Sunday, November 8, 2026

We built a new offline Polyglot opening book creator — 250+ MiB BIN benchmark, large PGN support, and file integrity verification



We built a new offline Polyglot opening book creator — 250+ MiB BIN benchmark, large PGN support, and file integrity verification

I've been working on a new version of CAISSA Book Creator, a free Windows desktop application that converts PGN chess game collections into Polyglot .bin opening books.

The goal was simple: build a practical, fully offline tool for chess enthusiasts who work with large game databases and want more control over their opening books.




What changed in v0.3.1?

  • Larger books: Our tests generated a 250.9 MiB Polyglot BIN containing over 16.4 million entries.

  • Large PGN processing: A separate real-world test successfully processed an 820 MiB PGN collection.

  • Offline operation: PGN processing and book generation take place locally.

  • Better usability: Automatic filenames, overwrite protection, adjustable options, and improved progress logging.

  • Integrity verification: Optional SHA-256 receipts allow users to verify generated books and detect modifications.

  • About & Verify: A new panel displays application build information and supports file-integrity checks.

How it works:

  1. Select a PGN file.

  2. Choose the number of plies and preferred options.

  3. Generate your Polyglot opening book.

  4. Use the resulting .bin file in compatible chess software.

  5. Optionally verify the output with its integrity receipt.

The 250.9 MiB output is a benchmark result, not a guaranteed maximum file size. The application is still completing its final release-signing, licensing, and distribution checks.

CAISSA Book Creator v0.3.1 is coming soon.

Project website: https://www.caissa-chess.org/

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who builds Polyglot opening books: what features or limitations matter most in your workflow?

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