[dba-Tech] Questions about 2 Unusual Databases

Arthur,

I had another thought on your idea of recording positions: Forsyth Notation. The maximum number of characters (bytes) needed to record an entire position is 64. The minimum number is 10. Positions are recorded using upper case letters for the White pieces and lower case letters for the Black pieces. For example, here's the final position from the "Shower of Gold" game (no, not 'golden showers!' Sheesh!), Levitsky - Marshall, Breslau, 1912:

5rk1
pp4pp
4p3
2R3Q1
3n4
6qr
P1P2PPP
5RK1

The numbers represent the number of empty squares between pieces in a rank beginning from the a-file. So, the first line above, "5rk1," means that on the 8th rank there are 5 empty squares, a8-e8, a black rook (lower case letters for black pieces) on f8, the black king on g8, and an empty h8 square.

I don't know if this helps you. The rows can certainly be separated by, say, semicolons or slashes instead of returns. This notation at least has the advantage of quick readability.

Steve Erbach
Neenah, WI