Chessbase 12 problems

[Stephen Saunders]

I recently bought Chessbase 12 (I was using Chessbase 8 for years previously) and I have run into these problems with it:

(1) the "weakness" (ctrl shift W) symbol is not displayed (or rather it is but it disappears when I close the text window.) Another annoying thing is if it sees the X symbol next to a figurine (in my database constructed with the 8 version) it converts to what looks like a Greek hieroglyph. I actually emailed Chessbase about this and they told me it would be fixed in an update, but it hasn't been yet, as far as I can tell.

(2) when inputting games/moves I have no way of underpromoting. Not that I've needed to yet (lol!) but it is worrying that it always promotes to queen without giving you any choice.

(3) my database constructed in 8 had an endgame index. I assume that info is still there, but 12 does not display a tab for it on the ribbon by default, and I'm unable to discover how to tell it to do so.

Are there any other users who know of solutions or work arounds for these problems? Sorry if this isn't the best place to ask; I haven't found a forum dedicated to Chessbase on the web, so if anybody knows of one I'd love to be pointed at it.

TIA for any help.

[John Saunders]

Re inability to underpromote: CTRL+ALT+O (i.e. letter O) or Tools>Options

Select the Misc tab and unset the 'Always promote to queen' box.

Can't help with the other problems, I'm afraid.

(In case other people are wondering, we're not related!)

[Stephen Saunders]

Select the Misc tab and unset the 'Always promote to queen' box.

John, many thanks! That's one worry the less.

(In case other people are wondering, we're not related!)

There's a few of us about. Chessbase themselves got me mixed up with a Canadian Stephen Saunders and attributed some of my games to him in Big Database 2002, heh heh. I think it may well have been you who sold me Edward Winter's Capablanca book in the London shop a few years back.

[Ian Thompson]

(3) my database constructed in 8 had an endgame index. I assume that info is still there, but 12 does not display a tab for it on the ribbon by default, and I'm unable to discover how to tell it to do so.

CTRL+ALT+O (i.e. letter O) or Tools>Options and select the Misc tab (so the same one as for queen promotions above) and tick "Use 'Theme Keys'".

[Stephen Saunders]

CTRL+ALT+O (i.e. letter O) or Tools>Options and select the Misc tab (so the same one as for queen promotions above) and tick "Use 'Theme Keys'".

Many thanks! Your help is much appreciated.

As for the X problem I suppose the only thing to do is to send another whingeing email to Chessbase about it....

[John Saunders]

There's a few of us about. Chessbase themselves got me mixed up with a Canadian Stephen Saunders and attributed some of my games to him in Big Database 2002, heh heh. I think it may well have been you who sold me Edward Winter's Capablanca book in the London shop a few years back.

On databases I have occasionally been mixed up with a former girl player, Jody Saunders, and also an American J Saunders from the 1970s. As regards my opponents, Mega Database seems to think I lost a game to Barry Martin in 1995 when in fact it was the much stronger NZ player Ben Martin. At a guess I'd say the cases of mistaken identity on Mega/Big Database run into several thousands. As a proportion of the total games, that might not be regarded as too terrible a figure but it does rather detract from the value of the database as a source of accurate player stats.

I don't think I ever served behind the counter in Baker Street, though I did a handful of times in the old shop in Masbro Road about 13/14 years ago.

[Stephen Saunders]

though I did a handful of times in the old shop in Masbro Road about 13/14 years ago.

I was there a couple of times in the mid-90s when Murray Chandler was apparently running it on his own. He came across as very polite but a bit absent minded - on one occasion I had to remind him to process my credit card after he just gave it back to me!

I do agree that people having the same surname can cause a lot of confusion in databases, sometimes even at a high level. My favourite example is the game Tseitlin-Kasparov, Daugavpils 1978; Big Database 2002 identifies the White player as Mark, Informator claims it was Mikhail, while Gufeld writing in NiC 1990/2 thinks it was Mark. To this day I have no idea which is correct (and if anybody on here knows for sure please tell me!)

[Dewi Jones]

When i try and insert a diagram in the games in my database of my own games (fritz13), It comes out with letters rather than symbols. Anyone know how to fix that?