Sources

Every game in Lumbras Gigabase is tagged with a special SOURCE tag that indicates the origin of the raw data. This allows you to filter for games from specific sources in Scid (or other compatible GUIs).

In Scid, you can use these tags for searches by going to the menu: Search -> Game Data -> Extra Tags

Lumbra’s Gigabase is a curated, deduplicated, and normalized compilation of chess games. While the proprietary database structure and deduplication logic are licensed under the Lumbra’s Gigabase Commercial Agreement, the underlying raw chess games are aggregated from the following public sources.

Special Note on Lichess Data

Games originating from Lichess (LichessBroadcastAPI, LichessBroadcastDB) are retrieved exclusively via the Lichess API. According to the Lichess development team, data retrieved via this API does not carry a specific restrictive license (unlike the licenses found on their bulk database dumps).

Categorized List of Aggregated Sources

The Quality Index (ranging from -1 to 5) indicates the internal weighting used during the Gigabase deduplication and matching process.

Official Chess Federations (Generally uncopyrightable raw data)

Pure game notations (who played, when, where, and the sequence of moves) are factual data and are not subject to copyright worldwide. Raw PGN data from official federations is therefore practically considered public domain, as it does not constitute a creative work.

  • Britbase
  • CanadianChessFederation
  • ChessScotland
  • DanBase
  • Federscacchi
  • GreekBase
  • NiederrheinischerSchachverband
  • NiedersächsischerSchachverband
  • SchachverbandRuhrgebiet

Active Community Projects & Platforms (Often Creative Commons / Open Data)

Well-known and partially ongoing projects that aggregate games and mostly provide them under free licenses (like CC BY-SA) or as open downloads. For Lichess data, the API generally does not carry specific license restrictions as mentioned above.

  • AjedrezCorr
  • AjedrezOTB
  • LEDB (Lichess Elite Database), (CC0)
  • LichessBroadcastAPI (No specific license restrictions, as confirmed by the Lichess team)
  • LichessBroadcastDB (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • OlimpBase

Scientific & Academic Research

Datasets compiled specifically for academic research, statistical analysis, and scientific publications. These datasets are typically shared openly for research and reproducibility purposes, though formal open-source licenses are not always explicitly attached.

  • AnaSchaigorodsky

Abandoned Projects / Abandonware (License status unclear / no longer traceable)

These large compilations were once popular but have been abandoned by their respective maintainers (e.g., Kingbase in 2019). The original websites or repositories often no longer exist. Reliable or binding licensing information can no longer be found, which is why the community de facto treats this data as free public goods.

  • Caissabase
  • CodekiddyFICGS
  • CodekiddyOTB
  • CodekiddyOTB-HQ
  • ICOFyBase
  • Kingbase2019
  • MillBase1129
  • Millionbase2.9

Individual Collections & Aggregators (No formal licenses declared)

Small to medium-sized PGN packages shared over the years by individuals or loosely organized groups in forums or via file hosters. No legal frameworks or license texts were ever attached to these releases, meaning no license information is available.

  • BenBase
  • ChessCache
  • ChessNostalgia
  • DATABASE4U
  • GamesOfGMs
  • GMallBase
  • TheChessDog
  • Varga Csaba Zoltan

Software Ecosystems & Free Dumps

These providers originally operate in the commercial or semi-commercial software space but provide significant portions of their PGN archives on their websites as free raw data downloads for the general public.

  • PGNMentor

Scroll to Top