Opening books format

[mhalstern]

Thanks for all of the code and links.

Has anybody written a program to convert to and from the chessbase *.ctg format?

If so, pls post and or link.

[Stephan Vermeire (Brutus)]

Hi Marc,

CTG-files have a completely different structure than .pgn files. With CTG, each unique position is stored regardless of how we came there. In pgn a specific sequence of moves is stored. That makes it harder to convert thse formats than other formats.

As far as I know, there is no program available to convert ctg. Check this also:
http://www.open-aurec.com/wbforum/viewt ... tg#p190852

Best wishes,
Stephan

[jshriver]

I'd be willing to write one pending abk isn't patented or will get me sued
Will have to research it later to see what the format looks like.

Any other formats people want dumped to PGN?

-Josh

[Michel]

Any other formats people want dumped to PGN?

Dumping to PGN is not the only issue. One also needs to know how Arena assigns probabilities to moves. I asked a while ago here if it was known how Arena does this but there was no reply. So I guess it is not known.

[Stephan Vermeire (Brutus)]

I'd be willing to write one pending abk isn't patented or will get me sued
Will have to research it later to see what the format looks like.

-Josh

Hi Joshua,

In case you want to write a ctg->pgn adapter, I can give you some code that is capable of probing ctg-databases. It won't be too hard to alter that into a converter.

I have written an object with the following functions:

Code: Select all

class book{
public:
	book();
	void setBookPath(char* newBookPath);
	int probeBook(char* pFEN, char* pMove);
	void setRandomness(int rnd); //With this you can set: best move only or one of the best moves
                .....
};

When you enter a FEN ("rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"), the move is returned in SAN-format (like e2e4). With this code you can probe specific positions and retrieve all moves and statistics that have been stored in the database. This link is very useful also: http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforu ... ?pid=26942

Let me know if you are interested in this code. I haven't published it due too legal reasons (don't want to be sued either )

Stephan

[yoshiharu]

Hi everybody,

I made a few corrections to the source, because of two small bugs.
Now it goes like the following:

Code: Select all

// Author Juri Osipov - mods by Dann Corbit, Lance Perkins - couple of bugs fixed by Mauro Riccardi
#include <windows.h> 
#include <stdio.h> 
#include <stdlib.h> 
#include <io.h> 

static const char prm[] = "RNBQRNBQ"; 

struct BOOK { 
    unsigned char   move_from; 
    unsigned char   move_to; 
    unsigned char   move_promo; 
    unsigned char   priority; 
    unsigned int    games; 
    unsigned int    won_games; 
    unsigned int    lost_games; 
    unsigned int    hz; 
    int             first_child; 
    int             next_sibling; 
}   *book; 

FILE           *ft; 
int             linelength = 0; 

void            print_head() 
{ 
    fprintf(ft, "[Event \"?\"]\n"); 
    fprintf(ft, "[Site \"?\"]\n"); 
    fprintf(ft, "[Date \"????.??.??\"]\n"); 
    fprintf(ft, "[Round \"?\"]\n"); 
    fprintf(ft, "[Result \"*\"]\n"); 
    fprintf(ft, "[White \"?\"]\n"); 
    fprintf(ft, "[Black \"?\"]\n\n"); 
} 


void print_move(unsigned char move_from, unsigned char move_to,char move_promo, int ply) 
{ 
    if ((move_from >> 3) + 1 == 32 && (move_to >> 3) + 1 == 32) return; 
    if (linelength > 80) { 
        fprintf(ft, "\n"); 
        linelength = 0; 
    } 
    if ((ply & 1) == 0) { 
        fprintf(ft, "%d.", ply / 2 + 1); 
        linelength += 3; 
    } 
    fprintf(ft, "%c%d%c%d", 
            (move_from & 7) + 'a', (move_from >> 3) + 1, 
            (move_to & 7) + 'a', (move_to >> 3) + 1); 

    if (move_promo) {  // from Lance Perkins        
        fprintf(ft,"%c", prm[abs(move_promo)-1]); 
    } 
    fprintf(ft, " "); 
    linelength += 5; 
} 

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) 
{ 
    int             i, 
                    ply; 
    size_t          filesize; 
    int             node[1000]; 
    struct MOVE { 
        unsigned char   move_from; 
        unsigned char   move_to; 
        unsigned char   move_promo; 
    }   moves[1000]; 

    if (argc < 2) { 
        printf("Simple command-line converter from ABK to PGN\n"); 
        printf("Usage: abk.exe <abk_file>\n"); 
        printf("Result PGN-file: out.pgn\n"); 
        exit(0); 
    } 
    ft = fopen(argv[1], "rb"); 
    if (ft == NULL) { 
        printf("Can't open file %s\n", argv[1]); 
        exit(0); 
    } 
    filesize = filelength(fileno(ft)); 
    book = malloc(filesize); 
    fread(book, filesize / sizeof(struct BOOK), sizeof(struct BOOK), ft); 
    fclose(ft); 
    ft = fopen("out.pgn", "w"); 
    print_head(); 
    ply = 0; 
    node[0] = 900;  // offset to first node in abk-file 

    for (;;) { 
        print_move(book[node[ply]].move_from, book[node[ply]].move_to, 
                   book[node[ply]].move_promo, ply); 
        if (book[node[ply]].first_child > 0) {  // current game 

            moves[ply].move_from = book[node[ply]].move_from; 
            moves[ply].move_to = book[node[ply]].move_to; 
            moves[ply].move_promo = book[node[ply]].move_promo; 
            node[ply + 1] = book[node[ply]].first_child; 
            ply++; 
        } else { // new game 
            fprintf(ft, "\n*\n\n"); 
            node[ply] = book[node[ply]].next_sibling; 
            while (node[ply] < 0) { 
                ply--; 
                if (ply < 0) { 
                    fclose(ft);                     
                    exit(0); 
                } 
                node[ply] = book[node[ply]].next_sibling; 
            } 
            print_head(); 
            linelength = 0; 
            for (i = 0; i < ply; i++) { 
                print_move(moves[i].move_from, moves[i].move_to, moves[i].move_promo, i); 
            } 
        } 
        if (node[ply] >= filesize / (int) sizeof(struct BOOK)) { 
            printf("Error: out of file\n"); 
            fclose(ft); 
            exit(0); 
        } 
    } 
    return 0; 
} 

Cheers, Mauro

[jshriver]

I made some small mods too to get this to work under linux (any unix really).

I've never used #ifdef for win vs unix systems but here are the additions and changes.

Add:
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
Remove windows.h and io.h

struct stat filecheck;

then removed the filesize line and replace with this:

stat(argv[1], &filecheck);
filesize = filecheck.st_size;

-Josh

[Dann Corbit]

Maybe:

Code: Select all

// Author Juri Osipov - mods by Dann Corbit, Lance Perkins - couple of bugs fixed by Mauro Riccardi
#ifdef _MSC_VER
#include <windows.h>
#include <io.h>
#else
#include <unistd.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
static struct stat filecheck;
#endif
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

static const char prm[] = "RNBQRNBQ";

struct BOOK {
    unsigned char   move_from;
    unsigned char   move_to;
    unsigned char   move_promo;
    unsigned char   priority;
    unsigned int    games;
    unsigned int    won_games;
    unsigned int    lost_games;
    unsigned int    hz;
    int             first_child;
    int             next_sibling;
}   *book;

FILE           *ft;
int             linelength = 0;

void            print_head()
{
    fprintf(ft, "[Event \"?\"]\n");
    fprintf(ft, "[Site \"?\"]\n");
    fprintf(ft, "[Date \"????.??.??\"]\n");
    fprintf(ft, "[Round \"?\"]\n");
    fprintf(ft, "[Result \"*\"]\n");
    fprintf(ft, "[White \"?\"]\n");
    fprintf(ft, "[Black \"?\"]\n\n");
}


void print_move(unsigned char move_from, unsigned char move_to,char move_promo, int ply)
{
    if ((move_from >> 3) + 1 == 32 && (move_to >> 3) + 1 == 32) return;
    if (linelength > 80) {
        fprintf(ft, "\n");
        linelength = 0;
    }
    if ((ply & 1) == 0) {
        fprintf(ft, "%d.", ply / 2 + 1);
        linelength += 3;
    }
    fprintf(ft, "%c%d%c%d",
            (move_from & 7) + 'a', (move_from >> 3) + 1,
            (move_to & 7) + 'a', (move_to >> 3) + 1);

    if (move_promo) {  // from Lance Perkins
        fprintf(ft,"%c", prm[abs(move_promo)-1]);
    }
    fprintf(ft, " ");
    linelength += 5;
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    int             i, ply;
    size_t          filesize;
    int             node[1000];
    struct MOVE {
        unsigned char   move_from;
        unsigned char   move_to;
        unsigned char   move_promo;
    }   moves[1000];

    if (argc < 2) {
        printf("Simple command-line converter from ABK to PGN\n");
        printf("Usage: abk.exe <abk_file>\n");
        printf("Result PGN-file: out.pgn\n");
        exit(0);
    }
    ft = fopen(argv[1], "rb");
    if (ft == NULL) {
        printf("Can't open file %s\n", argv[1]);
        exit(0);
    }
#ifdef _MSC_VER
    filesize = filelength(fileno(ft));
#else
    stat(argv[1], &filecheck);
    filesize = filecheck.st_size;
#endif

    book = malloc(filesize);
    fread(book, filesize / sizeof(struct BOOK), sizeof(struct BOOK), ft);
    fclose(ft);
    ft = fopen("out.pgn", "w");
    print_head();
    ply = 0;
    node[0] = 900;  // offset to first node in abk-file

    for (;;) {
        print_move(book[node[ply]].move_from, book[node[ply]].move_to,
                   book[node[ply]].move_promo, ply);
        if (book[node[ply]].first_child > 0) {  // current game

            moves[ply].move_from = book[node[ply]].move_from;
            moves[ply].move_to = book[node[ply]].move_to;
            moves[ply].move_promo = book[node[ply]].move_promo;
            node[ply + 1] = book[node[ply]].first_child;
            ply++;
        } else { // new game
            fprintf(ft, "\n*\n\n");
            node[ply] = book[node[ply]].next_sibling;
            while (node[ply] < 0) {
                ply--;
                if (ply < 0) {
                    fclose(ft);
                    exit(0);
                }
                node[ply] = book[node[ply]].next_sibling;
            }
            print_head();
            linelength = 0;
            for (i = 0; i < ply; i++) {
                print_move(moves[i].move_from, moves[i].move_to, moves[i].move_promo, i);
            }
        }
        if (node[ply] >= filesize / (int) sizeof(struct BOOK)) {
            printf("Error: out of file\n");
            fclose(ft);
            exit(0);
        }
    }
    return 0;
}

/*
/home/cnxuser> gcc abk2pgn.c
/home/cnxuser> ./a.out
Simple command-line converter from ABK to PGN
Usage: abk.exe <abk_file>
Result PGN-file: out.pgn

c:\tmp>cl /W1 /Ox abk2pgn.c
Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 15.00.30729.01 for x64
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

abk2pgn.c
Microsoft (R) Incremental Linker Version 9.00.30729.01
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

/out:abk2pgn.exe
abk2pgn.obj

c:\tmp>abk2pgn
Simple command-line converter from ABK to PGN
Usage: abk.exe <abk_file>
Result PGN-file: out.pgn

*/

[Graham Banks]

Thanks for all of the code and links.

Has anybody written a program to convert to and from the chessbase *.ctg format?

If so, pls post and or link.

My friend, Nigel Pattinson, wrote a utility that will convert the Chessmaster books into ctg format. Would that be useful to you?
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/npatti ... kPage.html

Cheers,
Graham.

[alpha123]

Thanks for all of the code and links.

Has anybody written a program to convert to and from the chessbase *.ctg format?

If so, pls post and or link.

My friend, Nigel Pattinson, wrote a utility that will convert the Chessmaster books into ctg format. Would that be useful to you?
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/npatti ... kPage.html

Cheers,
Graham.

Well, that might be useful to me.... Thanks!
I assume he reverse engineered the .ctg format to do that, so could he write a .ctg to .pgn or .ctg to .abk converter?

Thanks,
Peter