PGN Confusion

I've been trying to convert descriptive chess games of my grandfather to algebraic for a website of his games for my family here: http://powers.kittysafe.net

But it's very difficult, and chessbd doesn't work on Windows 7 from what I can tell.

Am hoping someone can help me out.  The PGN file doesn't seem to want to load properly either...

1.  An error on loading

2.  Game 3 erroring into game 2 for some reason

Here's the PGN file I have so far... game 2 incomplete and game 3 incomplete as I'm struggling to translate the descriptive to algebraic

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Event "State Tourn"]
[Site "State Tourn"]
[Date "1940.4.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Averill Powers"]
[Black "Random"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nbd7 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 g6 6. Nbd2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O
8. Qe2 cxd4 9. exd4 a6 10. Re1 e6 11. Nf1 b5 12. Ng3 Bb7 13. Bf4 Rb8 14. a4 b4
15. cxb4 Ra8 16. Rec1 Qe7 17. Rc7 Qxb4 18. a5 Rfb8 19. Bd2 Qd6 20. Rxb7 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "?"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Richard Kujoth"]
[Black "Averill Powers"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. g1f3 d5 2. b3 c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. Bb2 Bf5 5. f1b5 e5 6. h3 Bc2 7. Qc2 Nf6
8. O-O Bd6 9. b3b4 O-O 10. b2e5

[[Event "State Tourn"]
[Site "State Tourn"]
[Date "1940.4.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "S Greene"]
[Black "Averill Powers"]
[Result "1-0"]

Every game should end with the result, so replace:

  8. O-O Bd6 9. b3b4 O-O 10. b2e5 

with:

  8. O-O Bd6 9. b3b4 O-O 10. b2e5 1-0

Also there's an extra "[" in

[[Event "State Tourn"]

After these changes these games load fine (I use scid for a chess database).

Thanks Case.

Case, are you or know anyone who is adept at translating descriptive chess into algebraic?  I found a program chessbd but it doesn't want to run on Windows 7 64-bit, and some of this descriptive is driving me insane.

This is the game I am currently on and I am stuck on moves #10 for both sides.

http://powers.kittysafe.net/games/game2.jpg

Hi Kittty,

Your grandfather had nice handwriting, which makes this easy.  (Like many old players, I'm fluent in descriptive notation.  I suppose it's the only "second language" I know.)

Your first converted game looks fine.  

Your second game begins g1f3 and many chess programs will accept that, but what you really want is Nf3.  Likewise with f1b5 (Bb5).  Also, Black's 4th move is Bg4 not Bf5.  And Black's 6th is Bxf3, not Bc2.

The image from your third game is cut off at the bottom for a couple of moves, so from that image it's impossible to know exactly what was played on Move 19 and 20.  Also note that you have an extra left bracket ([) in the first line.

This task is best handled by using a chess GUI.  Using a mouse you would make the moves on the graphical chessboard, and the GUI will do the conversion, and save the game in algebraic format.  The interface will make it easy and will catch the above types of typos and mistakes.  My favorite GUI has always been WinBoard, but there are many other GUIs out there for you to choose.

Here's the PGN for all three games.  Again, note that game 3 is only up to move 18.

[Event "State Tournament"]
[Site "Wiconsin"]
[Date "1940.04.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Averill Powers"]
[Black "Random"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nbd7 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 g6 6. Nbd2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8.
Qe2 cxd4 9. exd4 a6 10. Re1 e6 11. Nf1 b5 12. Ng3 Bb7 13. Bf4 Rc8 14. a4 b4
15. cxb4 Ra8 16. Rec1 Qe7 17. Rc7 Qxb4 18. a5 Rfc8 19. Bd2 Qd6 20. Rxb7 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "?"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Richard Kujoth"]
[Black "Averill Powers"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. Bb2 Bg4 5. Bb5 e6 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Nf6 8.
O-O Bd6 9. c4 O-O 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Qxf6 gxf6 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Bxc6 bxc6
14. Nc3 Rab8 15. Rac1 Rb4 16. d3 Rfb8 17. Rfd1 Be5 18. Na4 c4 19. Nc5 cxb3
20. Nxb3 Ra4 21. Rd2 Rb6 22. g3 Bd6 23. Kg2 Kf8 24. Kf3 Ke7 25. Re2 Kd7 26.
Rcc2 Ra3 27. Kg4 Rb5 28. d4 Ra4 29. Kf5 Rc4 30. Kxf6 c5 31. dxc5 Be7+ 32.
Kxf7 Rb8 33. Rxc4 dxc4 34. Rd2+ Kc6 35. Nd4+ Kxc5 36. Kxe7 c3 37. Rc2 Kc4
38. Ne2 Kd3 39. Rxc3+ Kxe2 40. f4 Kf3 41. f5 Kxg3 42. f6 Kh4 43. Rd3 Kg5
44. f7 Rb7+ 45. Rd7 Rxd7+ 46. Kxd7 1-0

[Event "State Tournament"]
[Site "Wisconsin"]
[Date "1940.4.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "S Greene"]
[Black "Averill Powers"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. c4
Nf6 8. Nc3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 Re8 11. h3 Bf8 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Rxe5
14. Qf3 Bc5 15. Ne2 Rxe2 16. Qxe2 Bxd4+ 17. Kh1 Rb8 18. Rb1 Rb6

Ah, while I was typing my answer, I see others have already replied.

Ed, you are wonderful.  the problem I've had with translating is that I do not understand the original moves so i cannot do the moves on a board and then know what the algebraic is.  See how that works?  I don't understand the descriptive language.

You were incredibly fast doing that, is there a way for me to learn it quickly? I have 117 games to translate.  Thank you very much for your help.

Ed, I added a scrollbar so the image won't be cut off now... also I get a java applet error now when loading.

Kittysafe, in what format do you have the games at the moment?

Copy all TEXT into a notepad file, save it, send it to me, and I'll use chessbase to automatically convert them to algebraic notation and send you in proper pgn format.

And Black's 5th move is e6, not e5 in Game 2.

This is why Game 2 wouldn't load.  That's at least three or four errors with the moves I've found already.  :(

philidor, that won't work.  She doesn't have the moves in text format.  They only exist on a piece paper.  She is then taking the paper and attempting to convert the descriptive notation to algebraic.

Jonathan, (Kittysafe) I realize you aren't familiar with descriptive, the process will be too just time consuming and worse, contain too many errors if you attempt to do it without a GUI.

All the games we're converting are here: https://picasaweb.google.com/kpowers101/AverillPowersChessGames2#

Ed, thanks I'll fix that now.

typo:   ... BUT the process will be too just time consuming and worse, contain too many errors, if you attempt to do it without a GUI.

You've seen this site, correct?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descriptive_chess_notation

Reading now, thanks.

Game 3, now complete:

[Event "State Tournament"]
[Site "Wisconsin"]
[Date "1940.4.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "S Greene"]
[Black "Averill Powers"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. c4
Nf6 8. Nc3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 Re8 11. h3 Bf8 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Rxe5
14. Qf3 Bc5 15. Ne2 Rxe2 16. Qxe2 Bxd4+ 17. Kh1 Rb8 18. Rb1 Rb6 19. Rf4 c5
20. Qd3 Rd6 21. Qf3 Bc6 22. Qf1 Be5 0-1

What GUI can I use to try moves and see the algebraic code?

Thank you @ Game 3!

I have unfortunately realized MrEdCollins is right, this apparently is not available in chessbase. It can take a game in algebraic notation and "show" it in descriptive (as I was aware of), but it turns out this is only a displaying option, not a conversion. I couldn't get it to open a game in descriptive notation.

Sorry to dissappoint. :(

Use Scid, or Arena, both free downloads.

Okay thank you, downloading now.

Or Winboard.    :)

In fact, it might be easier for Ks not download a program at all.  Use a html java ap instead:

For example, this one:

http://www.chesslab.com/PositionSearch.html

I checked... once the moves are displayed you can copy and paste them from the window.