Editing ChessBase

{{short description|Chess software website company}}

'''ChessBase''' is a German company that develops and sells [[chess]] software, maintains a chess news site, and operates an [[internet chess server]] for online chess. Founded in 1986, it maintains and sells large-scale [[Chess database|databases]] containing the moves of recorded chess games.<ref>John Watson, ''Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances Since Nimzowitsch'' (London: Gambit Publications, 1998), 8.</ref><ref>Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht, ''Fundamental Chess Endings: A New Endgame Encyclopedia for the 21st Century'' (London: Gambit Publications, 2001), 9-10.</ref> The databases contain data from prior games and provide engine analyses of games. [[Endgame tablebase]]s are also provided by the company.<ref>Muller and Lamprecht, 400-406.</ref>

ChessBase's Indian YouTube channel '''ChessBase India''' has amassed more than 2.5 million YouTube subscribers and more than 2.5 billion total views as of December 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ChessBase India - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessBaseIndiachannel/about |access-date=2022-11-19 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

==History==
Starting in 1983, [[Frederic Friedel]] and his colleagues put out a magazine ''Computer-schach und Spiele'' covering the emerging hobby of computer chess. In 1985, Friedel invited then world chess champion [[Garry Kasparov]] to his house. Kasparov mused about how a chess database would make it easier for him to prepare for specific opponents. Friedel began working with Bonn physicist Matthias Wüllenweber who created the first such database, ChessBase 1.0, as software for the [[Atari ST]]. The February 1987 issue of ''Computer-schach und Spiele'' introduced the database program as well as the ChessBase magazine, a floppy disk containing chess games edited by chess [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] [[John Nunn]].

The August 1991 issue of ''Computer-schach und Spiele'' announced that Dutch programmer Frans Morsch's [[Fritz (chess)|Fritz]] program would soon be available for purchase as software for [[Personal computer|PC]]s. This method of software sale was unlike all the dedicated chess computers which at the time dominated the ratings lists. This program was marketed initially as Knightstalker in the U.S., while it was marketed as [[Fritz (chess)|Fritz]] in the rest of the world. [[Mathias Feist]] joined ChessBase, and ported Fritz to [[DOS]] and then [[Microsoft Windows]].

In 1994, German chess grandmaster [[Rainer Knaak]] joined ChessBase as a full-time employee, annotating games for the ChessBase magazine, and soon authoring game database [[CD-ROM]]s on topics such as the [[Trompowsky Attack]] or Mating Attacks against 0-0. British grandmaster [[Daniel King (chess player)|Daniel King]] was another early author of such CD-ROMs which eventually grew into the Fritztrainer series of multimedia [[DVD]]s.

In the mid-1990s, R&D Publishing in the U.S. released a series of print books in the ChessBase University Opening Series, including [[Karpov]] and [[Alexander Beliavsky]]'s ''The Caro-Kann in Black and White''.

In December 1996, ChessBase added Mark Uniacke's [[Hiarcs]] 6 [[chess engine]] to its product line up, selling it inside the existing Fritz [[graphical user interface]] (GUI).<ref>Computer-schach & Spiele. 1997#6</ref> In March 1998, ChessBase added [[Junior (chess program)|Junior]] 4.6 and Dr. Christian Donninger's Nimzo99.<ref>Computer-schach & Spiele. 1998#1</ref> Also that year, ChessBase released Fritz 5 including a 'friend mode' which would automatically scale its strength of play down to the level that it assessed the player was playing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.de/products/fritz5/teaching.htm |title=Fritz5 Teaching functions |access-date=2019-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980213121018/http://www.chessbase.de/products/fritz5/teaching.htm |archive-date=1998-02-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This remains a feature of all of ChessBase's graphical user interfaces.

In 1998, ChessBase took their database of chess games online.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chessbase-online.com/|date=May 11, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000511021151/http://www.chessbase-online.com/|archive-date=2000-05-11|title=Chessbase Online, Searching a high quality database of Chessgames. Free Chess Games.ChessBase-Online }}</ref> In November, ChessBase started offering trainer CD-ROMs by such grandmasters as [[Robert Hübner]], [[Rainer Knaak]] and [[Daniel King (chess player)|Daniel King]].<ref>Computer-schach & Spiele. 1998#5</ref>

In 1999, [[Stefan Meyer-Kahlen]]'s [[Shredder (software)|Shredder]] had won the world computer chess championship. In April, Meyer-Kahlen and Huber released the [[Universal Chess Interface]] (UCI) protocol for engines to communicate with GUIs, to compete with Winboard and ChessBase. Meyer-Kahlen's contract with Millennium 2000 expired in June, and ChessBase hired him shortly after, adding Shredder to their product line under a Fritz style GUI, and giving their new GUIs the ability to import UCI engines.<ref name="auto">Computer-schach & Spiele. April May 2000</ref>

In April 2000, ChessBase released a Young Talents CD featuring the engines Anmon, Goliath Light, Gromit, Ikarus, Patzer, Phalanx and Rudolf Huber's SOS. Christophe Theron's engines Chess Tiger and Gambit Tiger were also released as ChessBase engines that month.<ref name="auto"/>

In the early 2000s matches were held pitting world champions [[Garry Kasparov]] and [[Vladimir Kramnik]] against versions of the [[Fritz (chess)|Fritz]] or [[Junior (chess program)|Junior]] engines.

In 2003, ChessBase introduced the Chess Media System, allowing players to produce videos with them playing out moves that can be seen on the user's chessboard within a ChessBase program. Eventually, ChessBase commissioned world champions [[Garry Kasparov]], [[Viswanathan Anand]], [[Vladimir Kramnik]] and [[Rustam Kasimdzhanov]] to produce DVDs using the new format. ChessBase also produced Fritztrainer Opening DVDs by the likes of grandmasters [[Alexei Shirov]] and [[Viktor Bologan]] and a Power Play series by British grandmaster [[Daniel King (chess player)|Daniel King]] for lower level players.

In April 2006, following its victory at the [[World Computer Chess Championship]], Anthony Cozzie's [[Zappa (chess)|Zappa]] chess engine was published by ChessBase as ''Zap!Chess''.

In 2008, [[Vasik Rajlich]]'s [[Rybka]] engine was added to the ChessBase product line, followed by Robert Houdart's [[Houdini (chess)|Houdini]] and [[Don Dailey]] and [[Larry Kaufman]]'s [[Komodo (chess)|Komodo]] engines.

Recent versions of ChessBase and the engine GUIs such as Fritz supports cloud engines. ChessBase/[[Playchess]] added a web interface by 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://play.chessbase.com/js/apps/playchess/|title=Play Chess Online For Free|date=December 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217045511/http://play.chessbase.com/js/apps/playchess/|archive-date=2013-12-17}}</ref> ChessBase added a tactics trainer web app in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://training.chessbase.com/js/apps/Training/|title=ChessBase Training|date=May 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504000924/http://training.chessbase.com/js/apps/Training/|archive-date=2015-05-04}}</ref> In 2015, ChessBase released a play Fritz web app,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fritz.chessbase.com/|title=Fritz Chess Program Online|website=fritz.chessbase.com}}</ref> as well as My Games for storing one's games.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mygames.chessbase.com/|title=ChessBase MyGames|website=mygames.chessbase.com}}</ref>

==The company==
The company is located in [[Hamburg]], [[Germany]]. ChessBaseUSA<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chessbaseusa.com/|title=ChessBase USA|website=chessbaseusa.com}}</ref> markets their products in the [[United States]], and some of their most popular programs are sold by licensee [[Viva Media]], a division of [[Encore, Inc.]] In 1998, the German company [[Data Becker]] released the program 3D Schach Genie, containing the [[Shredder (chess)|Shredder]] engine and [[Fritz (chess)|Fritz]] interface. ChessBase India markets their products in India and surrounding countries. ChessBase India is run by International Master(IM) [[Sagar Shah]] and his wife Amruta Mokal.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-11-23|title=Welcome to ChessBase India|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/welcome-to-chessbase-india|access-date=2020-09-05|website=Chess News|language=en}}</ref>

==The database==
ChessBase was originally designed for the Atari ST by Matthias Wüllenweber, the physicist/co-founder of the company. Mathias Feist helped port the program to DOS. In more recent years, Lutz Nebe, Wolfgang Haar and Jeroen van den Belt have also been involved in program development.
[[File:ChessBase.PNG|thumbnail|Image of ChessBase 8.0 running under Windows XP (year 2008).]]

ChessBase uses a proprietary format for storing games (CBH), but can also handle games in [[portable game notation]] (PGN). The proprietary format uses less hard drive space and manages information that is not possible in PGN. The software converts files from PGN to ChessBase format, or from ChessBase to PGN.

The program permits searches for games, and positions in games, based on player names, [[chess opening|openings]], some tactical and strategic motifs, material imbalance, and features of the position. ChessBase can import engines either those such as Fritz or Shredder in native ChessBase format or [[Universal Chess Interface]] (UCI) engines such as [[Stockfish (chess)|Stockfish]].

{{As of|2020|11|19}}, ChessBase's database contained over 8.4 million games.<ref>{{cite web |title=ChessBase, MegaBase |url=https://shop.chessbase.com/es/products/mega_database_2021 |access-date=2020-11-19}}</ref> The online database can be accessed directly through their database programs.

==Playchess server==
{{main article|Playchess}}
Playchess is an internet chess service where players can play chess with other players and discuss about chess.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://play.chessbase.com/en/ | title=Play Chess Online for free }}</ref>

==News site==
ChessBase also maintains ChessBase News, a web site containing chess news, as well as information on their products. The site is available in English, German, Spanish and Hindi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.chessbase.com/|title=Chess News &#124; ChessBase|website=en.chessbase.com}}</ref>

==Other publications==
ChessBase produces CDs and DVDs, including monographs on famous players, tactical training exercises, and training for specific opening systems. They publish the ''ChessBase Magazine'' six times per year, which comes on DVD with video clip interviews, articles on opening novelties, database updates (including annotated games), and other articles. All these are designed for viewing within their database software or the free ChessBase Reader.

==Related computer programs==

A database-only version of ChessBase for the [[BBC Micro]], called "BBChessBase", was published by Peter Tate in 1991.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Chess for the BBC Micro|volume=10|issue=4|journal=Beebug|date=August–September 1991|page=11|author=Bernard Hill|quote=it is good to see appearing a BBC version of the PC-based product known as "ChessBase"}}</ref>

Gerritt Reubold's Der Bringer chess program is a rare example of a ChessBase format engine not released by ChessBase itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chess.kearman.com/bringer/bringer-index.html|title=Der Bringer User's Guide Home Page|website=chess.kearman.com}}</ref>

==Criticism and legal issues==
ChessBase has faced criticism for allegedly using free software created by others without credit. The developers of [[Stockfish (chess)|Stockfish]], an open-source chess engine, charged that Fat Fritz 2 is a modified copy of their software (that had originally been uncredited; since rectified) and that ChessBase claims "originality where there is none".<ref>{{cite web |title=Stockfish's Statement on Fat Fritz 2 |url=https://blog.stockfishchess.org/post/643239805544792064/statement-on-fat-fritz-2 |access-date=2021-02-19}}</ref> [[Lichess]] described the same product as "a rip-off".<ref name="Lichess criticism">{{cite web |title=Fat Fritz 2 is a rip off |date=18 February 2021 |url=https://lichess.org/blog/YCvy7xMAACIA8007/fat-fritz-2-is-a-rip-off |access-date=2021-02-19}}</ref>

ChessBase responded to this criticism by adding references but claiming the new engine differs from Stockfish due to added input from the original Fat Fritz neural network<ref>{{cite web |date=11 February 2021 |title=Best of Both Worlds |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/fat-fritz-2-best-of-both-worlds |access-date=2021-02-19 |archive-date=2021-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221153721/https://en.chessbase.com/post/fat-fritz-2-best-of-both-worlds |url-status=dead }}</ref>—itself claimed by Lichess to be derived closely from [[Leela Chess Zero]], another open-source initiative.<ref name="Lichess criticism" />

In July 2021, Stockfish sued ChessBase, alleging that ChessBase violated Stockfish's [[GNU General Public License]].<ref name="Stockfish Chessbase Lawsuit">{{cite web |date=2021-07-20 |title=Our lawsuit against ChessBase |url=https://stockfishchess.org/blog/2021/our-lawsuit-against-chessbase/ |accessdate=2021-07-21}}</ref> In November 2022, a settlement on that lawsuit was reached.<ref>{{cite web |date=2022-11-18 |title=ChessBase GmbH and the Stockfish team reach an agreement and end their legal dispute |url=https://stockfishchess.org/blog/2022/chessbase-stockfish-agreement/ |accessdate=2022-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2022-11-21 |title=Settlement Reached in Stockfish v ChessBase |url=https://lichess.org/blog/Y3u1mRAAACIApBVn/settlement-reached-in-stockfish-v-chessbase |accessdate=2022-12-18}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chess Assistant]]
* [[Chess engines]]
* [[Chess Informant]]
* [[Fritz (chess)]]
* [[Shane's Chess Information Database]]
*[[Internet chess server|Internet Chess Servers]]
*[[Rules of chess]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{official website|www.chessbase.com}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chess software]]
[[Category:Chess websites]]
[[Category:Chess databases]]
[[Category:Chess in Germany]]
[[Category:Software companies of Germany]]
[[Category:Chess organizations]]