List of commands

The command line, located in the status bar, opens by pressing the SPACE key. As you type a command, a list of suggestions appears automatically: the TAB key (or SHIFT-TAB) cycles through the suggestions and completes the command, while ESC closes the list (a second ESC closes the command line). The UP and DOWN keys remain reserved for the command history.

Global operations

Command

Action

new, ne, n

Create a new database.

open, op, o

Open an existing database.

import_db, idb

Import and merge another database.

export_db, edb

Export the current selection to a new database.

quit, q

Close blunderDB.

help, he, h

Open blunderDB help.

tutorial, tour

Opens the catalogue of guided interface tours.

demo

Loads a sample database (matches, tournament, collections, comments, Anki deck, analyses) to explore the tool.

meta

Display database metadata.

eval, epc

Opens the Eval panel (Effective Pip Count, winning probability and cube verdict in bearoff). epc is this panel’s former name, kept for compatibility.

transcribe, tr

Opens the Transcription panel: the match drafts being typed in, and what it takes to start one.

direct

Opens the Tournaments panel to direct a tournament, and closes it again. While a direction is open there, the main area shows the tournament instead of the board; any other tab brings the board back.

met

Open the Kazaross-XG2 match equity table.

cm

Opens the cube matrix: the current position’s verdict at every score of a 5-, 7- or 9-point match.

tags

Opens the tag vocabulary: the tags used in this database, with the number of positions, clickable to run the search.

log

Opens the activity log: the last two hundred lines of the log file, with what it takes to copy them into a report, or to open the folder holding them.

train

Opens the Training panel. With an argument, it opens and starts: train scores (the score card of a randomly drawn score; train tp and train takepoint are synonyms), train pips (the pip count of both sides), train bearoff (the EPC of both sides on a generated position; train epc is a synonym), train evaluation (the win chance and the cube action of a generated position, in money play), train decision (an analysed decision from the browsed list: the move is played on the board, the cube action is chosen in the panel; train quiz is a synonym).

tp2

Open the takepoint table with a 2-cube.

tp2_live

Open the takepoint table with a 2-cube for long race positions.

tp2_last

Open the takepoint table with a 2-cube for last roll positions.

tp4

Open the takepoint table with a 4-cube.

tp4_live

Open the takepoint table with a 4-cube for long race positions.

tp4_last

Open the takepoint table with a 4-cube for last roll positions.

gv1

Open the gammon value table with a 1-cube.

gv2

Open the gammon value table with a 2-cube.

gv4

Open the gammon value table with a 4-cube.

Positions and navigation

Command

Action

import, i

Imports one or more positions/matches from a file (xg, xgp, sgf, mat, txt, bgf). With an argument — import XGID=… or import OGID=… — reads the identifier instead of opening a file picker, for when it comes from a message, a forum or a script.

delete, del, d

Deletes the current position (with a confirmation); the delete goes through the trash and stays undoable for thirty days.

trash

Opens the trash: what was deleted, and what it takes to restore it.

[number]

Go to the specified index position.

grid, gr

Opens the contact sheet: the browsed list as a grid of mini-boards, one page of twenty-four at a time; choosing a thumbnail opens its position.

list, l

Show the analysis of the current position.

comment, co

Show/write comments.

history, hi

Open the search panel (the search history is in its History tab).

stats, st

Show/hide the statistics panel.

match, ma

Show/hide the match panel.

collection, coll

Show/hide the collections panel.

#tag1 tag2 …

Tag the current position.

e

Load all positions from the database.

blunders, bl [n]

Load the worst mistakes (equity/MWC) into the analysis view, according to the current statistics filter. An optional number chooses how many to load (bl 50); 10 by default.

m

Navigate to the last visited match.

Editing and search

Command

Action

write, wr, w

Save the current position.

write!, wr!, w!

Update the current position.

s

Search for positions with filters.

ss

Search among the positions on screen: current results, open collection or match under review.

Search Filters

This table is the reference for the search grammar: the command line, the filter library and the --query flag of blunderdb search all read the same tokens. The CLI Equivalent column gives, when one exists, the search flag that does the same thing (see Command Line Interface (CLI)); a dash marks a filter that only the grammar expresses.

Five tokens do not carry their value: they read it from the search board. cube and score take up the cube and the score set there, d the decision type, D and D1 the dice, x the structure drawn in the Except tab. A roll is therefore never written into the token: D65 does not exist, only the exclusion form carries its digits (xD65). On the command line, where there is no board, these tokens compare against an empty board; it is the flags of the third column that must be used there instead.

A single token ranks instead of narrowing: like orders the result by ascending distance to a target position, and every other token narrows the set it ranks.

Errors and equities are counted in thousandths of equity — the millipoints of the table below: E>100 keeps the moves that cost at least a tenth of a point, one point being worth 1000 millipoints.

Two full searches:

  • s p>30 w40,60 xco — more than 30 pips behind, between 40% and 60% winning chances, no comment.

  • s ph:race E>50 co:xg — in a race, a move that cost at least 50 millipoints, and a comment coming from eXtreme Gammon.

Query

Action

CLI Equivalent

cube, cub, cu, c

The position checks the cube configuration.

--cube

score, sco, sc, s

The position checks the score.

--score1 --score2

d

The position checks the dice or the cube decision.

--decision

D

The position matches the dice roll (both dice, any order).

--dice 6,5

D1

The position matches the dice roll on the first die only (the first die’s value appears on either die of the position).

--dice 6

xD65

The position was not played with the 6-5 roll (any order). The value is given in the token; repeatable to exclude several rolls (xD65 xD54).

—

nc

The position has no contact.

—

ph:race

The position is in a given phase of the game: opening, middlegame, race or bearoff. Repeatable (ph:race ph:bearoff). The label is derived from the board and never editable; blunderdb repair recomputes it.

--phase

gt:holding

The position falls under a given plan of play, from the point of view of the player on roll: race, bearin (bearing in under contact), crunch, backgame, acepoint, blitz, primevprime, mutualholding, holding, contact. Repeatable (gt:holding gt:mutualholding). A derived label like the phase: computed from the board, never editable, recomputed by blunderdb repair.

--game-type

#prime

The position carries this tag in one of its comments. A tag is a #word written in the prose; nothing declares it. The comparison is delimited, so #prime does not find #priming — that is the whole difference from the text filter, which looks for a substring. Repeatable, and tags add up (#prime #backgame asks for both): a position carries several tags, so naming two means “both”.

—

n>x

The position was met more than x times in the database — the number of moves that reach it, across every match. Forms n>3, n<2, n3,10 and n4 (exactly four).

—

M

The position or the mirror one meets the filters.

—

i

The position was imported on its own, not brought in by a match import.

--individual

fl

The position was flagged in the source software, when importing an eXtreme Gammon match.

--flagged

x

The position contains none of the checkers of the exclusion structure (the “Except” tab of the search panel).

—

p>x

The player has at least x pips behind in the race.

--pip-min

p<x

The player has at most x pips behind in the race.

--pip-max

px,y

The player has between x and y pips behind in the race.

--pip-min --pip-max

P>x

The player has a race of at least x pips.

—

P<x

The player has a race of at most x pips.

—

Px,y

The player has a race between x and y pips.

—

e>x

The equity (in millipoints) of the position is greater than x.

—

e<x

The equity (in millipoints) of the position is less than x.

—

ex,y

The equity (in millipoints) of the position is between x and y.

—

E>x

The error of the move played by player 1 (in millipoints) is greater than x.

--move-error-min

E<x

The error of the move played by player 1 (in millipoints) is less than x.

--move-error-max

Ex,y

The error of the move played by player 1 (in millipoints) is between x and y.

--move-error-min --move-error-max

w>x

The player has winning chances greater than x%.

--winrate-min

w<x

The player has winning chances less than x%.

--winrate-max

wx,y

The player has winning chances between x% and y%.

--winrate-min --winrate-max

g>x

The player has gammon chances greater than x%.

—

g<x

The player has gammon chances less than x%.

—

gx,y

The player has gammon chances between x% and y%.

—

b>x

The player has backgammon chances greater than x%.

—

b<x

The player has backgammon chances less than x%.

—

bx,y

The player has backgammon chances between x% and y%.

—

W>x

The opponent has winning chances greater than x%.

—

W<x

The opponent has winning chances less than x%.

—

Wx,y

The opponent has winning chances between x% and y%.

—

G>x

The opponent has gammon chances greater than x%.

—

G<x

The opponent has gammon chances less than x%.

—

Gx,y

The opponent has gammon chances between x% and y%.

—

B>x

The opponent has backgammon chances greater than x%.

—

B<x

The opponent has backgammon chances less than x%.

—

Bx,y

The opponent has backgammon chances between x% and y%.

—

o>x

The player has at least x checkers off.

--off1-min

o<x

The player has at most x checkers off.

—

ox,y

The player has between x and y checkers off.

—

O>x

The opponent has at least x checkers off.

--off2-min

O<x

The opponent has at most x checkers off.

—

Ox,y

The opponent has between x and y checkers off.

—

k>x

The player has at least x backcheckers.

—

k<x

The player has at most x backcheckers.

—

kx,y

The player has between x and y backcheckers.

—

K>x

The opponent has at least x backcheckers.

—

K<x

The opponent has at most x backcheckers.

—

Kx,y

The opponent has between x and y backcheckers.

—

z>x

The player has at least x checkers in the zone.

—

z<x

The player has at most x checkers in the zone.

—

zx,y

The player has between x and y checkers in the zone.

—

Z>x

The opponent has at least x checkers in the zone.

—

Z<x

The opponent has at most x checkers in the zone.

—

Zx,y

The opponent has between x and y checkers in the zone.

—

bo>x

The player has at least x blots in the outfield.

—

bo<x

The player has at most x blots in the outfield.

—

box,y

The player has between x and y blots in the outfield.

—

BO>x

The opponent has at least x blots in the outfield.

—

BO<x

The opponent has at most x blots in the outfield.

—

BOx,y

The opponent has between x and y blots in the outfield.

—

bj>x

The player has at least x blots in the jan.

—

bj<x

The player has at most x blots in the jan.

—

bjx,y

The player has between x and y blots in the jan.

—

BJ>x

The opponent has at least x blots in the jan.

—

BJ<x

The opponent has at most x blots in the jan.

—

BJx,y

The opponent has between x and y blots in the jan.

—

t'word1;word2;...'

The position comments contain at least one of the words.

—

co

The position carries a comment, whatever its content.

--has-comment

xco

The position carries no comment.

--no-comment

co:user

The position carries a comment of a given origin: user (written by you), xg, gnubg, bgf (brought in by a match import) or unknown. Repeatable (co:xg co:gnubg).

--comment-origin

m'pattern1,pattern2,...'

The best checker moves containing at least one of the patterns.

—

m'ND,DT,DP,...'

The best cube decisions for No Double/Take, Double Take, Double Pass.

—

T>x

Date of position addition after x (YYYY/MM/DD).

—

T<x

Date of position addition before x (YYYY/MM/DD).

—

Tx,y

Date of position addition between x and y (YYYY/MM/DD).

—

max

Search in match with ID x (e.g. ma3).

--match-ids

max,y

Search in matches with IDs from x to y (e.g. ma2,5).

--match-ids

tnx

Search in tournament with ID x (e.g. tn1).

--tournament-ids

tnx,y

Search in tournaments with IDs from x to y (e.g. tn1,3).

--tournament-ids

idx

Search for the position with identifier x (e.g. id12).

--position-ids

idx,y

Search for the positions with identifiers x to y (e.g. id5,10).

--position-ids

pl'name'

Search positions from a match involving the named player, at either seat (e.g. pl'Alice'). Case-insensitive.

—

like, like42, like<12, like42*

Ranks the result by ascending distance to a target position instead of narrowing it: like takes the current position, like42 the one with index 42, like<12 drops anything beyond twelve checker-pips, like42* widens the target’s class to every kind of decision and to both regimes, money and match. See Search Panel.

—

Various commands

Command

Action

clear, cl

Clear the command history.