"Find Best Move" feature and "Mark tact. exercises"?

Hello, I've been trying to get this "Find Best Move" thing working with no success.

When I try to "prepare" the database (I have tried default "tactics.si4" and "Auerswald Collection, 3500 tactic" form Gorgonian's Chess Site) and do this..

Preparing Databases

 
 Databases are prepared by annotating games with a UCI engine and enabling "Mark tactical exercises". This marks relevant moves a special comment (beginning with ****D and commented in the analysis.tcl source file), and tags the game with the tactics T flag.

For a move to be regarded as a Tactical Shot, it must be a unique winning move, that is not obvious (ie found at depth  <=3)

.. I don't have any special comment marked with ****D and T-flags. (Btw, and what is the analysis.tcl file and where it can be found?)

And the question about "Maintenance Window". If I want manually to add that "T-flag" should it look like this:

or this:

or something else?

So, could you guys please explain to me what I do wrong?

Thank you!

I use ScidvsPC, but I think its the same and for scid.

To mark a single game for Training>Best move it's easy.

1. Open the game you want to mark

2. Go to Maintenance (control-m)

3. On the center of the screen is the flag option (no the custom!) then choose Tactics (7th from the begining of list) and then press "Mark current game", then close the window

4. Check in game list window on flag field that exist a "T", if so do the follow, else repeat previous steps.

5. Go to the move you want to mark as tactical mistake.

6. Open the comment editor. On first field add the corresponded tag.  for example ? or !.  On the second area, of notes, write something like this: "****D1 -1.9->-5.7"

this is the different between the move you made and the best move.

7. Save the game (control-s) and you are ready to test it with Play>Training>Best move

An example looks like this:

[Event "Rom"]

[Site "?"]

[Date "1987.??.??"]

[Round "?"]

[White "Player A"]

[Black "Player B"]

[Result "0-1"]

[EventDate "1987.??.??"]

[Annotator "Fritz 12 (5s)"]

[SetUp "1"]

[PlyCount "5"]

[FEN "2r5/pp2p1k1/3pp1P1/q7/4P3/2r5/PPPQ4/1K5R b - - 0 1"]

1...Rh3 $1 

    {****D1 -10.9->13 Abzugsangriff: c3, a5-d2}

2.Qd1 

    ( 2.Rxh3 Qxd2 {Abzugsangriff} )

    ( 2.-- $140 Rxh1+ {Mattdrohung} )

2...Qd2 $1 

    {Ablenkung: c1}

3.Rf1 

    ( 3.Qxd2 Rxh1+ {Ablenkung} )

    ( 3.-- $140 Rxh1 {Mattdrohung} )

3...Qxd1+ 

    ( 3...Qxd1+ 4.Rxd1 Re3 $19 )

0-1

Hope that I help you.

Is that part necessary to get things to work or does that just do something special in the Find the Best Move mode?

I've been flagging games in my database with the Tactics tag. I do it through the Game List tab instead (you have to change the Flag value at the bottom -- the first time, then right click the game in the list and Flag it). I have also been marking moves as ? or ?? to show where the blunders are.

Haven't tested the mode yet as I don't have a lot done but will start adding additional comments if they are needed.

Yes, if ****D doesn't exist it will skip the game.

KingDeathGR, thank you VERY much!

I tried your example, imported it to scid format database, flagged it. Clicking on Find Best Move in the menu closes the PGN Window and moves the rook to h3 (which is obviously the best move there). So, is that all this Find-Best-Move training is about? (i.e. you click > it moves a piece FOR YOU > done!)

I also don't understand how do you get this line "****D1 -1.9->-5.7". Is that your own calculation or it should be done by Scid analysis with "Mark tactical exercises" option enabled?

What if there are the games where analysis marks nothing with that D letter?

What if it is a simple position (not a game) with no moves, hence there are noting to mark?

Here's the game I experimented with. There's one move that was marked with the D by the analysis. But when I click on Find Best Move (unlike in case with your example where the rook being moved) it says "No more relevant games found"? I flagged it as Tactics as well, of course (the latter T is there).

[Event "Glasgow"]
[Site "simul"]
[Date "1923.10.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alexander Alekhine"]
[Black "Dr. J Forrester"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C48"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 240813 64"]
[Depth "13"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. d4 Bb4 8. dxe5 Nxe4 9. Qd4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 $201 Ba5 $6 $14
    {Stockfish 240813 64: +1.39 / +0.32}
    ( 10. ... Be7 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. O-O d5 13. Qh5 c6 14. Bb3 Kg8 15. Be3 Be6 16. Rfd1 Qa5 17. Rd3 Re8 18. Rad1 $10 )
11. Ba3 $201 b6 $4 $18
    {Stockfish 240813 64: +5.55 / +1.79 ****D2 1.8->5.5 }
    ( 11. ... b5 12. Bb3 d6 13. Bd5 Be6 14. Bc6+ Bd7 15. Bxa8 Qxa8 16. exd6 O-O 17. O-O Rd8 18. Bb4 Bb6 19. Bc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 cxd6 21. Qxd6 Bf5 22. Qe7 Bxc2 $16 )
12. e6 Qf6 13. Bxd7+ Kd8 14. Bc6+ Qxd4 15. e7# 1-0

I'm sorry for so many questions, but it seems so confusing and illogical to me.

Thank you!

OK, let's begin...

my example was no 100% good sample, simple because I wanted to give you a idea how scidvspc works. So I used a position from tactics and not one of my annotated games, (for personal reason).

But Tactics and Find Best Move, doesn't work the same.

For tactics see under Menu>Play>Mate in ..N.. moves puzzle. Here you can play against computer and to see if your move is good or not, also you can continue the game. You make a move and the computer answer. Here also is not needed ****D

Find best move, I personaly used it for my annotated games (with Mark Tactical Exercices checked), to see where my opponent or I, made mistake or blunder (Difference bigger than 1,5 and 3,0), and to see if I learn from my mistake to spot the right answer, also to remember this position. Until version 4.13 the "coach" is not watching nor the game continue automatic. You make the moves (with mouse or left-right arrows) and check if is correct or not. For this unit to work you need either annotate a game with engine (Mark Tactical Exercices) or create it by yourself.

Note: Sometimes is it possible a blunder to lead to mate, so that the evaluation for example from 3,00 to reach to MateIn3. If that happens the mark tactical exercices option may not work. In this situation we must correct the note for example: Stockfish 240813 64: +342.54 / +1.79 ****D2 1.8->342.5   the correct form which is: ****D2 1.8->342.5 (we delete "Stockfish 240813 64: +342.54 / +1.79")

If "engine" didn't note a mistake with the form ****D for use by Find Best Move unit, then we can add it manual.

(note: if the engine didn't create at least one ****D note then we must also manual mark the game with Flag T - Tactics via Maintenance (control-m), otherwise the "engine" do it for us)

Let see how to make your example to work and explain what are this numbers ....

11. Ba3 $201 b6 $4 $18 
    {Stockfish 240813 64: +5.55 / +1.79 ****D2 1.8->5.5 }
    ( 11. ... b5 12. Bb3 d6 13. Bd5 Be6 14. Bc6+ Bd7 15. Bxa8 Qxa8 16. exd6 O-O 17. O-O Rd8 18. Bb4 Bb6 19. Bc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 cxd6 21. Qxd6 Bf5 22. Qe7 Bxc2 $16 )

12. e6 Qf6 13. Bxd7+ Kd8 14. Bc6+ Qxd4 15. e7# 1-0 

at this point we see that black made a blunder with his move b6, but the "engine" (scidvspc annotate unit) didn't annotate correct so that we can use it with Find the Best Move unit. So we must correct it manual (note: you must update your version,  scidvspc and stockfish, don't worry it's free !!  ) 

11. Ba3 $201 b6 $4 $18 
    {****D2 1.8->5.5}
    ( 11. ... b5 12. Bb3 d6 13. Bd5 Be6 14. Bc6+ Bd7 15. Bxa8 Qxa8 16. exd6 O-O 17. O-O Rd8 18. Bb4 Bb6 19. Bc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 cxd6 21. Qxd6 Bf5 22. Qe7 Bxc2 $16 )

12. e6 Qf6 13. Bxd7+ Kd8 14. Bc6+ Qxd4 15. e7# 1-0 

and we are ready to test it (note: don't forget to save the game after the corrections !! ).

What numbers are: 

  {Stockfish 240813 64: +5.55 / +1.79 ****D2 1.8->5.5 }

Stockfish 240813 64 = the engine version

+5.55  = current evaluation of position after b6?

+1.79 = evalutation of position after the correct move b5!!

****D2 = diagram for exercise, 2 I think, not sure, that's the number of variation when the engine was calculate the position

1.8->5.5   = from evaluation with best move b5 1.8 (= 1.79 with one decimal) go to evaluation with played move, current position 5.5 (= 5.55 with one decimal,  hmm strange!! the correct, I think, is 5.6, anyway...)

full of your example corrected

[Event "Glasgow"]

[Site "simul"]

[Date "1923.10.02"]

[Round "?"]

[White "Alexander Alekhine"]

[Black "Dr. J Forrester"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "C48"]

[PlyCount "29"]

[Annotator "Stockfish 240813 64"]

[Depth "13"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd4 Nxc3 10.bxc3 $201 Ba5 $6 $14 

    {Stockfish 240813 64: +1.39 / +0.32}

    ( 10...Be7 11.Qg4 Kf8 12.O-O d5 13.Qh5 c6 14.Bb3 Kg8 15.Be3 Be6 16.Rfd1 Qa5 17.Rd3 Re8 18.Rad1 $10 )

11.Ba3 $201 b6 $4 $18 

    {****D2 1.8->5.5}

    ( 11...b5 12.Bb3 d6 13.Bd5 Be6 14.Bc6+ Bd7 15.Bxa8 Qxa8 16.exd6 O-O 17.O-O Rd8 18.Bb4 Bb6 19.Bc5 Bxc5 20.Qxc5 cxd6 21.Qxd6 Bf5 22.Qe7 Bxc2 $16 )

12.e6 Qf6 13.Bxd7+ Kd8 14.Bc6+ Qxd4 15.e7# 1-0

@KingDeathGR, it would be really great if you could email this explanation to the SCIDvsPC and SCID user's list and maybe Fulvio and Steve and ask them to update their help files because this is much better than the current help documentation.