3.8 Downloading a complete database - the quick way

You can create your own database by entering moves with the mouse, the keyboard, or importing PGN files. However, if you wish you can download one already made for you. There are two databases on the ChessDB site:

A database of 100,000 games covering the Elo range 2290 to 2851. The database is called simply '100000'. One needs to download 10 MB to retrieve this 100,000 game database
A huge database of over 3.5 million games at the time of writing (14th August 2007). This will occasionally be updated, but not on a regular basis. It can be updated by downloading games TWIC and importing them into the database. This database is called 'huge'. One needs to download 333 MB to retrieve this database.

Since the downloads are large (especially the one with 3.5 million games), the databases were split up into 8 MB parts then compressed. So the 3.5 million game database consists of 57 parts and the 100,000 game database consists of 6 parts. ChessDB.s http client downloads all the parts, decompresses them, constructs the database, then deletes the parts downloaded, as they are no longer needed.

ChessDB can check the database once it is constructed to ensure the data has not been corrupted in transmission. It uses the md5 checksum for this. In the unlikely event there is corruption, ChessDB reports this, but can not currently find the damaged part and just download that. The ability to do this will be added later.

To download a database, go to the Tools menu and click Download games from then select either of the following databases:

100,000 game database (site #1)
3.5 million game database (site #1)

These databases are stored on one of the mirrors of the Sourceforge web site. Since mirrors can be changed, or Sourceforge might object to the disk usage, a second source of the database can be found on http://www.chesstutor.net/ This can be accessed by choosing site #2 rather than #1. However, the http://www.chesstutor.net/ uses a slow speed link, so it should only be used if the Sourceforge site can not be used for some reason.

If you would like to contribute to the tutorial or see anything that should be updated, corrected or improved, please contact David Kirkby. But please note David only speaks English.

Website administered by Dr. David Kirkby
This page was last modified: September 16, 2007. 10:41:38 am GMT