How to Record Your Own Repertoire?

I have been studying a particular opening [Ponziani] to find improvements to existing theory and have found a lot of such potential inprovements.

Each improvement is on a sheet of copy paper handwritten as I would have a hard time typing  3. N1f3 for example.

Is there some way that I can record my 80 or so pages of ideas in an easy format?  Hopefully, some way I can set up a chess diagram for the open of a chess game and then just move the pieces and record the results?

I am pretty much computer stupid so careful with the terminology if anyone has an answer or good ideas? 

Chess Position Trainer is exactly what you are looking for.

Version 4 has a free version.  You get the full version for a month for free, then after a month a bunch of features most people don't need are deactivated.  It is perfect for what you want.

Here's a youtube tutorial, so you can see how it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RzTGo9zu6I&feature=plcp

Hi ponz111,

You're looking for a chess database program for getting your handwritten notes into electronic form?

I can recommend SCID, a free program available for Windows, Mac and Linux systems: http://scid.sourceforge.net/

You can create a database for your findings on the ponziani and save your main variation as seperate games into that DB. Within the games you can create sub and sub sub variations as you like. With the comment editor you can write down your notes on each move. 

If you want to share a specific game/variation you can easily export the game into a pgn file (pgn="portable game notation") which you can use in other programs. For example, you could use that pgn here on chess.com in a forum post with the diagram feature and have all your home-written comments imported and visible here for all. 

SCID has a very powerfull search function as well to allow you to search the games for material patterns or text strings in the comment section amongst others.

The usage of the program may be a little confusing at the start because of the many, many option you have in the menus. But it's really worthwhile to give it a try, after you spent some time to learn about those functions it's quite comfortable to use. 

Hope, that's what you're looking for and my description helps. 

Cheers,

Spielkalb

Thanks much!  I will try both answers!  Really appreciate!

I took a look at the features of the above recommended Chess Position Trainer and it seems to me that it's more limeted in its functions. It apears to be easier to use on the first glance though. Does it have a comment editor as well? I think that would be an important feature for recording your evaluation of the different lines of the Ponziani.

SCID has the advantage that it's more flexible. E.g. you can manage all of games played on chess.com with this program as well. It makes sense to me to get used to a program which covers more functions you want to use so you're familiar with it and don't have to switch between different interfaces for different purposes. 

(You even can play correspondence chess on the ICCF servers with SCID. )

Yes, it allows comments.  It is designed to do exactly what he wants.  SCID is an excellent program, but it is not really designed with that task in mind.  You can clunk your way through it, but it will be a much superior experience to do it on software designed for this exact task, which CPT is.

As stated already, CPT tends to focus more on drills/training and measuring performance-based improvements in your ability to play through lines in your stored repertoire accurately (and fast!)

SCID is more of a database + analysis tool ...so I'd say they  complement each other and can be used together!

Really been a big help to me. I down loaded CPT and put a few moves into it but have not figured out how to access those moves but not to worry I will have a friend help me in a couple of days.  He will also look at SCID to see what may be better for my personal situation. 

Also will look at theyoutube tutorial.

I started using CPT and put in about 300 moves in various Ponziani variations that I had created.  This was over a period of a few hours.

Later, I had a temporary disruption and my computer connection went out--just for about 1 minute.  Now when I use the icon [my wife set up] for CPT is goes to a different place and no chess board and very possibly all the moves I put in are lost as all it shows is that I have 100% in the closed sicilian--which was just part of the demostration.

I am lost for now but will have a friend help me with this in a couple of days. I am very uncomputer savvy but in the meantime--any suggestions? 

Nice article and Wonderful comments.