Mark tactical exercises help

Hello all

I have recently begun using Scid and I was delighted to find the auto-annotation feature which allows me to set the engine analyzing and annotating all the games in a database. I was even more happy to find that I could supposedly have the engine create tactics puzzles for me from my own games, which could then be accessed through the Find Best Move feature. However, whenever I set the Mark Tactical Excercises option in the annotation window, I always get an error message when it reaches a tactic. I have copied an d pasted:

Invalid command: sc_pos has the following minor commands:

   addNag

   bestSquare

   board

   clearNags

   fen

   getComment

   getNags

   hash

   html

   isAt

   isLegal

   isPromotion

   matchMoves

   moveNumber

   pgnBoard

   pgnOffset

   probe

   setComment

   side

   tex

   moves

Invalid command: sc_pos has the following minor commands:

   addNag

   bestSquare

   board

   clearNags

   fen

   getComment

   getNags

   hash

   html

   isAt

   isLegal

   isPromotion

   matchMoves

   moveNumber

   pgnBoard

   pgnOffset

   probe

   setComment

   side

   tex

   moves

    while executing

"sc_pos analyze -time 1000 -hashkb 32 -pawnkb 1 -searchdepth $depth "

    (procedure "markExercise" line 42)

    invoked from within

"markExercise $prevscore $score "?" "

    (procedure "addAnnotation" line 240)

    invoked from within

"addAnnotation"

    (procedure "autoplay" line 14)

    invoked from within

"autoplay"

    ("after" script)

I am not a great computer person, so it could be that the answer is obvious to everyone else. I cannot figure out how to fix it though, and I was wondering if everyone else had similar problems.

Thanks

Hmmmm, yes good question and I've never seen an answer.

I've never been able to get engines even to generate a tactical flag in any of my games.

It seems like such a useful feature too. . .

Yes, I would love it. 

What version of SCID are you using on what computer platform?

I am using SCID 4.2.2 on Windows 7 and the TOGA anylisis will mark tactical games when I run the anylisis.    I don't kow about the rest of your question.

I think it is Scid 4.3, also on windows 7, using Toga 2. maybe a bug was introduced in the newer version?

what else do you mark during annotation in addition to mark tactical excercises?

Hi guys, I am also unsuccesful in trying to get the program to mark the tactical excercises but I have found a workaround using a great free program called Chess Hero .

Basically, I use SCID to export a PGN file of the games I want to test myself against and load them into Chess Hero and its built in engine scores you against the move you select etc.  It's a simple program to use.

I find it particularly useful for learning openings as you can test yourself from the the start of a game until the last move.

For example, I am currently learning the Albin Counter Gambit. I have filtered all the games black has won and drawn in the ACG from my main database (2400 elo players and above) and exported them as a pgn. I then get to test myself against the moves that strong players play as white against the ACG.

Good luck.

You cannot mark tactics in PGN file. First you need to create SCID database (just File->New), second you must import PGN (text from clipboard or file) to that database through Tools->Import (there 2 options accordingly). Only after that you can change games (mark Tactics including).

A word of warning.  I use 4.2.2 Running TOGA & highlighting the "Mark Tactical Exercises"  after the anylisis engine runs the game.  TOGA will highlight tactical games with a flag.  You will need the "Flag" column added to your game list window to see the flag.

I am of the delusion the newest version will also do this correctly.

When you compact the database the flags will stay.

BUT ?????

Guess what happens when you import or export pgn games?   Most unfortunatly SCID does not transfer the flags. 

Now the copy & paste function will transport the flags BUT you have to for example mark the flag save the game then close the DB & reopen  or do something with an unrelated game (save it) then reopen the game with the flag to do the copy & paste.

Looks like I was allmost correct.  I have been expiermenting with the latest  version of SCID & find the "mark tactical games" function causes an error. So you can't use it.  You can manually mark games tactical if you want.

I find this somewhat amusing.  4.2.2 will mark tactical but won't do the "find opening errors"  Latest verssion will "find opening errors" but won't tactical.

Stilll like the software even with the bugs

Did you read what I write or just blind?