Yes, absolutely. While the main files are optimized for Scid (si4/si5 formats), you can find the complete database as well as monthly update files in PGN format under the "Download PGN" section in the menu.
The database is divided into two sections to manage file sizes and relevance. The OTB (Over-The-Board) database contains games played in physical tournaments. The Online database focuses on internet games (e.g., from Lichess or Chess.com), usually featuring titled players or high-ELO matches.
This depends on your software. If you use Scid vs. PC, you must use the si4 format, which has a technical limit of 16.7 million games. If you want to merge databases or work with larger datasets, we highly recommend upgrading to Scid 5.x and using the si5 format, which supports over 4 billion games.
Since I provide native Scid files, you don't need to import a PGN. Just follow these steps:
1. Download the .7z archive from our site and extract it to a folder on your computer.
2. Open Scid (or Scid vs. PC).
3. In the top menu, click on File > Open (or press Ctrl+O).
4. Navigate to your extracted folder and select the .si4 file (for Scid vs. PC) or the .si5 file (for Scid 5.x). The database will load instantly.
1. ChessBase works best with its own .cbh or .cbcloud format. Here is the fastest way to convert and import our PGN:
2. Download the PGN files.
3. Open ChessBase and create a new database (File > New > Database).
4. Open the downloaded PGN file directly in ChessBase (it will open a game list window).
Select all games by pressing Ctrl + A, then copy them with Ctrl + C.
5. Go back to the main ChessBase window, click on your newly created database, and press Ctrl + V to paste and convert the games. (Alternatively: Drag and drop the PGN file icon directly onto your new database icon).
LumbrasGigaBase is a passion project managed by a single developer. Since I am working full-time, database updates and site maintenance happen in my spare time. While I aim for a release on the first Tuesday of each month, professional obligations may occasionally cause slight delays. Thank you for your patience!
To improve this service, I've programmed a custom "Quick Question" plugin. It appears randomly (with a 15% probability) to collect user feedback. Your answers help me e.g. to decide which features or data sources to prioritize next.
Yes. I'm using a specially developed Rust program to identify and remove duplicate games before every release. You don't need to remove duplicates yourself.
The data is merged from dozens of different sources (federations, historic databases, online platforms). While our deduplication algorithm standardizes most names, some variations are too distinct for an automated script to safely merge without risking data loss.
Yes. Correspondence games are included and can usually be found by filtering the Event tag or searching for the [Source "AjedrezCorr"] tag.
Unfortunately, no. Most historical and external PGN source files do not include a "time control" tag. Therefore, it is technically not possible to accurately filter the database by blitz, rapid, or classical time controls.
Open both databases in Scid and simply drag & drop one database onto the other in the database switcher. Important: Because the combined database will exceed 16.7 million games, this only works if you use Scid 5.x with the si5 format. Scid vs. PC will throw an error.
The entire collection of files requires roughly 6 GB of storage. Because I have hundreds of downloads per month, the bandwidth limit of GitHub's free tier (10 GB/month) would be exceeded almost immediately. Therefore, I rely on the cloud hoster Mega.nz.