pgn files in downloads, how 2 use???

I am not good with computers and do not understand how to use the pgn files that are free for download in the downlaods forum.

I would like to have a look at fischer's 60 games and Danny Rench's 7/10 games but when I click on the file my computer is sent to another website.

Are these files safe???

.pgn files can be opened with any simple text editor. (If you're using windows that would mean Notepad. If you're using a mac that would mean TextEdit.)

When you've opened the file you can copy and paste the PGN into a live chess analysis board. When you're in live chess click new game, and under the time options there should be an option that says analysis. 

Hope that helps a bit :)

Thankyou very much I will try that

I have done what you said but the pgn won't load, I think it's because they are compressed files, I do not know how to uncompress them???

Do you know anything about that pls???

Lazare, does your file ave a .pgn extension? If it has, then you should be able to use it.

Some pgn files contain only one game, some cantain many (sometimes millions) of games.

Did you download all your games in one pgn, or do you have a seperate file for all your games?

I am pretty sure that there are no pgn extensions but am not sure what they are.

I downloaded the files from the chess.com downloads forum but can't decompress them

Can anybody help me with that a matter similar to this one?

I've downloaded this program:

http://www.chess.com/download/view/300mostimportantpositionsinchess

300 chess positions. I want to know is it possible to upload all of these positions as one file into Fritz or the game editor here? I have Deep Fritz 8 and can't upload them into it. For the game editor here I have used copy and paste for the downloaded file but it only shows the first position. Obviously I would rather copy and paste once and have these positions saved as one file, rather  than do it 300 times. Is this possible? Thanks a lot if you can help.

The download is a zip file. Based on your comments, I assume you were able to unzip the file into a pgn file using some kind of unzip utility such as 7-zip (freeware), WinZip, etc. Fritz should be able to open a pgn database consisting of many games. In the Fritz menu, something like "File - Open - Database" should do the trick.

I suspect the Chess.com game editor can only import one game at a time.

Thanks for the suggestion. I've not managed to get it to work though. I can unzip the file no problem but it just won't import into Fritz, it can't even find the file as it is in word format. I might try it with a different interface.

Benedictine, I've tried that myself & after unzipping the file, it works fine.

The resulting file is a collection of 300 (?) PGN files which you can copy+paste individually into a PGN editor if you want to. The one I use is Game Editor. For example, the first PGN looks like this ..

[Event "300 Most Important Positions"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Position 1"]
[Black "Chess Training Pocket Book"]
[Result "0-1"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3r2k1/p4ppp/1q6/8/8/2R1P3/P3QPPP/6K1 b Kk - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]

1... Qb2 2. Rc8 Qb1+ 3. Qf1 Qxf1+ 4. Kxf1 Rxc8 0-1

Probably best to open your text editor first & then open the (multiple) .pgn file from within it but you may need to set file-type to 'All Files'.

First copy the PGN you want to view to clipboard, then open Game Editor (it's on the 'More' pop-up menu) & paste the PGN in using the Paste PGN button. I then prefer to switch to Game Editor mode (click on it's tab) & you can step through the moves & enter alternative ones of your own if you want.

Thanks. Yes I have done that individually in game editor, I just wondered if there was a way to imput more than one file in one go, either in that or in a gui. It would be handy if possible.

I downloaded another gui, Arena 3. 0, and it came up 'wrong extension file'.

LAZARE82, are you using Windows 7 ?  If you are, it's a simple matter of just clicking on the zipped file & it will be unzipped for you & placed in a new folder of the same name. The unzipped file can then be opened from within any text editor (see instructions above) & you can select out any one of the PGN's you want to view.

Alternately, you may be able to load the entire file into a separate PGN viewer of your own.

If you mean into Game Editor, then sadly no. Can't help you with other GUI type software - I don't use any but I'm sure you'll get an answer quite soon here!

OK thanks for your help. I've spent too long today fiddling with computers anyway.

It sounds to me that either you or your computer is somehow changing the file format from pgn to something else. Earlier, I actually opened the pgn file in Fritz, so I know it works. It'll also work in Arena (I use it all the time). It should also work in most other GUIs, Winboard, Tarrasch, Scid (read only, I think, unless you convert it from pgn to Scid format), etc.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've tried it on my laptop just now and it's the same thing. I can see the files when I open them and they are in the pgn format, but when I try to upload them into Fritz it can't see the file in the folder.

Actually, I've just found out that if I just click on the file it opens up a little mini winboard and it works in that.

OK, I have sorted it. I don't think it was fully extracted. Thanks for everyone's help, cheers.