Q. What is a Zip file?
Britbase downloads are 'zip files' (with the suffix *.zip). This means that the data has been compressed (or 'zipped') so that download times are minimised. First, you will need to install a compression utility (often referred to as a 'Zip program') on your computer to unpack the PGN downloads from the 'zip files'. Or at least you will if you are not working on the latest Windows operating system - such a utility is built into the Windows XP operating system. If you don't have Windows XP or a compression facility, you can buy one (called WinZip) at http://www.winzip.com/, or perhaps get a freeware one from http://www.winplanet.com or http://www.nonags.com/nonags/ziputil.html. I'm sure there are lots of other places to get them - try entering 'compression utility' into the search engine of your choice.
Q. What is a PGN file?
Within the zip file, you will find a 'PGN File' (with the suffix *.pgn). PGN stands for 'Portable Game Notation'. It is a special format used for holding chess game scores and exchanging them between various chess-related software programs. Most proprietary databases now allow you to import PGN format files, so you should have little difficulty importing the files you find here. If you need some software to read the unzipped PGN file, then you should pay a visit to Eric Bentzen's excellent Chess Programs & Utilities page to find a suitable software program. ChessBase Light (a free, cut-down version of the famous ChessBase software) is a very suitable program to use. Another good one is Chess Theatre from DGT Projects (which Britbase uses for its games viewer). If you don't have any database software and cannot be bothered to get some, you can still open and read PGN files with a simple text editor (such as Notepad or the excellent Textpad). The format is eye-readable algebraic chess notation. So you can print off a PGN file and play through the games on a three-dimensional board and set.
© 2006 John Saunders, Britbase