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Subject: Re: ChessBase 8.0 vs Chess Assistant 6.0

Author: Jeroen van Dorp

Date: 09:14:54 05/08/01

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On May 08, 2001 at 10:33:36, Christopher R. Dorr wrote:

>2. The playing engine interface. You'd be surprised by how often you end up
>deciding you'd like to try out some idea when you are looking at a given
>position or game in the database. CA makes it very easy to do so. just clikc one
>button, and you can choose whhic engine to play the position out against.


A bit less comfortable, but if you own Fritz or better, a Fritz Family program,
you'll be able to switch with one button back and forth as well.

>3. The ease of adding Winboard engines. If you are training, it isn't good to go
>up against a 2600 GM all the time. Unless you are a strong master, you will not
>win from a relatively equal position, regardless of the value of your ideas. I
>have added (with basically 3 or 4 clicks) a number of Winboard engines (faile,
>etc) that are significantly weaker than Tiger or Crafty which are included.
>When learning an opening or working on an ending, I have foiund it useful to
>start with a weaker program and work my way up.

That can also be done fairly easy under CB8 (Winboard adapter), quite some
native engines are available for free from CB..


>4. Chess Tiger and Tiger Gambit are included with CA. Arguably the strongest
>programs available.

....amongst the strongest..... ;))

Good bargain, though. Very good.


>5. The transposition tree is lightning fast. using the 1,500,000 game database
>that comes with CA, I *never* have to wait for the tree to catch up with me.
>Searches are fast and intuitive.
>

That's a pro. I think the CB7/8 tree is too slow indeed.


>6. Search capabilities are excellent in both, but I have never found a search
>that I wanted to do that CA could not do. And quickly. I wanted to search for a
>type of ending where I had 2 connected passers and a rook against a B and 3
>pawns. I founf several games after setting up the search filter very easily and
>quickly.
>

Right. Especially CB8 has to refine it's search routine. Too often it doens't
find board position and with manual search (if yuo know what game to look for)
it *is* in the database.


>There are many otehr reasons that they are both excellent programs. Bob Pawlak
>has done his usual excellent and thorough job reviewing both. In my opinion, CA
>is a better value for the money, but I don't think you can go wrong either way.


And a few shareware/freeware proggies are closing in.....

SCID..... to name a **few*** :))

J.



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