This game program is just so complex with stuff the manual which comes with this program does not in my opinion adequately explain.
I'm just so stuck. What I want to do is use the database with position search and search for games which used the same position as I've entered. I used to be able to do this when I first used this feature. But for some reason now, I can't seem to pull up any games. And the Search button, after I've set up the initial position and made a few moves, doesn't work.
I'm actually ready to scream but I know there's an answer to this issue. What have I done wrong. This feature used to work. No it doesn't. And trying to figure out what to do is a nightmare. Can somebody out there in chess land figure this out? Thanks.

Could you provide some step-by-step details of what you're trying to do? That would help me try to solve your problem.

Thank you KHollister:
Ok, I remember a time when I opened up the database. I started with the initial position. Then I moved a few pieces to tell the database an opening line (say about 4 or 5 moves). I remember I pressed search. And the game just output a number of games from (I believe) its database to match the opening I just put onto the board. But now I can't press Search. Well, I can click it, but it is faded.

I also don't understand what to do when I fool around with the File Open feature. Look in: is confusing to me. What am I supposed to tell it to look into?

Another thing, if you can pay some attention to: I don't get how the developers of this great program can assume us end users will understand all the abbreviations used in the very short instruction manual. Or, for that matter, in the game software we see on screen. There's File of type and all kinds of stuff one doesn't expect.

And, after a somewhat brief review of the topics in this forum, I can't believe all the stuff people say can be done with this software. Wow, I didn't know you can play a game at yahoo games, save it, and analyze it with this program.

If one has the time to review all of the many many postings on this forum then I'm sure there's so much to learn. But, please understand, some of us really don't have the time to sift through all this stuff to find an answer like the one I seek above.

May I make a suggestion: It would be nice if there was a book written for Dummies like myself. Who really don't understand all the stuff about this program, the abbreviations, the extentions, etc. Hopefully, you understand my point of view. I'm also sure there must be other primitive gamers out there in cyberland that may agree with my perspective on things.

For my purposes right now, I'd just be happy if I can figure out what I did to turn off this feature which was available from the database before.

See let me give you an example. If I wanted to study some games which started with the center opening or a queens pawn opening then I used to be able to go to the database, start an initial position, make a few moves, press search and up comes about twenty or more games using that opening line.

Know what else, I've got the Notifications set to "On" and I'm thinking that I'll get an email when someone answers this post. But I did not get such an email. I just returned and checked back to see if anyone was nice enough to offer some advice on what to do in my situation.

I'm even confused about saving some of the games which I play and want to review at a later date then perhaps delete. I've got the basic idea of what to do, but then again I'm really just guessing my way through alot of stuff.

Well, I hope this reply will help you clarify some of my concerns and objectives. Thanks for any help you can offer.

First, what version of Chessmaster are you using? Some of the things you're saying indicate you're using a version previous to Chessmaster 10th Edition.

Also, please go to the Chessmaster 10th Edition Downloads, and download and install the appropriate patches for your version.

Once you confirm which version of Chessmaster you're using and install the patches, I can then help you solve your problem with Position Search, as well as the questions about File Open. It's rather odd that you're having difficulties saving/loading games, though...

What abbreviations do you have questions about? Could you please be more specific?

The first post you should visit if you have a question about Chessmaster is the Chessmaster 10th Edition FAQ. It has the answers to many common questions, so you can limit your forum searches.

I think the manual needs some improvement, but I'd have to disagree with your desire for a "Dummies" book. Chess is pretty simple to learn, but it can take a lifetime (if not longer) to master... you just need to be more patient.

Hey thanks for responding.
I have gone to the Chessmaster 10th Edition Downloads, and downloaded and installed the appropriate patches for your version. By the way, I looked in various place to find the version of the program I’m using. Thinking I’d find an about section on the program disc itself. But I do think you’re just talking about the title of the user manual. My says: Chessmaster 10th Edition. So, I guess that’s the version. If it’s not then how can I get the version number of my software?

I have the US Version. I installed patches: 1.01, 1.02 and 1.03.

Once again, I tried to enter the play mode of my program and went to database. The Search buttom doesn’t work. I start with the initial position, enter about six moves and I want to click on Search. But it doesn’t work. It’s a faded button.

What am I doing wrong?

For now let’s just work on solving this problem. I will not complicate this with other concerns.

You can tell which version you have by looking at the About screen (Select 'About Chessmaster 10th Edition' from the Help menu). You'll see a number on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. It should match the latest patch you've installed.

It took me a while, but I was finally able to reproduce your problem with a disabled Search button. It happened if the database I was using was empty or if I closed the database before I selected a position to search for.

When you first go to the Database section, the games from the default database (CMXDBase.dbg) should be displayed. If you accidentally deleted the games from the default database, you'll have to re-install Chessmaster 10th Edition.