3. User Guide

This guide is a practical introduction to pick up quickly blunderDB.

3.1. Create a new database

To create a new database, click on the “New Database” button in the toolbar. Choose a path to save the database, as well as a name, and click “Save”.

Note

The file extension for blunderDB databases is .db.

Tip

Keyboard shortcuts: CTRL-N. Command: n

3.2. Open an existing database

To load an existing database, click on the “Open Database” button in the toolbar. Navigate to the path where the database is located, select the .db file, and click “Open.”

Tip

Keyboard shortcuts: CTRL-O. Command: o

3.3. Edit a position

To edit a position, switch to EDIT mode by pressing the TAB key. Edit the position with the mouse:

  • Click on the points to add checkers. A left-click assigns checkers to player 1. A right-click assigns checkers to player 2. To insert a prime, click on the starting point, hold down the button, and release on the endpoint. Click on the bar to place checkers in the bar.

  • To clear the position, double-click on an empty area outside the board or press the BACKSPACE key.

  • To send the cube to Player 1, left-click on the cube. To send the cube to Player 2, right-click on the cube.

  • To indicate the player who is to move, click on the designated dice area.

  • To edit the dice, left-click to increase the value of a die, right-click to decrease the value of a die. If the dice faces are empty, it means the position is a cube decision.

  • To edit the players’ score, left-click to increase the score, right-click to decrease the score.

Tip

The input of the position with the mouse for the checkers is done in the same way as in XG.

3.4. Add a position to the database

After editing the previous position, blunderDB is in EDIT mode.

To save the previously obtained position, press CTRL-S or click the “Save Position” button in the toolbar.

Tip

From EDIT mode, switch to COMMAND mode and execute: w

3.5. Tag a position

To add a tag toto to the current position, switch to COMMAND mode by pressing SPACE, type #toto, and confirm the command by pressing ENTER.

3.6. Delete a position

To delete the current position from the database, press Del or click the “Delete Position” button in the toolbar.

Tip

In COMMAND mode, execute d.

Caution

The deletion of the position is final and does not require any user confirmation.

3.7. Import a position from XG

To import a position directly from XG,

  1. display the position to import in XG and press CTRL-C,

  2. open blunderDB and press CTRL-V.

3.8. Display the analysis of a position imported from XG

If a position analyzed by XG has been imported into blunderDB, the XG analysis can be displayed by pressing CTRL-L.

If the position corresponds to a checker decision, the five best moves are displayed on separate lines. For each line, the information provided is in this order: the associated checker move, the normalized equity, the error in equity of the move, the winning chances, gammon, and backgammon for the player, and the winning chances, gammon, and backgammon for the opponent, along with the level of analysis.

If the position corresponds to a cube decision, the cost of each decision is displayed along with the winning chances of the position.

3.9. Export a position to XG

To export a position from blunderDB to XG,

  1. display the position to export in blunderDB and press CTRL-C,

  2. open XG and press CTRL-V.

3.10. View the different positions

To view the different positions in the current library, use the LEFT and RIGHT keys. The HOME key allows you to go to the first position, and the END key lets you go to the last position.

To display the bearoff on the left, press CTRL-LEFT. To display the bearoff on the right, press CTRL-RIGHT.

3.11. Search for positions based on criteria

To search for types of positions,

  • switch to EDIT mode by pressing TAB,

  • edit the structure of the position to search for. blunderDB will filter positions that have at least the entered checker structure. If unsure, to maximize results, clear the position by pressing the BACKSPACE key. Edit the cube position and the score if necessary.

Method 1 (simple):

  • Open the search window (CTRL-F)

  • Add and set the search filters

  • Confirm by clicking on “Search”.

Method 2 (advanced):

  • switch to COMMAND mode by pressing SPACE,

  • type s, and add any additional filters (for example, cube or score to consider the cube and score, respectively. See Section 4.4 for a comprehensive list of available filters).

  • confirm the request by pressing ENTER.

The displayed positions are those from the database that meet the search criteria entered by the user.