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Subject: Re: ChessBase 8 or Chess Assistant 6.11? A few questions!

Author: Robert Pawlak

Date: 07:38:48 12/21/01

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On December 20, 2001 at 15:00:15, Terry Ripple wrote:

>Does Chessbase 8 and Chess Assistant 6.1 have any problems that i should be
>aware of before my purchase?
>

I don't think either is entirely bug free. However, complaints on the net about
CB 8 are mostly based on unpatched versions, or are a little overblown IMO. I've
corresponded with Eric Schiller, and a couple of others about their complaints.
And I have to agree that they have some valid arguments, but most of the
problems deal with very specific areas that most other people will not care
about.

Also note that the review on GM Gil's page are out of date - for instance, jpeg
support has been added to CB 8.

One big difference that I would like to call your attention to is the way each
program handles child windows. In CA, it is much easier to keep track of which
windows are open (and how each game or dataset relates to a database), and
drag-and drop between DBs is very easy.

I've mostly had contact with the CA development team, and found them to be
really concerned with fixing bugs in the program. CA beta periods are pretty
intense, there were over 30 different builds tested before CA 6.1 went out the
door. There were still bugs, but a few updates have cleared these up.

I've also worked with some individuals on Chessbase's team too. There were very
good at fixing a problem with the DGT board and Fritz.

>Does one perform any better than the other in retrieving games from it's
>database?

CA is faster, but CB has improved in this regard. I don't think speed should be
too much of an issue for you with database searches, assuming you have a
reasonably fast PC with a decent amount of RAM. However, there is a very large
difference in tree building speed/usability, with CA being very fast and
flexible in this regard.

>
>Does one perform better than the other in giving an analysis of a position?
>

It is hard to tell on this one. But I would caution you to compare CB8+Fritz vs.
CA 6.1. This is because CB does not have automated analysis facilities built in
(just manual invocation of analysis engines). CA has automated game analysis,
but it is different from Fritz's.

Dann has recommended you read the comparison on my website I would also urge you
to do so, if you have not already.

Happy hunting!
Bob



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