App: Chess Lab
Developer: Giordano Vicoli
Genres: Games, Strategy, Board, Entertainment

Chess Lab is the macOS version of the Chess Studio application for iOS/iPadOS.

Chess Lab is the first and only application to manage Chess Databases and Games in PGN format in a complete and efficient way.

Chess Studio Lab allows you to:

• Read database and games in PGN format  (also with extended notation of moves).
• Create, delete and modify folders and databases.
• View games with annotations and textual comments and keep track of the displayed games.
• Visualize moves and variants in compact mode or indented mode.
• Modify existing games with move annotation and textual comments.
• Insert new games and positions.
• Insert, replay and analyze games in Chess 960 mode.
• Insert moves with annotations and textual comments.
• Insert variation, subvariations etc.
• Insert and visualize graphical annotation (colored arrows and highlighted squares).
• Send games by email.
• Share Databases and Games through Airdrop.
• Download chess database from internet.
• Download chess database directly from PGN Mentor site.
• Import games, database and Opening Books  from other applications.
• Merge two or more databases.
• Copy/Paste games and positions.
• Analyze games with Stockfish 16 Engine with or without the support of the Neural Networks  (up to 5 lines of analysis simultaneously) and see the results also through the Engine Evaluation Bar.
• See graphic visualization of moves suggested by Stockfish 16 engine.
• See Win-Draw-Loss (WDL) probabilities during engine analysis.
• Replay games automatically.
• Visualize Pawn structure.
• Manage Variations and sub-variatons: delete and promote variations.
• Read the weekly Magazine The New In Chess (TWIC) and download the games..
• Three different modes for moving pieces.
• Analyze endgames with Endgame Tablebases.
• Analyze and study Chess Openings in the Chess Openings Section.
• Create and manage  Opening Books in Polyglot format.
• Import and manage ChessBase Opening Books (ctg format).
• Automatically classify a database according to ECO code.
• Replay, enter and analyze Chess 960 games (Fischer Random Chess).
• Play against the engine both in standard mode and in Chess 960 mode.
• Play online through the LiChess platform

Other features and technical details:

• Modify the board size tapping on the board or through the Settings menu.
• Professional chess fonts and figurines for moves notation and annotation.
• Preview of the game in the board tapping the Info button.
• Quick search feature.
• Advanced search feature.
• Complete management of Null Moves with Tutorial.
• Visualization of ECO code and Opening during game replay or game insertion. 
• Visualization of Book Openings during game replay or game insertion. 
• Function to move up within variants and subvariants. 
• Online manual frequently updated.
• Sharing of databases across devices via iCloud Drive.
• Sound option.
• VoiceOver/Accessibility support.
• Help section contains videos to show the main features of Chess Studio.
• Direct contact via email with the developer to report problems, ask for explanation and suggestions (very quick answer!).
• Languages: Italian, English, Spanish and German.

These are the main features.

The application is continuously updated with new features and improvements.

No registration!
No advertising!
No sharing of personal data!

Release notes:
- IN THIS RELEASE (4.1.3)

• New: in the Lichess section it is now possible to consult and view Lichess Videos.
• In the Lichess section it is now possible to play against the engine as well.
• Fixed an error that caused the application to close unexpectedly in iOS 17.
• Minor bug fixes, general improvements and optimizations.

- MAIN FEATURES INTRODUCED IN THE LATEST RELEASES

• The new version of the Stockfish 16 engine has been integrated with the support of Neural Networks (NNUE). According with the authors in self-play against Stockfish 15, this new release gains up to 50 Elo and wins up to 12 times more game pairs than it loses.

• New feature: Search for games by position. This new feature is found in the main menu under the "PGN Tools" section. It allows you to search for games in a database starting from a given position. The position can be set both with normal pieces but also with different symbols that have different meanings. In this way it will be possible to search, for example, all the games that have a typical pawn structure regardless of the position of the other pieces.

• Ability to choose between different layouts of the board on the screen depending on the user's needs. By choosing the layout with the central chessboard at the top, this feature allows you to scroll through the moves of a game with a click on the right or left of the chessboard.

• Management of very large databases.

• Automatic insertion of engine analysis into games. To enter the analysis, simply touch the engine analysis line. To use this feature you need to activate it in the application settings.
• The new function "Search games by material" has been added, through which it is possible to search for games in a database according to the material present on the chessboard. This new functionality is accessed from the main menu of the application.

• New feature that allows you to delete tags in a database (Detag). This functionality is accessed from the list of possible operations on a database.

• In the Chess Board screen, you can customize the colors of the top bar, bottom bar, buttons and background. The customization is done in the Settings section. In the opening section is the new functionality to explore the Lichess Master Opening Tree. It is now possible to activate the speech synthesizer to announce the moves made both when entering and when viewing a game.

• Next to each line of analysis of the engine it is possible to view the probabilities of Win, Draw and Loss calculated by the engine. This feature can be turned on or off in the Settings section.

• The arrows on the Chess Board are now displayed for each line of engine analysis. The thicker the arrow, the better the corresponding move will be. This feature can be turned on or off in the Settings section.

• From the opening section of a database it is possible to save the games relating to a single ECO code or to a single opening variant in a new database. To do this, just swipe left on the opening variant you want to save and follow the directions.

• Enhancement and simplification of the management of Graphic Annotations. This functionality can now be accessed via a single menu or via a series of taps on the board (see the short tutorial in the application).

• Elimination of interaction with Google Drive: as already announced the direct interaction with Google Drive has been suspended due to the software libraries not compatible with the recent Apple updates. To interact with Google Drive use the import / export functions.

• Added the engine evaluation bar which can be displayed on the right or left of the board. It is displayed only when the engine is active but can also be deactivated.

• For those users who need explanations on the application it is possible to contact me via Skype. To organize a Skype session, contact me via email at chess.studio.app@gmail.com