Scid vs. PC alternatives

Ranked alternatives

1. 1
   
   ChessDBFree

   ChessDB is a chess database that you can use on Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on FreeBSD OS. ChessDB is based on the highly successful Scid program, which was the premier free chess database. It is not a cut-down version of an expensive commercial product, but you get a complete, fully functional program. You can enter games by moving the piece with the mouse, by typing in the moves from a keyboard, read games from PGM files, download them directly into ChessDB from The Week in Chess, and import games from the history of anyone on ICC.

   Additionally, you can annotate the games by adding text comments, Add standard symbols, add colored symbols, and add variations that show different lines, which may have been interesting. You can play against many different chess engines, from very weak ones to strong chess engines such as Crafty and Toga II. However, ChessDB’s roots in Scid are very much like a database more than a tool to play chess in.

   ChessDB alternatives
2. 2
   
   Chess Tempo DatabaseFree

   Chess Tempo Database gives you a library of more than 2 million searchable chess games. You can find any game by entering multiple criteria like chess opening, chess player, player rating, year of a chess game played, and the game result. To search the chess database, you can either enter your criteria into the quick search box or use the advanced search by clicking on the advanced search label. To see the chess games in the database for the current position, you can click on the Games for Position tab. You can start from any position by using the paste FEN/moves button directly below the chessboard.

   By default, the database only shows chess games where both players were rated over 2200. You can change the database subset using the database selector at the top of the page. The premium subscription members can benefit from watching computer analysis for top 5 moves at each step in tactics problems, watching common mistakes made by others on tactics problems, having extended Statistics and Performance Graphs, and much more.

   Chess Tempo Database alternatives
3. 3
   
   ChessXFree

   ChessX is a chess database available for Windows. It is a multi-platform online chess games archive that allows users to view, edit, and manage collections of online encounters. The program is built in C++ and Qt. It implements a tabbed document interface with a menu and toolbars, status bar, and new improvements. Being multi-platform, you can also load PGN files, and the database allows you to browse games and set up board positions. Besides that, comments can be left during active games, together with entering piece moves and many other activities.

   In case users plan to learn more about how to play chess, a large database is available to search for documents on various powerful positions. Additionally, the program displays the tree of moves for the current location of the piece on the board. Games can be exported to PGN files, HTML, or LaTeX file format. You can send them to friends via email so they can see your incredible victory.

   ChessX alternatives
4. 4
   
   ChessPadFree

   ChessPad is a feature-rich chess game viewer and PGN file editor available for Windows. You can create games and diagrams for use in WordPad, Word, or HTML pages and use Winboard-compatible chess engines for playing the game and analysis. Moreover, it allows you to view games in a tree with an opening classification system. Some highlighting features include an attractive, fully resizable game panel and a full game WYSIWYG notation view.

   Advanced database features include searching games on many criteria like position and material patterns, game utilities, to operating on multiple games like settings game information. ChessPad can handle any PGN tag, and even custom tags can be defined. Moreover, UCI chess engines are also supported.

   ChessPad alternatives
5. 5
   
   DecodeChessFree

   DecodeChess is an AI chess tutor, the first of the kind that decodes every chess move and elaborates the reasons behind it. This chess analysis tool is aimed at beginners who want to learn the core of the game and how to play it as well as for chess enthusiasts who want to improve their skills and get the real reason behind every chess move. With every move, you have the option to view a practical situation as an example. DecodeChess combines the merits of a chess master and the strongest chess engine available.

   Its AI algorithm adapts to your game style and responds accordingly to create a balanced game experience. Additionally, you can decode positions as you play to create a personalized instructional chess analysis mode. Al in all, DecodeChess is great chess gameplay analyzing tool that you can use to step up your game.

   DecodeChess alternatives
6. 6
   
   Chess InsightFree

   Chess Insight is a chess tutor that helps you with a number of analytical powers for judging every move in chess. It provides tutorials that help you to learn how to familiarize yourself with all of the options that you have available. The aim of Chess Insight is to help you understand your playing style, your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Chess Insight’s algorithm indexes your games and moves with as many details as possible. It includes color codes with every color appearing at every possible move. You can predict what will happen with the move you are going with in the future.

   Chess Insight alternatives
7. 7
   
   Scid on the goFree

   Scid on the go app allows you to browse Scid (Shane’s Chess Information Database) files and is optimized for databases with millions of chess games. It features a header search option using player names, events, dates, sites, results, ECO, and ELO ratings. Moreover, you can also search for games, buy material, or position. Add games to your favorites by copy-pasting the URL of positions of games.

   It lets you edit the board with support for variations in games. An autoplay feature lets you replay the game with a configurable delay between moves. You can do moves breakdown with included Stockfish 10 chess engine, or you can add additional UCI engines for analysis. Other features are study mode, experimental write support, and marking of games for the deletion or other actions.

   Scid on the go alternatives
8. 8
   
   lichess Chess databaseFree

   lichess Chess database is aimed at players who want to be up to date on the newest theoretic innovations. This allows strong players to test their shortcomings and strengths online. Another potential use for this database is to see how tough rivals will face your beginnings in practice. The database includes hundreds of millions of standard-rated games, all in PGN format.

   To improve your game, you can ask questions using a metric, e.g., what is being measured or move times, a dimension, and filters to restrict the data set. By default, your insights are observable to your friends only, but you can make them completely public or private. When you play different games, you will be given the opportunity to add them to your Insights data.

   lichess Chess database alternatives
9. 9
   
   ChessOK Chess AssistantFree

   ChessOK Chess Assistant is one of the most advanced chess database systems that is combined with the world’s rating leader among chess engines, i.e. Houdini 2. You can experience quick searches, even in its one of the prime databases with five million+ games. Weekly updates keep the database up to date automatically. Chess Assistant offers you the choice of two popular chess servers for online gameplay. One is ChessOK Playing Zone, and the other is ICC. Chess Assistant has a long history of innovative and advanced analysis functions, and now, with a built-in CQL search system, it has also taken the lead in advanced search functionality.

   Its smart AI algorithm called Infinite Analysis offers a wide range of options to customize the analysis to your need. It contains Include/exclude selected moves from analysis, multivariate and adjourned multi-variation mode, simultaneous analysis with several different chess engines, check moves in-game or annotations, search for additional moves, and analysis of position from both sides at the same time.

   ChessOK Chess Assistant alternatives
10. 10
    
    ChessBase DatabaseFree

    ChessBase Database provides you access to games from across the whole history of chess. It allows you to enter moves on your board to see which top players prefer a specific variation at the click of a mouse. The database is updated every week with the newest games from across the world of chess. You don’t need to worry about adding the latest games, editing, avoiding doubles in the database; the ChessBase takes care of the database care for you. The ChessBase Database grows by over 200,000 games every year.

    The Let’s Check feature is a fantastic boost for the opening play, with over 200 million positions having already been analyzed in depth. It is equipped with Endgame Turbo with all 5-piece and the most important 6-piece endgames.

    ChessBase Database alternatives