PGN Analyse – Help

PGN Analyse is an Android app for loading, searching, entering, replaying and exporting chess games. Version 1.5.0 extends the game list with advanced Premium search, local game favorites and flexible sorting. Filters, favorites and sorting can be combined and exported as the current view. The app also includes PGN/FEN tools, PGN collections and an editorially reviewed public tournament search.

1. Getting started

• Select a PGN file or load the demo PGN.
• Alternatively, open PGN/FEN tools directly – no PGN needs to be loaded first.
• Loaded games can be searched, favorited, sorted, opened and replayed manually or automatically.
• PDF, CSV and PGN files can be created, saved or shared.
• Use the Tournaments section to search the public tournament catalog.

2. Loading and exporting PGN files

• A PGN file can be selected from the device or opened directly with PGN Analyse through Android.
• The app reads the games and displays them in a list.
• Loaded games can be exported as PDF, CSV or back to PGN.
• When search, the favorites filter or sorting is active, you can export the current view.
• You can still choose to export the complete loaded PGN instead.
• Individual games can also be exported as PDF or PGN.

3. Game search, favorites and sorting

• The free quick text search finds matches in player names, event, location, date, result, ECO and other PGN information.
• Advanced search is a Premium feature. It supports combinable criteria for player regardless of color, White, Black, event, site, date from/to, result, ECO, opening/variation, Elo ranges and move count.
• Multiple advanced criteria are combined with AND. A simultaneously active quick text search is applied as an additional condition.
• Each game can be marked as a favorite using ☆/★.
• Free: up to 5 game favorites. Premium: unlimited.
• Game favorites are stored locally. The same game is recognized by its game fingerprint even when it is later loaded from a different PGN file.
• The ★ Favorites filter can be combined with quick text search and advanced search.
• The game list can be sorted by PGN order, date ascending/descending, White A–Z, Black A–Z, event A–Z, White Elo descending or Black Elo descending.
• The current filtered and sorted view can be exported as PDF, CSV or PGN.

4. PGN/FEN tools

The PGN/FEN tools are available directly from the PGN screen and remain usable after restarting the app without loading a PGN file first.

• New classical game: starts directly from the normal chess starting position.
• Import FEN: enter and validate a standard FEN, then create a PGN or enter moves.
• Import single game as PGN: choose a file containing exactly one game or paste PGN text.
• Loaded games can also be exported back to PGN from this area.

5. New game and move entry

• No FEN is required for a normal new game.
• Event, White, Black and result can be entered optionally.
• Only legal moves are accepted on the board.
• Castling, en passant and promotion to queen, rook, bishop or knight are supported.
• The last move can be undone.
• Move notation is generated automatically as SAN.
• The completed game can be saved or shared as PGN, or added to a PGN collection.

6. Importing FEN

• PGN Analyse expects a complete standard six-field FEN.
• For the normal starting position, the app creates an ordinary PGN without unnecessary SetUp/FEN tags.
• For a genuinely different starting position, SetUp and FEN remain in the generated PGN.
• For Chess960 starting positions, the FEN-based workflow remains the intended route.

7. Importing a single PGN game

• This import is intentionally designed for exactly one game.
• You can choose a small PGN file or paste PGN text.
• Existing game metadata is preserved where possible.
• The main line is loaded up to the current position and can then be continued or undone.
• A file containing multiple games is rejected here; it can still be opened through the normal PGN-file workflow.

8. PGN collections

• An individual generated or exported game can be added to an existing PGN file with Add to PGN collection.
• The selected collection is fully read and validated first.
• The app detects typical duplicates and does not add the same game again.
• Existing comments, variations and additional tags are preserved where possible.
• For the first game in a new collection, simply use Save as PGN. That file can then be extended later.
• Free: up to 10 games per collection.
• Premium: collections with more than 10 games.

9. Game replay

• Games can be replayed move by move.
• Replay supports standard chess and Chess960.
• Automatic replay can be started, paused and stopped.
• Manual navigation cleanly stops an active automatic replay.

10. Tournament search

• The app synchronizes a central, editorially reviewed public tournament catalog.
• You can search by tournament, city or category.
• Search ranges include 25, 50 or 100 km, nationwide and all supported countries.
• Results can be sorted by date or distance.
• The Youth filter shows only tournaments marked as youth events when enabled.
• The Favorites filter limits the list to locally saved tournament favorites.
• The original source and announcement link remain visible.

11. Tournament favorites, saved locations and notes

• Interesting tournaments can be saved as favorites.
• Frequently used search locations can be stored locally.
• The last used search location and radius are restored locally.
• Personal tournament notes can be stored locally on your device.
• This personal data is not sent to the tournament server.

12. Calendar export and ICS sharing

• Premium users can add tournaments to their calendar.
• An ICS file can also be created and shared.
• An existing personal note is included only when you explicitly enable it for that export.

13. Premium

PGN Analyse Premium is available as a one-time lifetime purchase through Google Play. A valid purchase is checked through Google Play and can be recognized again after reinstalling the app or using another compatible device with the same Google account.

Premium includes, among other benefits:

• advanced game search with combinable criteria
• unlimited game favorites
• PGN collections with more than 10 games
• a higher general limit for large PGN files
• unlimited tournament favorites
• unlimited saved search locations
• unlimited tournament notes
• calendar export and ICS sharing

Quick text search, up to 5 game favorites, the core PGN/FEN tools and public tournament search remain usable without Premium.

14. Privacy and online features

• PGN and FEN files and PGN collections are processed locally.
• Game favorites, tournament favorites, saved search locations and personal tournament notes are stored locally on your device.
• An internet connection is required to refresh the public tournament catalog; the last valid local snapshot remains available afterwards.
• Downloading the tournament catalog necessarily generates technical connection data such as the IP address; personal chess data and the device's current location are not sent to the tournament service.
• The optional “current location” function uses only Android's approximate-location permission. Distance calculation is performed locally.
• Place resolution uses Android's Geocoder; the underlying service depends on the device and Android/platform provider.
• Personal notes are not stored in the central tournament database.
• Calendar export and ICS sharing use standard Android functionality; no Google Calendar API is used.
• Google Play is used for the Premium purchase and purchase entitlement restoration.

See the Privacy Policy for more details.

15. Frequently asked questions