How to Use ChessBase: A Practical Guide for Lichess Players

1\. What Is ChessBase?

ChessBase is a professional chess database and analysis software used by beginners, club players, coaches, and grandmasters. It is designed to help you store, search, analyze, and study chess games in a very efficient way.
With ChessBase you can:

• Store millions of games in databases
• Search for specific positions, players, openings, or ideas
• Analyze positions with top engines like Stockfish
• Prepare openings deeply and systematically
• Annotate your own games with text, symbols, and variations

Unlike online tools, ChessBase works as a long-term study system. Everything you analyze and save today can still help you years later.

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2\. Why Use ChessBase If You Play on Lichess?

Lichess already has great tools, but ChessBase offers:

• Much deeper database searches
• Advanced opening preparation
• Long-term game storage and organization
• Professional-level analysis workflows

You can play on Lichess and study seriously in ChessBase.

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3\. Importing Your Lichess Games into ChessBase

Analyzing your own games is the fastest way to improve. ChessBase makes this process organized and repeatable.

Step 1: Download Your Games from Lichess

1. Go to your Lichess profile
2. Click Games Download games
3. Choose PGN format
4. You can filter by:
   • Rated / casual
   • Time control (blitz, rapid, classical)
   • Color (White / Black)

Step 2: Create a Database in ChessBase

1. Open ChessBase
2. Click File New Database
3. Choose a location on your computer
4. Name it clearly (example: My Lichess Games 2026)

Step 3: Import the PGN File

• Drag and drop the PGN file into your database
• ChessBase will automatically add all games

Step 4: Organize Your Games

You can:

• Add annotations
• Add symbols (!, ?, etc.)
• Use search filters later to find patterns in your mistakes

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4\. Analyzing Your Games Properly

ChessBase offers much stronger and more flexible analysis than most online tools.

Step 1: Self-Analysis First

Before turning on the engine:

• Go through the game by yourself
• Identify where you felt uncomfortable
• Write short comments like:
  • “Didn’t understand opponent’s plan”
  • “Missed a tactic here”

This builds real chess understanding.

Step 2: Engine Analysis (Kibitzer)

1. Open the game
2. Click Analysis Add Kibitzer Engine
3. Let the engine run for a few minutes

Use the engine to:

• Confirm your suspicions
• Discover tactical ideas you missed
• Learn better plans

Step 3: Full Game Analysis

• Use Full Analysis for:
  • Automatic blunder detection
  • Suggested improvements
  • Evaluation graphs

️ Tip: Don’t blindly copy engine moves. Ask why a move works.

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5\. Using ChessBase for Opening Preparation

Opening preparation is where ChessBase really shines.

Using the Reference Database

1. Enter opening moves on the board (example: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6)
2. Open the Reference tab

You will see:

• Most popular continuations
• Win/draw/loss percentages
• Recent grandmaster games

Model Games

• Select strong games played by top players
• Study plans, not just moves
• Save the best games into your own opening database

Creating Your Own Repertoire

• Create a database called My Openings
• Store:
  • Main lines
  • Typical middlegame plans
  • Tactical motifs
• Add text explanations instead of memorizing moves

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6\. Studying Grandmaster Games

How to Study Effectively

• Filter games by:
  • Player
  • Rating
  • Opening
• Replay games slowly
• Guess moves before the GM plays them

Studying annotated games is one of the fastest ways to improve positional understanding.

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7\. Creating and Using Databases

Good organization turns ChessBase into a powerful personal coach.

Recommended Databases

• My Lichess Games – all your online games
• Mistakes & Blunders – positions you got wrong
• Opening Repertoire – structured opening lines
• Endgames – important theoretical positions

How This Helps

• You quickly see repeating mistakes
• You build long-term knowledge
• Your study becomes focused instead of random

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8\. Common Beginner Mistakes

Avoid these:

• Running the engine without thinking
• Memorizing lines without understanding ideas
• Studying too many openings at once

ChessBase is a tool—you still have to think.

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9\. Final Thoughts

ChessBase may look complicated at first, but you don’t need to master everything. Start with:

1. Saving your games
2. Analyzing mistakes
3. Preparing openings

Used correctly, ChessBase can significantly improve your results on Lichess and over the board.
Good luck, and happy studying! ️