2.77 Million Games - GorgoBase

I found 13,005 games with zero moves, but who's counting?

I don't know if there's a simpler way, but this method works:

1) Open database.

2) Go to menus "Search --> General".

3) Change game length in General Search window from 0 - 999 to 0 - 0, then click on "Search".

4) Go to menus "File --> Maintenance --> Maintenance Window".

5) In the Maintenance Window, click on "Compact database".

6) In the "Compact database: Gorgobase" window, click on "Compact Game file". When it asks "Are you sure", click Yes.

7) Database should now have the zero-move games deleted.

I also noticed this recently.  Not sure which source they are from or anything (TWIC or PGN Mentor) but if they are in this db, they came from one of them.  They will be gone in the next update, so if you'd rather just wait for my new version (should be soon) than mess with it, that will work.

Looks great.

R u sure these instructions are rite? Doesn't seem to work!

It worked for me, but then I'm three versions behind. (I hope that's not important!)

I'd be more interested in a database that includes only games between masters. It's easy to select such games in ChessBase, but then masters who predate ratings are excluded. 

One of the advantages of having a big database like this is it's easy to do something like that.  Just filter for games with titled players.  It takes a few seconds and now you have a database with only games between masters.  You can then do any operations on the filtered games that you could do with the full database.  You could also export those filtered games to a new database if you want.

Emanual Lasker, Paul Morphy, Seigbert Tarrasch, J.H. Sarratt, ...

Neither ratings nor titles.

I have some six million games in my database. I've quickly created databases limited to players over 2200, 2300, 2400. None of these Master databases include nineteenth century masters.

Yes, I understand that.  It's the problem with defining "masters."  You could just create a list of players that you'd like to add to the titled players, I guess.

What you want is Norm's High Quality GM database:

http://www.hoflink.com/~npollock/chess.html

Updated today:

http://gorgonian.weebly.com/pgn.html

Last update: 6/28/2015, TWIC #1076 - also removed 13,000 (!?!) games with 0 moves.

I don't agree with Norm's assumptions concerning draws and games under 25 moves.

It's a good database for what he's trying to accomplish.

It does appear so.

I have BigDatabase 2012, which I keep more or less up-to-date with TWIC. I also have all Chess Informants. 

I could easily create the database that I would find more useful, but it may take two days to assure that I have all master games from before the existence of Elo ratings.

Thanks for the recent GorgoBase update!

You're welcome.  Glad you are enjoying it.

Hi PossibleOatmeal,  thanks for the work you put in to this. 

I am noticing that there are quite a few:

a. games with under 5 moves in them (700, some still 0 moves)

b. duplicate games (among this subset in particular)

I am using the database dated 11/21/2015, TWIC #1097 

Is there a reason for the games with moves under 5 moves other than to be complete?

Nah, probably not.  I did delete all the ones with less than 5 moves.  Not sure what the cut-off should be, really.  And yeah, I need to dupe check again.  Will do that before the next update.

Hi,

Do you have a database with the TWIC games only?  Thanks.

I did on my old computer, but not on this one.  I'll see if I can dig it out some time and post it alongside.