Shane's Chess Information Database

Last updated
Scid
Developer(s) Shane Hudson
Stable release
4.7.0 [1] / January 2019
Repository
Operating system Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD [2]
Type Chess database
License GPL
Website scid.sourceforge.net

Shane's Chess Information Database (Scid) is a free and open source UNIX, Windows, Linux, and Mac application for viewing and maintaining large databases of chess games. [3] It has features comparable to popular commercial chess software. [4] Scid is written in Tcl/Tk and C++.

Contents

Scid has undergone several stages of development, firstly by Shane Hudson, then by Pascal Georges.

Features

Scid 4.3 Scid 4.3 (stable release), with docked windows.png
Scid 4.3

Scid is a powerful Chess Toolkit with many features. It can interface with XBoard engines (such as Crafty and GNU Chess), and UCI engines (e.g. Fruit, Rybka and Stockfish). Using Scid, one may play games against human opponents (on the Free Internet Chess Server), or computer opponents. Database features include a Move Tree with statistics, Player Information and Photos, and General Searches for specific endings (e.g. pawn vs. rook or rook vs. queen), positions or players. It has a database with 1.4 million games (ScidBase). [5]

Scid's speed is due to its storing chess games in its own compact database format (si4), but it also supports the popular portable game notation (PGN).

There are multiple projects related to Scid, all using the si4 database format. ChessDB [6] was the first Scid fork. Scid vs. PC [7] has been in development since 2009, and has an improved interface. [8] Its major new feature is a Computer Tournament mode and also includes rewritten Gamelist, FICS and Analysis widgets. ChessX [9] replaces Tcl/Tk with Qt. [8] Scidb [10] (written in Tcl/C++), implements many chess variants and many read/write formats. [8]

Scid on the go is a browser for Scid database files for Android. [11]

See also

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References

  1. "[Scid-users] SCID 4.7". sourceforge.net. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  2. "CVS log for ports/Games/Scid/Makefile".
  3. "Review by Chess Zone" . Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  4. "Zarkon Fischer's Free Chess Programs" . Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  5. Blasius, Bernd; Tönjes, Ralf (2009). "Zipf's law in the popularity distribution of chess openings". Physical Review Letters. 103 (21): 218701. arXiv: 0704.2711 . Bibcode:2009PhRvL.103u8701B. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.218701. PMID   20366071.
  6. David Kirkby (July 15, 2011). "ChessDB - a free Chess Database" . Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. Steven Atkinson (January 28, 2016). "Scid vs. PC - Chess Database" . Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Scid (June 17, 2014). "Scid Cousins" . Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. Jens Nissen (May 5, 2015). "ChessX - Free Chess Database" . Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. Gregor Cramer (October 18, 2013). "Scidb" . Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. Gerhard Kalab. "Scid on the Go in Play Store" . Retrieved March 8, 2016.