The function “Assisted Analysis”, implemented for the first time in ChessBase 14, offers the user, either when entering moves or when playing through a game, valuable hints about the tactical consequences of a possible move. It does so by means of coloured highlights on the chess board.

 

The basic idea behind this feature is that present day chess engines on high-performing hardware come up with the best move in mere milliseconds.

 

Unlike in classical engine analysis (Infinite analysis), in which the evaluation of the move is displayed in the engine window, the user does get hints about the quality of a specific continuation, but in the final resort he has to investigate for himself the reason for the evaluation.  This way of working is significantly more stimulating for the development one’s own tactical abilities and that circumstance makes this function so valuable for chess training.

 

Let us take a look at the function with some examples taken from games.

 

Lasker – Bauer

Amsterdam 1889

 

After very passive play by Black in the opening the white pieces are poised to attack. Lasker now begins his decisive assault. How might the attack be continued?

 

 

A click on the white bishop on d3 produces a display of all the possible squares to which the selected piece could go highlighted with colour. The coloured markings reflect the evaluations made by the chess engine which is working in the background. In this case their interpretation is easy. Most destination squares for the Bd3 are marked in red and that colour designates a very bad move. In this example, quite specifically material is lost without any compensation. On the other hand, target squares which are marked in green promise success and hint at a good move. So in this case Assisted Analysis is pleading in favour of the bishop sacrifice on h7, the move which was chosen by Lasker in the game.

 

Which specific coloured markings does the function offer?

 

   Dark green – a very good move.

   Light green – playable but not the best move.

   Yellow – a move which is tactically playable, but by far not the best move.

   Orange – still just tactically playable, but not a particularly good move.

   Red – a very bad move!

 

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You have heard of the new function “Assisted Analysis” and you would like to try it out in practice?

 

This possibility is open to you if, via the browser, you are following a live broadcast.

 

The following example is taken from a recent live broadcast. The user has the option of playing his or her own moves on the board and trying them out. In the browser Assisted Analysis here offers valuable support.

 

 

A click on the black knight on h5 offers a display of its possible target squares highlighted by being ringed in colour. The colours reflect the evaluations of the chess engine which is calculating away in the background.

 

In our example the interpretation is simple. There is one safe target square f4 (marked in green), unsafe squares are displayed highlighted in red.

 

In the browser valuable hints to the tactical consequences of a possible move are offered by the newly implemented function “Assisted Analysis” to the user during the input of moves or when playing through games.

 

Tip: for the moment this function is available exclusively during the analysis of games from live broadcasts! In the long term the function will be logically implemented in the CB Replayer!