Monsterbase Update to 2024

Almost 5 million games. I've tried to stay away from short time control games. I'll be working on it some more in the future. Some games from 2025 are already in the data.

 Click Here to goto the original post. Click on the new link to download the database. It's a zip file containing the 3 SCID vs PC files. Place them in a directory on your computer and open the database as normal or as a tree. Please comment, subscribe, share with friends. I am motivated to create more content if I know someone wants this information. Thank You.

Upgrading SCID vs PC

Upgrading SCID vs PC  

When you install a new version of SCID vs PC you loose all your setup and customization. This is how to recover your setup to the new version. Click the Video Link to watch a Youtube video showing how I perform the upgrade.

Video Link

Navigate in a file manager to the SCID vs PC folders. Open the "bin" folder.

Copy and replace the contents of the following folders from the old version into the new version.

Setup

Data

Engines

Photos

Pieces

Config

Next copy but do not replace files in the Bin folder. You may not have some of these depending on how you have customized your setup. 

This should transfer any features and layouts you have installed in the old version to the new.

Be sure to check out past articles on this blog. If you find something helpful please share it with your friends.

Thanks.

See also these blog posts on setting up features of SCID vs PC.

Players Pictures

Adding Chess Engines

Databases

Wrist Chess (Lichess on your watch).

 You can play chess on your watch. The Google play store app can be found by clicking the link below.

CLICK HERE

Here is a short Youtube video showing how it works. It connects to the Lichess website. Let me know what you think. 

Tournament Game on GameKnot

I'm playing in a tournament on the Gameknot website. I finished 1st in my group for round 1. So on to round two. Here is a win against the player who finished second in our group. He will also advance to the next round.

Play chess online

A Game On Lichess

I played one rated and one unrated game today. At the age of 70 years the short time controls leave me exhausted. Here is the rated game my opponent had a provisional rating of 1789. We both had many mistakes. Time control was 10+5 (10 minutes for the game + 5 seconds per move). I had a slight advantage early then blundered into a lost game only to recover on a couple of blunders by my opponent. Here is the computer analysis graph from the lichess.org site. 

 Another place I will be playing is on the Free Internet Chess Server ( FICS ). They have been around since 1998. A spinoff from the Internet Chess Club ( ICC ). You can read the history HERE.

FICS: Free Internet Chess Server

Over time I'll publish some different ways to connect and play. You can play from their website or through a Graphical User Interface. Babaschess is one such GUI. You will find links to this and other GUI on the site. Look for me  user name rwmerrell.

ChessKnot One Place I Play

 

Play chess online

One place you can find me playing chess online...

Chessis Full Featured Analysis For Your Android Phone or MS Windows

 Chessis

Between rounds at a tournament, in the doctors office waiting room, at an airport. Analyze your games, play against the computer. This is one versatile chess program.

Here are some screen shots. Look at all the features this program has. It's free! ($9.99 Lifetime access to pro features. When I paid in the phone app it did not activate on the PC.). Chessis in the Playstore.

Chess Compass

 Chess Compass

A full set of analysis tools online. If you have a Chromebook or just like working online you should checkout Chess Compass.

It analyses using Stockfish NNUE. The interface is clean but has plenty of features and customization hidden in pop-up menus.

Zen mode hides all the distractions and just displays the board. Explode brings an explosion of arrows as it shows every legal move.

You can analyze, solve problems, study openings, and just play. Import pgn games, or bring them in from Lichess or Chess.com.

It's not free $1.66 a month after a 7 day free trial. Get two months free with a yearly subscription. I think it is well done and could be the online study tool you're looking for.

Please comment below. Let me know what you think of this post or my blog in general.
 

Comparing Analysis (Part3) Lichess

Comparing Analysis (Part3)

Most big websites have an analysis feature. Chess.com and Lichess are two of the most advanced. Here another game given to me on Chess.com. This one ends with an explosive tactical combination! Lichess running Stockfish NNUE analyzed the whole game in seconds and does a pretty great job of annotating it. Still you will learn more by annotating it yourself first. Then refer to the computer analysis and see what else was there that you missed. 

Important: Convert what you find into your own terms of understanding. You are much more likely to remember what you learn. Also review your losses as well as your wins.

Comparing Analysis (Part 2)

 Comparing Analysis (Part 2)

This was an exciting game between two strong players. Much stronger than I am. Still I did my best to analyze the game. Remember the point of these posts isn't that your analysis be perfect. It's a learning exercise. You have to understand in human terms what makes a move good or bad. You can use the computer to aid you in not missing something, but you can't mimic the computers play but it can help you understand in human terms. Please consider becoming a follower of this blog and leave a comment if you find it useful. Also look back through past post to see if something looks interesting there. 

Thank you.

Human Analysis

Computer Analysis by Fritz 19

Here is another game. Computer Analysis by Stockfish Lite on Chess.com. The annotation is very human like, but it still isn't like the players themselves doing it. Remember the most important lesson is in the part you miss in your analysis.

White's first real error is move 10. Ba3? when Nd2 would have brought the pressure on e4. 

Take a look at how sparce Stockfish comments on this game within SCID vs PC interface. This is still useful to spot errors in the game and what you might have missed in your own analysis.

Comparing Analysis (Part 1)

 Comparing Analysis (Part 1)

This is an amazing game sent to me on Chess.com. First I analyze as best I can. Then the powerful Stockfish analysis is presented here. What I want you to see is that while computers can tell you exactly where the game was won or lost, and give the exact correct moves. They may not lead to a good understanding of the position, and flow of the game. Analyze your games yourself with your best understanding of what is happening. Then use the computer in improve your understanding. That is much better than trying to memorize a great move from the computer that has no meaning to you. 

Human Analysis

Fritz 19 interface running Stockfish 16.

Links To Computer Aided Analysis On The Web

Here are some links to websites where you can analyze your games for free. You should review it yourself without a chess engine. Then compare your notes to the computer assessment.

Chess.com

Load or paste your pgn file into the box on the right. The review game feature is awesome in it's clarity for less experienced players

Lichess

A good quality analysis with chart and annotations.

Chessbase

Click Open pgn to load your game. Then click the analysis button to start the engine. Good for doing your own analysis with full annotation features. 

Decode Chess

Amazing AI chess analysis engine. Uses human like explanations and gives a full coverage of what is happening from many angles. 

Computer Aided Analysis Post 

A detailed post about how to analyze with computer programs. This is an important subject so you can expect more on this in the future.

Have a recommendation leave it in the comments. I love to learn.

Monsterbase 2024

 Monsterbase 2024 for SCID vs PC 4.86 million games.

Unzip for 3 SCID vs PC files. Put them in the C:\Scid vs PC-4.23\bin\data folder. For more details using SCID vs PC databases see my post https://www.chesstech.info/2019/02/scid-vs-pc-databases-part-3.html

So I took Cassiabase 2022 and added thousands of games from 2023 (TWIC & ChessLife) to make Monsterbase2023 (4.86 million games). I have setup a downloadable zip file. Let me know if you decide to download it and what you think of it.

Added thousands of games from 2024, renamed the zip file.

Monsterbase2024

I just want to add. If you want to buy a commercial database or any other software or anything related to chess look first at https://www.chesshouse.com/. I'm not paid in any way to say this. The Chesshouse has the best prices and service and they support the greater chess community.

Komodo vs Novag Citrine

Komodo vs Novag

Below is a link to my second video for Chess Tech. Hopefully I can keep improving.

 Komodo vs Novag Citrine

I finally was able to get the analysis from Chess.com to rate the play. Komodo came in at 2450 while the Novag citrine rated 2050. Komodo as you might expect outplayed the Novag in all three phases of the game.

Santa - Fritz 19 - Novag Citrine

 I played Santa and lost. 

Christmas Gift

 I wanted to play online at Playchess.com. So I looked at a membership. I also wanted to update my Fritz 16. So I looked around for the best deal on Fritz 19 because I knew it comes with 6 months of playchess.com. The prices were pretty much the same everywhere. So I went to The Chess House. Where I bought my first chess books and computer. Many years ago when it was located in Kansas City. The Honey (by Paypal) came up with a coupon. So I got Fritz 19 download version and 6 months of playchess.com for under $70!!! 

How Deep?

People ask how many moves ahead can I look. I say one. Mostly it's true. I'm looking at positional elements unless I see some tactical element to trigger a deeper dive. In this position I was losing badly until my opponent made the mistake Kg2. Right away I saw Nh4 and Ne8 as double checks. White would only have one reply. The King must move. Can you solve the mate in 5? I did but didn't realize both Knight moves work.

Here is the whole game. The position occurs at move 42.

Game Movie 3D Board

 A Fritz 19 3D Game replay movie.

Chessboard Displays

 A recent game against the Chess.com computer Komodo on level 10. Four different displays. Which is your favorite? Have another you recommend? These websites generate the HTML to display on a webpage. It's just cut and paste to put them on your site.

Chess.com

LiChess

Chessbase

GameKnot - A game played on their site.

Play chess online