https://github.com/mlang/cbookview
Terminal application to explore chess openings
https://github.com/mlang/cbookview
Last synced: 9 months ago
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Terminal application to explore chess openings
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/mlang/cbookview
- Owner: mlang
- License: bsd-3-clause
- Created: 2021-11-13T22:30:20.000Z (over 4 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2022-11-24T18:19:08.000Z (over 3 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-06-16T06:51:34.224Z (12 months ago)
- Language: Haskell
- Size: 11.7 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# cbookview
`cbookview` is a terminal application to explore commonly played chess openings.
If no file is passed at the command line, `cbookview` will show
its internal (default) opening book.
Passing a polyglot opening book file (with extension `.bin`) on the command line
will allow you to explore the plies contained in that book file interactively.
You can also open a PGN file (extension `.pgn`) which will be presented like
it was an opening book. In other words, all the moves played in that PGN file will
be merged into a single forest of plies. When exporing PGN files, no
particular order of plies is imposed. When exploring a polyglot file
the most popular moves will always come first.
For example, lets assume you want to examine blacks replies to
the [Ruy lopez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruy_Lopez). Use the cursor keys
to navigate to the move after bishop b5.
Here is what the interface will show:
```
a6 ┌─────────────────┐
Nf6 1│ R + K Q B N R │ 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6
g6 2│ P P P P P P P │
f5 3│ + N + + + │
Nge7 4│ + + P + + │
Bc5 5│ + p + B + │
d6 6│ + + + n + p │
Nd4 7│ p p p + p p p + │
Bb4 8│ r n b k q b + r │
Bd6 └─────────────────┘
Qf6 h g f e d c b a
f6
Up/Down (kj) = change ply, Left/Right (hl) = back/forward ESC = Quit
```
Moving the cursor down the list of book moves will also update the
position and game history. As already mentioned, the moves in polyglot book files
are ordered according to popularity. So pawn to a6 is actually the
most popular line of the Ruy Lopez.
Speaking about popular lines, you can use the Home key to move to
the first ply, and the End key to move to the last ply of
the current line. So if you press End directly after starting `cbookview`
you will actually see the most popular variation of the currently loaded book.
## The easteregg: Poor mans chessboard
If you press `a` (for "All moves") cbookview will switch to the tree
of all possible moves. This is a poor mans way for following
games and abusing cbookview as a two-player board.
Pressing `d` (for "Default book") will load the internal polyglot book.