Detailed description of Chess Assistant 8.1
Index
Chess Assistant offers a huge amount of possible searches allowing you to search for
just about anything. Enhancements were made to some of the pre-existing searches, and a
new category for maneuvers (simple or complex) was created. You will also find that it is
unbeaten as for the speed of its searches.
The following are the types of searches available, with a brief description, which can
be used individually or in any combination:
4.1. Search for header
Main menu: Search->Header...
Headers: name, ECO, dates,
annotator, range of moves, etc.
You can also now search for undefined fields. This means that you can search specifically
for an empty field, i.e. the absence of information.
The example of a header search operation is available in a flash video.
4.2. Search for position
Main menu: Search->Position…
Position: setup a specific
position or choose specific conditions such as squares where any piece, or only certain
pieces can appear. Here you can also set it to look in variations and search for the
mirror flank situations. The standard procedure of positional search is implemented when
looking for specific position, a partial position or a structure. On the other hand, you
can search for any position you encounter when viewing the games. The latter flash
animation also explains how to save a position as a search criterion.
4.3. Search for material
Main menu: Search->Material…
Material: a number of pieces,
material imbalances, the time the imbalance lasted and the total number of pieces. See
flash demo for example of material search. Another demo presents searching for bishops of
opposite (or the same) colors.
4.4. Advanced searches
Main menu: Search->Advanced…
Advanced: Set up searches on only the specific parts of the
board.
We have increased the number of fields that can be used in
the advanced search. This allows increased flexibility when looking for certain types of
endgames. The maximum number of regions is now 14. An option to quickly shift regions has
been added to the local context menu for the board.
4.5. Search for comments
Main menu: Search->Comments...
Comments: search for commented
games, as well as any specific commentary, which is illustrated by the flash demo.
4.6. Search for maneuvers
Main menu: Search->Maneuvers...
Maneuvers: this new category
permits you not only to search for one-step maneuvers such as the Greek gift (bishop
sacrifice on h7/h2), but also more complex ones in several steps such as the common
Sicilian exchange sacrifice on c3 followed one move later by a knight capture on e4. For
example, you can determine how many moves are between the two steps, and whether the rook
came from a specific square on the c-file or any square on the c-file. See a flash demo on
maneuver search.
All the searches can be saved and organized into a special classifier that can be used
later at any time, plus they can be exchanged between other users.
When working within a specific game, it goes without saying that there are certain types
of searches you will want more often, so presets were added to the search button allowing
you in a single click to:
- Search for current material
- Search for current pawn structure
- Search for current material difference
- Search for current pawn structure and material
A flash demo presents an example of combining searches.Coupled with these features is
the ability to add search results to open datasets. This allows for the easy aggregation
of search data without saving intermediate datasets to disk.
4.7. CQL search
Main menu: Search->CQL search
Abbreviation CQL stans for Chess Query Language that was designed to allow researchers,
authors, and players to search for games, problems, and studies matching specific themes.
You specify the theme you are looking for, and the database to look for them, in CQL.
Chess Assistant 8.1 supports the implementation of CQL in your searches. Selecting the
Search->CQL search item in the main menu opens the dialog box inviting you to select
any of the files with CQL code:
These files are stored in \CQL catalog of Chess Assistant
8.1. They contain the CQL code definig various chess themes that can be used as search
criteria. The .cql file is a text file that can be viewed with the aid of Windows Notepad:
CQL code there describes themes like stalemates with multiple
pins; games in which the same position recurs but with the winning side missing just one
piece; Nowotny and Grimshaw themes, games with some number of captures on a single square,
games with a certain number of black and white passed pawns, and many more. For example,
code fragment in the picture above defines the condition (theme) of bishops on the
adjacent diagonals.
As usually, the results of search operation are presented as
a separate set of games. Positions that satisfy the specified criteria are marked with a
color marker in game notation, while other color markers on the chesboard schematically
represent the criteria:
Use the following links to find out more about the CQL:
- Chess Assistant 8.1 Mega Packet Review by Robert Pawlak;
- an article by Tim Krabbe © 2004-2005 in his Open Chess Diary;
- Gady Costeff's article;
- complete CQL manual
4.8 Composite search
Main menu: Search->Composite
More than 100 chess criteria built-in into Chess Assistant’s search facility, which
facilitate you orientation in various stages of the chess game – opening, middlegame and
endgame. The complete list of these criteria (or conditions) is displayed in the Condition
dialog box that appears after you have selected the Search | Composite item from the main
menu:
Here you can find multiple positional criteria referring to
various kinds of alignment of forces, controlling files and important squares in the
center of the chessboard and on its periphery, safety of the king, as well as ones
concerning the positioning and play with various pieces. Actually, these complex
conditions represent some predefined templates for the search, which will assist you in
forming your search request. This makes the Composite search a powerful tool for finding a
variety of complex positional factors which define the course of the struggle on the
board.
Index
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