Descriptive Chess Notation

Browsed the net the other day, thinking it would be cool if a translator existed from algebraic notation to descriptive.   I noticed some discussion on Chess.com, someone saying they prefer this and find it easier to read.   A site called "swiss immaculate" has the translator in question available for download.   It's only keyboard input (written in Pascal), but it does a great job.   It would also do a terrific job of allowing users to compare the two, if they are interested in learning.   Let's face it, a great many very good books on chess are in descriptive notation, and there may be eBook versions available, if not now, then soon.   In my opinion, Reuben Fine's "Basic Chess Endings" should be the Chess Bible, but I can't see it being outdone soon.   And a translation into algebraic?   That will happen when a computer can do the job from a scan.   I hope this will interest others besides myself.

I know both notations. It is hard when i play Vote Chess when i type a move in depending on which one i have read recently is the one i will post or accidently combine them. People get confused which move i am talking about for 2 seconds.

Worse is i have made my own variation up when i am taking notes on my games. I had to stop as i have books on both notations and sometimes i read both at same time.

But something to be said about the old notation as when the moves are written i know right away which are of the board the attacks are taking place. It forces me to divide the board up into areas.

Yeah i agree as you have to scan the last couple moves and with the old way you know instantly. And it was easier to follow the exchanges and know who is up in material at what stage of the game by scanning the notes.

When i practice i like descriptive notation better as helps me improve. I can follow some of the damage caued by each side. I like the Dis ch and Dbl ch notes. Plus keeping me aware in the opening with King Knigh and Queen Knight moves. I can follow how rapid the development is on each wing.

http://swissimmaculate.com/

 Download Chess Translator.exe from this site if you are interested in converting PGN files into descriptive notation, or even to clean them up in algebraic.   It will compile a selection, numbering each selected game with a tagname-tag pair such as [Game "42"].   You can, for instance, scan 4 different PGN files of Bishop Openings to create one without duplicate games, or select only those which were played by Capablanca, or perhaps only those which are Calabrese Counter Gambits.   And you can peruse a single game on a pretty little chessboard by, for instance, first searching for Game 42 in your newly compiled PGN.

I think you're right.   It's a matter of personal preferece.   Algebraic is very concise.   Descriptive is relative to the player to move but requires punctuation for parsing (reading by machine).   Anyone like myself who has read fifty books on chess in descriptive has acquired a virtual first language.   Chess Translator.exe reveals that the need for a single input language no longer exists for computers.   And with conversion to preference at our fingertips, we don't need it either.   My main concern is that a plethora of classic chess books have been put out of reach for most aspiring new players.   This is detrimental to the game itself.   Especially concerning the endgame.   That has also been assaulted by guilotine conditions coupled with hybrid clock settings.   The average moves to endgame (half original pieces excluding pawns) is 40.   This indicates that 1.5 seconds fischer is required per minute clock, minimum.   This then doubles move rate from 40, which is reasonable.   And adjudication requires Rueben Fine's "Basic Chess Endings" as the standard at present.   So it seems to me - winning a lost game on time doesn't ring my bells.   But then, I guess, I'm a bit like Richard Reti - the game means more to me, an habitual theorist, than personal glory does.

Have you ever wished that you could answer the question "What would Bobby Fischer play after that opening move???".   Now you can. Version 1.03 of "Chess Translator" will search a whole folder of PGN files, and compile all Bobby Fischer's games where he played White.   A compilation PGN file can then be created which sorts games so that the move coding (minus non essentials such as opinion punctuation and comments) is in alpha-numeric order.   Or you can chose games where he played Black.   You can select only Sicilians.   Or anyone else whose style you fancy for inspiration.   So if we don't soon all reach 10000 degrees farenheit in less than a second, watch for this update on:

http://swissimmaculate.com/

Thank you all for your interest in this little project.

Apologies for the delay.   Version 1.03 has evolved as expected, but some PGN is a mess.   Making the program survive and even compensate for errors, as well as providing useable diagnostics where this can't be achieved, has been a challenge.   But it is my intention to start a revolution.   Intelligence in the form of classic chess eBooks in descriptive notation will never be translated, (else they would have been by now).   That intelligence is lost to the masses at present, and the replacement?   Well...   This project is step one to taking the treasures from the gods and supplying them to all of us who, like Bobby Fischer, love the game and candid sportsmanship.  Read "60 Memorable Games".   Who was ever so honest and humble with less reason to be so.   Oh...it's in descriptive notation.   Even his Fischer time controls have been massively abused by some, to create hybrid chess.   Those without the luxury of hours of Lightning (Blitz) play can simply not switch.   That's making a sail boat take to the rapids.   Of course a crappy raft rubber float will win.   Three seconds increment for every two minites clock is the proper time control MINIMUM.   It is entirely equivalent to doubling rate of play after forty moves, the average to the endgame stage (half the pieces (not pawns)).   That's step two.   Step three is a correct mathematical rating system that is logarithmic, not linear with k factors.   Proper ranking by proper ratings would make the world championship an up to the minute perpetual affair on the net, and some chess nut in Vladivostok working 24-7 in a salt mine might just tear the gods a new one. It's all here and more soon.

http://swissimmaculate.com/

At present its all free trial version stuff, in keyboard input pascal, plus the mathematics PDF.

I use both algebraic & descriptive but prefer descriptive because that is what I first learned and used for many years.

I like BCE but the bottom line is there's been plenty of other endgame books written since 1941, so the fact that you can't see it being outdone soon is irrelevant. It's already been outdone many times over. AND it's already been "translated" to AN several yrs ago, but from what I've read the AN edition is mediocre and didn't even come close to correcting all of the typos and errors in the original text.

BUT it's still way better than no endgame book at all and cheap used copies are always available, but it's  no longer the Alpha and Omega of endgame books.

Paul Keres' "Practical Chess Endings" goes into detail about aspects of endgame play, but so does Jose Capablanca's "Chess Fundumentals", and a book from a trilogy called "How To Play The Endgame In Chess" had some things to say about "Fischer's Endgame" (R&B) and Petrosian's Endgame (R&N) plus discussion about endgame openings like the exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez, but these sorts of books are not a compilation of all endings up to Q vs BBNN, like BCE.   They offer related ideas.   I wonder how a more Comprehensive work than Fine exists, for what it does.   BCE allows an endgame to be virtually looked up by finding an analogous one.   Almost like looking up an opening in MCO or ECO.   Has that really been outdone?   What a tome!   But where can eBooks be found of the classics no longer in print?   What must I do to supply those I have created for all to use?   The cheap used copies will hardly satisfy all, and eventually disintegrate, but the intellectual property is unique and valuable while chess and mankind last.   I am trying to address causes of decline.   In particular, properly and efficiently ranked players sporting a worldwide heirarchy over the net up to current champion, deploys the computer for the good of chess rather than being a diversion.   And a database more scientific than sensationalist would also help the aspirant.   Not much need to even mention the crestfallen novice who didn't realise one hour clock and five seconds Fischer was the cause of his time trouble, a rating that climbs like a lichen, and a few opening traps that still lose the ending.

Well, "Chess Translator.exe" V1.03 is now downloadable, for Windows PC's.

http://swissimmaculate.com/

It will allow you to compile, clean up, select, search, and sort PGN files and folders from the many databases on the net.   Descriptive notation or algebraic can be selected as you please.   Error diagnostics will soon be improved.   It also presents further development possibilities, so watch for future versions.   It is hoped that it may be brought to a form suitable for composing chess books, or translating and augmenting existing ones as PDF in either encoding, as well as for solving chess problems or analysing positions.   For instance, a translation of BCE should certainly be possible without any errors, as the program will pick these up.   Once done, a menu setting will produce both translations.   We'll see.   The task originally conceived is fairly well achieved but for the usual bugs.   Please report them (see the Help menu item).

Well, maybe I'm a dinosaur, and my treasured books are a thing of the past.   Who really needs them, when we have reems of PGN and viewers, chess playing programs that need to be dumbed down, and forums.   Still, the quilotine has all but destroyed the endgame, where most old timers will demolish the most gifted novice.   Even the natural endgame virtuoso Jose Capablanca, who wrote and never read the opening books, knew he had to study the rook endgame.   He studied a thousand.   Rubenstein took a long sabatical, and came back mastering these to receive accolades from Capablanca for his unequalled technique.

So what now.   What started off as a Chess Translator is fast becoming a PGN Manager to boot.   It compiles any number of PGN files or folders, and can spit out ordered openings, and collections of specific endgames (games containing these), both in various formats, to allow searching and study, and to accommodate application software.   I've had some headaches, but 1.05 will soon be out there for interested players.

   Done & dusted - for now.   "Chess Translator and PGN Manager 1.05" is downloadable.
     
   "Mate (Checkmate, Superior Legal Mobility, or Stalemate) Search"
  
   at some future date.   I need a short sabbatical.
  
   What do we have?   Any number of PGN files can be compiled (memory permitting).   The compilation can be filtered by any number of Tagname - Tag pairs (inclusive OR).   It can be written out after changing Tagname filters to create different collections.   It can be written (but not compiled) using Opening and/or Endgame filters as well, to create different collections.   The output PGN's can be produced in various formats, Algebraic, Descriptive, Sorted Algebraic, Ordered Descriptive (sorting based on openings), and a concise sorted algebraic format for indexing to find any opening variation.   They can be written in Export Format or include an indexing Tagname - Tag pair such as [Game "11057"].
  
   A compilation can be composed, inspected, and/or edited from the keyboard, or using menus, with ease.   The inspection option
  
   "14 REMOVE duplicate games from CURRENT COMPILATION"
  
   is facilitated by a colour coding which identifies differences in game moves and rosters easily.   The facility also does much of the work.   Moves will quickly be seen to vary somewhat between sources of the same game.   Also, there are many helpful settings available.  For instance, the compiling of a game, and its translation in progress, can be viewed on a display board, at a reduced rate, or toggled into high speed (without the display) while in progress.   FEN positions are no problem.  And much more.
  
   As an interesting aside, the Endgames comprised in any particular game, are stored as a set.   By using N=13, B=15, R=20 and Q=39, all piece reductions (not pawns) create a unique value.   Considering P=4, the hierarchy given in Jose Capablanca's "Value of the Pieces" from "Chess Fundamentals" is automatically created, an assessment supported by Reuben Fine's "Basic Chess Endings" tome.   It is only upset by promotions yielding 3 of the same piece type, which is saved as such without further distinction.   Of course the peculiarities of the Pawn can render it worth more than a queen.   Also, the hierarchical values of positional anomalies (eg: Q & N, B vs N, etc) must be ignored here.
  
   There are some good PGN viewers downloadable, even for free, such as "Haundrix Chess".   It asks for a donation.   The single game PGN packs generated by the option
  
   "16 UNPACK CURRENT COMPILATION into INDIVIDUAL GAMES"
  
   accommodates its unique requirements.   I hope my keyboard driven program doesn't cause too much frustration before you master it.   You may eMail any complaints via the
  
   "18 HELP"
  
   option, offer ideas, or report bugs.   Thank you all for your interest.

Besides any reported bugs in due time, be aware that 1.05 does presently experience memory limitations around 2000 game compilations for normal PC's, best checked by recompiling the produced PGN.   A future refinement will relegate much storage to hard drive, practically eliminating this limitation.

Hi Folks.   Back from Scotland & Greece.   Trying to get my head around "Chess Translator & PGN Manager" once again.    It makes endgame study a breeze, so I've decided to include about 2010 openings.   These may be listed in several formats, turned into PGN files, or have their names included in PGN games as initial comments in the movetext.   The Openings will be identified by their final positions, so that transpositions will be no problem.   The ECO tag will be adjusted A00 to E99, but the names will include subvariants of these.   Whoever compiled the codes has had a mighty job.   They've made this easy for me.   CT&PM Version 1.14 is out soon.   I'm even including little diagrams in the PGN of the final game positions, and they will still recompile.   I'll give you all a cooey soon as it's done.   Seems this is the way chess study is going, and the games are already out there.

This is a sample from many possible formats (5x2x2x2x2) by CT&PM Version 1.14 (Courier New font will preserve spacing for the board position.):

[Game "2123"]

[Event "Birmingham sim"]                       r # b q k b n r     #   #   #   #

[Site "Birmingham blindsim 8"]                 p p # p # p p p   p   # n R r k p

[Date "1858.08.27"]                              # n # p #   #     # p #   # p #

[Round "0"]                                    #   #   #   #     #   # p #   #

[White "Morphy, Paul Charles"]                   #   N P #   #     #   #   #   #

[Black "Thomas Avery"]                         #   #   #   #     # P #   # N #

[Result "1/2-1/2"]                             P P P #   P P P   P # P #   # K P

[ECO "B44"]                                    R N B Q K B # R   #   #   #   #

{ Sicilian Defence }

1 P-K4, {Notes by J. Lowenthal} P-QB4; 2 P-Q4, PxP; 3 N-KB3, N-QB3; 4 NxP, P-K3;

5 B-K3, N-B3; 6 B-Q3, P-Q4; 7 NxN, PxN; 8 P-K5, N-Q2; 9 P-KB4, B-R3; {...c5

would have been a better move.} 10 Castles, {If White had captured the proffered

bishop, Black would have checked with the queen , regaining the piece and

improving his position.} BxB; 11 QxB, B-B4; 12 N-Q2, BxB ch; 13 QxB, Q-N3; {We

believe that Mr. Avery acted prudently in exchanging off the pieces and

simplifying the game. Mr. Morphy having shown himself so extremely accurate and

skilful in complicated positions, which in an endgame, playing blindfold, it was

just possible that his power of calculation might prove faulty.}

14 QR-K1, Castles KR; 15 P-QN3, P-B3; 16 PxP, RxP; 17 P-N3, QR-KB1;

18 K-N2, QxQ; 19 RxQ, P-N3; 20 KR-K1, P-K4; {Very well played. The forces have

taken up a position of much interest.} 21 KR-K2, PxP; 22 R-K7, QR-B2;

23 PxP, RxP; 24 R-K8 ch, K-N2; 25 R-QB8, KR-B3; 26 R-B7, N-B1; 27 KR-K7, RxR;

28 RxR ch, R-B2; 29 R-K8, N-Q2; 30 N-B3, R-B1; 31 R-K7 ch, R-B2; 32 R-K8, R-B1;

33 R-K7 ch, R-B2; 1/2-1/2

Hi folks, there seems to be some interest in what is becoming a full-fledged PGN manager. Thank you for your interest. Version 1.15 is ready to download, and incorporates the capacity to identify ECO openings and sub-variants by name, from resultant board positions. This will be a taste of what is to come. V1.20 will be next, with the capacity to isolate 48 categories of ECO openings into separate packs, as with the endgames (plus associated enhancements). This will virtually be the computer equivalent of the OPENINGS and ENGAME index's (indices?) of the usual chess book. Refinements and testing will need to be completed. Forgive any current bugs for the moment. Feedback is welcome (see Help option).

Hi folks. SWISSIMMACULATE is temporarily under reconstruction - it will be back, and should return in time for PGN Manager Version 1.20.   Some delightful improvements are being worked on, but also some difficult coding problems.   It is my intention that no limitation remains to the size of a generated PGN file, with all formats immediately available when compilation completes.   A couple of weeks should do it.

Something interesting to look forward to.   A compilation of 11408 games from downloaded Bishop's Openings was created, and these were separated according to the program's 48 opening categories.   Since transpositions are recognised, these were divided into foldered single game PGN for Haundrix Chess as follows:

Alekhine's Defence 1
Bishop's Opening 8443
Centre Game 17
Evans Gambit 41
Four Knights Game 68
Giuoco Pianissimo 322
Giuoco Piano 573
King's Gambit 6
King's Knight Opening 198
Latvian Counter-Gambit 4
Petrov's Defence 81
Philidor's Defence 12
Scotch Gambit 175
Two Knights Defence 502
Vienna Game 965

Progressive positions are turned to FEN notation and these compared with the opening repetoire.   The last match in a game defines the opening.   This required a departure from the current standard FEN which I think is not so good.   The program will supply the following explanation when it becomes relevant:

NB: This program's FEN notation e.p. target square implies that such a capturing pawn exists, whether execution is positionally legal or not.   The equivalence or otherwise of positions (same moves available) can only be guaranteed this way, either for the purposes of recognising opening move transpositions, or as the first known occurrence in a draw claim.   Input FEN notation will be corrected accordingly if necessary.

http://www.swissimmaculate.com/?justsaying=1 is back up, looking better than ever.   Work commitments have delayed a (debugged &) revamped PGN compilation editor.   The "PURGE..." option (to become "LIQUIDATE or EDIT games from CURRENT COMPILATION") requires sophisticated integration with the database files to work properly.   'Till then, what's there is quite a useful tool for chess players.   Not yet a fully reliable one for PGN management, as the current release does not select the best choice of identical games as intended.   Hopefully soon...have fun with this little keyboard driven application.   Regards, JC