name) allow position search or search games by ECO opening codes? (thanks in advance for your reply)

[@stephenvsawyer]

Sail the seven seas matey

[@fraternitas5117]

chessbase is incredibly crappy software

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Unfortunately it's the best we got !

[@KaijudoMaster11]

I want an alternative I can use offline.. Do you have any recommendations?

[@reloac]

Try to En Croissant. It's free and similar to lichess.

[@nightforest666]

Thanks for the video. I was wondering which chess software you think is best specifically for opening analysis with the engine. Are you familiar with ChessOK's Aquarium? I've seen this software highly recommended by correspondence chess players for deep opening analysis. In Chessbase they have a Deep Analysis tool but I don't like that it automatically deletes variations it considers bad, I would like to play through those variations to see why they're bad, Aquarium seems to allow you to do this. Deep Analysis also doesn't give the user any ability to guide the analysis, e.g. selecting which moves you'd like to analyse over others, whereas Aquarium gives the user many ways to guide the analysis it seems. Fritz in comparison to Chessbase I've noticed has something called Deep Position Analysis, that seems to be similar to Chessbase's Deep Analysis, except it allows you to set more parameters than in Chessbase's Deep Analysis, which is just click & play. I would be interested to know your thoughts.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I haven't really used anything other than chessbase. For opening work it's usually just me and an engine analyzing lines. I think it's important to extract ideas from the engine rather than just letting it do analysis for you as it will be hard to really get anything out of that

[@ibarix]

awesome video, kostya!!!

[@joaquinestebandbm7630]

I'm 14 and want to improve is it okay to learn opening principles and just 2 e4 openings (Ruy Lopez and The Italian) to at least have an opening plan?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Focus on opening principles!

[@HeyHoLetsGo32]

The main drawback to Chessbase is that it is slow, buggy, laggy, Windows only and overall not a nice computer program for this milennium... :P Don't get me wrong - the idea is perfect and like 10 years back I used to love it, but since then, it's not even become more stable and it is eating resources like hell even without the engine running.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Weird I don't have as many issues with lag as I used to

[@HeyHoLetsGo32]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy it got worse for me since the last Update and somehow i had to re-configure my favourite databases. As a Software engineer, if i built a proprietary database Format where searching some million games takes multiple seconds on a 32GB RAM 8 core pc i would get fired^^

[@PhilomathBret]

I do something in between the full chessbase and other options. I bought Rybka 3 on the chessbase website about 10 years ago to get the GUI that comes with it. Cost $50. Came with a 4 million game database that has games up through 2009. Pretty sure that's good enough for me as an A player. Fritz 17 is $75 and it has a 6 month premium chessbase membership. Seems to me like a good idea for serious players under 2000. Anyways, I save my opening repertoire as 1 large game with tons of variations. The problem is with dealing with transpositions. I have to just type in where they occur. Do you recommend a better way to save my analysis? I'm wondering if chessbase has a feature I'm not aware of.

[@MusikPiratCH]

The newer versions of ChessBase offer you to specify your Repertoires for Black and White. You can even split your repertoire into smaller parts devoted to specific variations! This way you can simply add new variations to your Black or White Repertoire. At first it seems more work to do. But you'll find your variation much faster. However you don't get it for free. Besides more work to tipe or copy new variations to your repertoire you might also consider to re-order your variations when you added a bunch of newer variations. This can be very time consuming (as a GM once stated)! It will be worth the work because you'll have faster access to a variation you want to look up!

[@davidhicks3540]

What is the difference between the starter bundle of Chessbase and megabundle of Chessbase?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I think the mega bundle comes with mega database which is a large database of games that chessbase can work with. It's not necessary, but a lot of players get it

[@jns0808]

I started playing chess at 4, I'm 14 now. Learnt Italian game, and kept improving progressively till 2 years back. Now , for about 2 years, I'm stuck at 1700 lichess, which translates to roughly 1200 FIDE. Now my skills are improving by the day, but I am unable to think for long before I play, which is a bad side effect of fast chess. How do you suggest I mitigate this?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

The answer was in your question! Play more classical chess 😊

[@dannthegentleman4261]

Simply play Classical Chess with increment, because with increment you can't flag them, so i will suggest you to create your own specific time-format challenges, like 45+15 (or something like that)

[@sourandbitter3062]

And since there's an ongoing pandemic and many tournaments are being canceled, there's an alternative I think to classical chess to help improve your concentration and calculation which are tactical puzzles. I can only give you my preference on this but I find chesstempo to be the best option for online training. The puzzles are often better than elsewhere and although chesstempo offers a play zone, nobody plays there so you open chesstempo only to train, less distractions. Play puzzles until they're about at your level and then don't just try the move that looks good, really think it through and try to keep your mistakes ratio to something like 1/10. Give yourself a hard time, calculate all the variations.

[@PeterSodhi]

The games plus the software is great value

[@dangerworld948]

Which is better? Fritz or chessbase?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Chessbase for research, Fritz to play against the engine

[@dangerworld948]

What should i use for opening preparation and Game Analysis? BTW you earned a subscriber

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

@@dangerworld948 thanks, definitely chessbase

[@dangerworld948]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy thanks!

[@GSMaheshGS]

Scid vs pc

[@tearclapz-_-4636]

Just get li chess for free

[@kavita344]

What is chessable?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Website

[@lthegreatestdetective5568]

Sir my dream is to become a GM. I'm already 18 At present my elo rating is around 1500 and I'm struck. I can't afford a coach. Can u please just tell me where to start? Just flash the light into the direction and I'll run. Please reply sir

[@stanleytime9193]

Usually, to become a GM you need to have started playing when you were 6, and you would need to be at least an IM at 18. It's not necessarily impossible for you to become a GM, but it's gonna be extremely difficult. Check out hanging pawns on KZbin, he is doing basically what you are describing.

[@lthegreatestdetective5568]

@@stanleytime9193 oh thank you. Yes kids aged 14 are already GM. I know I'm very late but I would like to give it everything I have and hope for the best

[@nudelsuppe2090]

@@stanleytime9193 exept he isnt really doing it haha

[@stanleytime9193]

@@nudelsuppe2090 idk, he seems to be doing fine

[@CApo-cp3us]

Very helpful!

[@vicenterodriguez2177]

I read Cheesebase I click

[@snap-off5383]

SCID4PC

[@steveb9525]

Thanks

Very interesting. What do you suggest for IMac users?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Don't have a good suggestion, sorry!

[@Oscaro9928]

HiARCS for mac and SCID...

[@MisterSparkles]

I suggest running boot camp to put a Windows partition on your Mac. Then you can get Chessbase and run any other chess stuff like engines on that Windows boot without any performance hit like from a Windows VM. VM like Parallels or VMWare is convenient too but might run slow depending on your specs.

[@no_fb]

On top of that, isn't there a subscription to pay for the ChessBase account?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

That's only if you want premium features for their online platform. You don't need it to use the software

[@no_fb]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy Thanks for clarifying that! I find that Fritz/ChessBase (as well as Houdini) have quite an obscure licensing scheme, you don't really know what you'll get and whether you'll have to subscribe to keep important features. At that price tag, they really should be more transparent on their website.

[@aaronwilson6611]

There are more drawback for chessbase besides the price and the terrible UI. Also chessbase stores games and studies locally as PGNs - I think you can pay for limited cloud storage. But if you lose your computer, it dies, or you didnt have any backups/cloud storage, you lose all of your materials. This is why I prefer lichess studies since it stores everything in the cloud under your account. The only bad part about lichess is that the mobile app doesnt let you edit your studies.

[@zenchess]

You can use pgn in chessbase, but the main format is 'cbf' or something. Chessbase also has cloud functionality built-in, you can save all your databases there. If you've purchased something like megabase, you can back it up as well or just download it again from the chessbase store. I find chessbase very useful for looking up variations in games I've played. You can do this on lichess, but the number of games in the lichess database is very small compared to chessbase. For instance, I have looked at positions in chessbase where there were 30+ games played in a variation, but 0 on lichess's master database. Chessbase's correspondence database is also a very useful tool for a serious player.

[@aaronwilson6611]

@@zenchess yes I agree chessbases databases are the best by far of any company

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I backup/save my databases in Dropbox to avoid losing them. That way I can still use the files locally/offline while keeping them backed up 'to the cloud'

[@aaronwilson6611]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy interesting solution, maybe I will do something similar as well. I had tried to make some network attached storage in my home network and vpn back to it, but I had issues with Chessbase being able to save the file to my storage device. Maybe dropbox is a good and economical solution.

[@zenchess]

@@aaronwilson6611 You can also use google backup and sync (previously called google drive) which gives you a certain amount of free storage. It even has a nifty program that will automatically sync all the files in folders you choose automatically to the 'cloud'

[@rc2860]

Hi Kostya. Nice review. Am I able to interact with a coach on chessbase in realtime? For example can they create a file of positions or puzzles on their chessbase that I can then access on my chessbase? Or, does it include access to a cloud? What would be the most effective (and cost-effective) way to work with a coach in a different country online?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

No I don't believe so, you would need to use Skype/screenshare to see. You can share databases using chessbase cloud but they wouldn't be instantly updating like the live boards do on chess.com/lichess. Hope that helps!

[@voyager_r]

So, chassbase is just for research? Is it possible to play against engine in chessbase?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I don't believe it is possible to play against the engine in Chessbase. Fritz is a similar program that allows you to play against the engine, but I'm sure there are free programs as well.

[@danielguel1897]

I have a Mac... too bad. Though I thought Chessbase was more like $400? Anyway, have any of you heard of HIARCS? I feel like from what I hear, it's a cheap version of Chessbase, and you can still get the big game database... I have SCID vs. MAC, and it's useful to store games and positions, but I don't really like it a lot.

I`m on the same boat. I have a Imac and wonder what can I use.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

They have different packages - I linked to one that is about $200 currently. I've heard of HIARCS and SCID but no experience using them. But I'm sure they can work for dedicated players.

[@dkol2000]

you can use Parallels which is $80 + Windows

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

@@dkol2000 Does it work well? I always hear mixed results

[@dkol2000]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy It's workable, but slow and glitchy

[@yashsomkuwar85]

How about scid

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Never used it much but have heard it is all right

[@pixiechickmd]

im hovering 1900 elo on lichess in classical and rapid chess. is this software viable for me or am i too low elo. my courses helped me but sometimes i still have to go by feeling

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Depends if you're really interested in the use of it or not!

[@pixiechickmd]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy I got chess tempo's database and a few more courses and its really good for me :) the courses get me started in the right direction and the database filled in the caps missing from the courses. for me right now its perfect

[@haimkichik]

♥♥♥

[@poeplayer9092]

Today anything u want to do have COST, So that isnt the problem. Your opinion pls, keep for urself

[@grandmastera1552]

There is also chessbase mobile app which has around 9 million games and cost around 10 dollars .please make a review on it ..maybe it can be equally good?