Updating Your Database

 

If you have any chess program you should keep your database updated and an excellent source of downloads is ChessOK. Every Friday since October 2011, new database updates of about 2000 games played in latest tournaments are available for download in Chess Assistant and PGN formats. If you have an Aquarium product then all the updates before that date are already included. You should also include correspondence game because the ones played by strong CC players are a good source of openings that have most likely been engine-checked. You will have to register with the ICCF to download the games, but registration is free.

Just a reminder: There are two types of computer users…those who make frequent backups and those who will learn to make frequent backups. I have lost databases, among other things, a couple of times for a variety of reasons. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time reconstructing your database, make a back up. In fact investing in an external hard drive so you can backup all your stuff is probably a good idea. When my old laptop croaked the computer store wanted a $100 to retrieve my data! I went to Radio Shack and for about $30 got an IOCell i251U2B i-Portable Hard Drive Enclosure and installed the old hard drive in it and recovered everything myself.