-------------------------------------------------------README for ChessVU Version 3.1 4th December 2004 -------------------------------------------------------ChessVU - A chess game viewer for Windows.

ChessVU offers a comprehensive set of viewing and editing functions for chess da ta bases, in the two most common formats (PGN and CBF). It is a powerful viewer, and also a tool for game analysis, thanks to the interface to UCI engines. PGN viewing functions are freeware. ChessVU is probably the most powerful freewa re PGN viewer available on the Web. The other functions are shareware. This document contains only a brief description of the product and its features, along with instructions for its installation. Quite detailed documentation is i ncluded in the Help file, and can be read after installation. Other informations and news at ChessVU Homepage: http://chessvu.netfirms.com/index.htm -------CONTENTS -------INTRODUCTION INSTALLATION HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS SHAREWARE vs. REGISTERED VERSION WHAT'S NEW REGISTRATION and PAYMENT TERMS ---------INTRODUCTION ============ ChessVU for Windows offers a comprehensive set of viewing and editing functions for chess data bases, in the two most common formats (PGN and CBF). Why PGN and CBF formats ? PGN is the universal standard, easy to read, well docu mented, but not very efficient. CBF is less universal than PGN but an important Web standard for chess data bases in general. It is remarkable smaller than PGN. Its format has been decrypted and made available on the Web by Horst Aurisch, s o that many other programs (ChessVU among them) have been able to handle it. CBH is the new ChessBase format, but has many disadvantages, the first one being the fact that ChessBase people don't want to share the format (no documentation available), the second one the number of needed files (this can be in a way avo ided using CBV archives, but it's the same like using ZIP, only less comfortable , and of course less standard). So, let's forget it. The CBF format has several bugs and limitations, but is still the best compromis e. I hope that leading Web sites like TWIC will keep using CBF in the future. ChessVU is a powerful viewer, and also a tool for game analysis, thanks to the i nterface to UCI engines. ChessVU offers many features only available from top ra

nk commercial products like ChessBase or ChessAssistant, but as a shareware. How to use ChessVU ? You play chess on the Internet, like I usually do on FICS, with a Client, which stores your games in a PGN file. Now you want to analyze your games. Convert the m to CBF, give them ECO codes, ending codes, browse the games. You can make a di agram of your ELO rating (as given you by the Chess Server), and see your highs and your lows. You can add analysis and comments (in Chess Informant style) to t he games. You can print your best games. There is a position that you often reach, and always lose. Watch several engines playing the position (Play engine against engine) and try to understand the pos sible strategies. If you have available a large game collection, search the posi tion and select the GM games, creating an export file. Study the GM games. If th e games are not annotated, you can watch the games together with your preferred engine, let's say 5 to 30 seconds analysis time per move (depending on your pati ence). Watch the game going ahead move by move, while the engine thinks. At the end of each game, plot the diagram showing the engine evaluations, to identify t he key points where the game was decided. You like a certain opening (let's say Marshall Attack). Select all the games cla ssified as ECO code C89 from a directory where your data base collection is stor ed (you don't need to work on a single file, ChessVU will search all the files i n the directory). Export the selected files as C89.cbf/cbi. Now you can enjoy th e games. You can create a thematic chess book like C89.cbk. This format is an op timized tree of chess positions, sorted to allow a quick search. Based on this b ook, you can refine the C89 key, by creating C89/yy codes for the games. The ga mes will be thus sorted according to the book tree. C89/99 will be the most used line, down to C89/00. You can play an engine using the book. You like a certain player style (let's say Kramnik). Select all the games played by Kramnik from a directory where your data base collection is stored (you don' t need to work on a single file, ChessVU will search all the files in the direct ory). Export the selected files as Kramnik.cbf/cbi. Now you can enjoy the games. Download periodically from TWIC the latest magazine issues, and update the file by exporting (adding) new games. Should you forget which updating are in and wh ich are out, don't mind, you can easily find the doubles, and eliminate them. Yo u can also create a book Kramnik.cbk, and browse the tree to understand the Kram nik opening repertoire, or even play an engine using a Kramnik.cbk book (the eng ine will play like Kramnik ? I don't believe so). You want to make some training. You can try to guess the next move from a collec tion of positions (tactics, endings etc.), or from any game (better if annotated ). While you think on the position, you can ask the engine to do the same, evalu ating either the position, or all the possible moves. The difference is that whe n the engine evaluates the position, the output is the best line and a score (so me alternative move could be missed), while when evaluating all the possible mov es ChessVU sorts the top rank lines and relative scores. At the end you can chec k if your decision is inside the set of moves considered by the annotator or by the engine around the top score.

INSTALLATION ============ The program is packaged as a CD-ROM, or as a downloadable CHESSVU.ZIP archive.

Run SETUP.EXE. You will be asked to enter a folder to install to (default is C:\ Program Files\SmartSoftware\ChessVU). It is possible to remove the program by means of Settings - Control Panel - Add/ Remove programs. If you want to use chess engines, you can download them from the Web (search for "UCI engines", there are at least 30 available). You can put them where you lik e, and then load into ChessVU by the Menu etc. Please consider that the engines normally need a configuration file, whose name is not standard (could be yace.in i for yace, but also config.dat, etc.). ChessVU does not handle these configurat ion files, you have to edit them and check that they are in the same directories where the engine executable are (a good choice is to create subdirectories unde r \uci_engines, one for each engine). Instead, ChessVU will look for an icon in the form of yace.jpg for yace etc. It sould be 80 x 40 pixels. Normally the engine authors don't want the engines are distributed without permi ssion, even though they are freeware. Therefore I have included only 2 engines ( yace and pepito) to allow you to try (hope the authors will forgive me). Thanks, anyway, to all the engine authors for their work. Not 100% of engines work with ChessVU, you have to try (there are more problems under WindowsXP and 2000 than under Windows98 and Me, I don't know why).

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ============================== The program needs at least a Pentium II processor with 64 MB RAM. The screen is optimized for 1024 x 768 resolution, but 800 x 600 is also possible. The program was developed under Windows98 and WindowsXP (it should run also unde r WindowsMe, NT, 2000).

SHAREWARE vs. REGISTERED VERSION ================================ If you are using the unregistered version of ChessVU, I have granted you a limit ed license to try out the software to determine its appropriateness for your nee ds. This evaluation (or demo) version includes all features of the program, but there is a limit to the number of games that can be saved, and if you edit and s ave a game the game source will be overwritten. Other differences: - no more pop-up screens displaying that you are evaluating the software - registered version shows the registered user name in the opening screen Once registered, you will receive a personalized code, to be entered in the pror gam, or stored in the file code.dat, that will remove the shareware messages and unlock the program. The code will make all future 3.xx versions fully functiona l. After registration, all you have to do is downloading the latest version from th

e Web. Please note that the above list is the comprehensive set of limitations associat ed with the shareware version of the product. I have not included bugs or poor p erformance in the shareware version as an incentive for you to register. I will do my best to improve the product with further releases that will hopefully over come these limitations.

WHAT'S NEW ========== 3.1 Multi PV lines (for engines that support it) (Technical - Engine options) Blunder probability during play (Technical - Engine options) PGN read improved 3.0 Open ZIP files without need for unzipping them before Merge databases function Improved Mark doubles function Improved Search Header function Go to next source (right click on ListView) Go to next opening (right click on ListView) Definable main line, comments, variants text colors PGN viewer is now freeware PGN files loading faster Several PGN moves formats accepted 2.0 Book sought during engine analysis Engine analysis "on-the-fly": if position changed, analysis restarts Engine analysis on ICS Client position (log file) ECO and player statistics window Main line analysis shows difference between engine move and text (in red if blun der) Tournament Cross Table; clicking on table, game is loaded Opening Table; clicking on table, position is loaded Improved classify games function Sort games by clipboard function (right click on ListView) Delete all marked games function (right click on ListView) Option to modify the default export file name Added "random", "odds" and "empty" games to Technical-Mark games Removed error when exit under Windows XP 1.0 First released version.

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT TERMS ============================== ChessVU is not a free program, but rather is distributed as Shareware for purpos es of evaluation. This gives you the opportunity to evaluate the program as long as you need; if you like the product, want to use the full functions, and encou rage further development, you should register it.

Registration is $25. Registration can be done in the following ways: If you want to use the on-line service, go to http://www.kagi.com This on-line Kagi Shareware Payment Processing Service handles the processing of the shareware fee. It accepts many different credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Am erican Express, Diner's Club, Discover etc.). Sensitive information, like credit card numbers, is encoded for better security. You can contact me by e-mail if you want to use different methods. I accept postal money orders, personal checks, bank checks, cash directly in the mail, for the following currencies and prices: (but such payments are at the se nder's risk, I don't guarantee in case of loss): USD,US dollars EUR,european EURO program CD-ROM 25 10 25 10

In any case, please fill in the following informations: First name: Last name: Street: Street number: City: [State:] [Postal code:] Country: [Phone:] [Fax:] [e-mail:] [x] standard price $25 [ ] additional charge for CD-ROM $10 Print out the order form, fill it with all the required data, include it with yo ur check or cash wrapped in paper to make it less obvious and send it to me. In all the cases, I send the registration code after the transaction has been su ccessfully completed (by e-mail this can require less than 3 days). If you want the CD-ROM, I can ship it by mail, with additional fee for expenses (as specified above). If you have an e-mail address and you provide it with your order, then I will au tomatically send you notification on the availability of major new releases of t he program, as they become available. If it is a version 3.xx upgrade, then your current registration will be accepted by the new software. My address: Francesco Barcio Viale Abruzzo 154 66013 Chieti (CH) Italy My e-mail:

frbarcio@tin.it francesco@kagi.com No warranty is offered with the software. This software and documentation are provided for evaluation only, on an "as is" basis. The author disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether ex pressed or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merch antabilitiy or fitness for a particular purpose. The author shall have no liabil ty for any indirect, consequential, or incidental damage resulting from the use of the software.