pgn2tex

What this site provides

• a script run_pgn2tex.py that generates one TeX file from one chess PGN¹ match, with a chessboard for each half move, and a 'main.tex' that collects all the sections TeX file, with this you can generate one PDF out of that bunch of TeX files.

  • the script processes all *.pgn files that it find at PGN/ directory.
  • be aware, a PGN file can have thousends of games inside, and with this script each of its games will get a TeX file in TEX/ directory
  • each game's TeX generation take about 1/2 seconds (on my old machine.)
    • a TeX to PDF generation of a single game in 'hatless' mode take about 60 sec for 4-5 PDF pages Din A4; e.g. the complete generation of the PDF 'Tata Steel Masters 2022' (1.300 pages) take about 4 hours.
  • my works here was not possible without python chess and for TeX / PDF generation: TeX Live

  

My intention

... was to support myself learning chess by studying chess games offline, from selected PGN printouts / PDF files reading at any tablet, incl. making notes at the PDF's.

For online studies a good starting point learning chess is lichess.org or others.

I am not quite sure even the bigger PDFs are usefull, as we have free online and offline chess tools that let us interactively play the PGN files, incl. analysis; see SCID etc.

That project allows me to play with all that free tools, we have today: Linux OS (Debian, Ubuntu), Github, VScode, Python3 / Jupyter, LaTeX, LibreOffice etc.

Steps

• Initially please have a look at

  • the PGN¹ examples; see PGN/
  • the TeX examples; see TEX/
  • the PDF examples; see PDF/
  • requirements.txt for the venv or pipenv (which I prefer)

• install a python3 (e.g. 3.9.5 or better)

• clone / download that code from the repo

• run the Python script run_pgn2tex.py; its will generate TeX files only at subdir TEX/<pgn_filename>/

• at Ubuntu: install a TeX Live with its editor's TeX Maker or TeX Works,

  • same with a Mac,
  • on Windows MiKTeX

• use your prefered TeX editor (TeX Maker, TeX Works, Kile others) and generate the PDF file from a TeX file

• or use batch mode aka 'hatless' command latexmk --g -pdf within your TEX/<pgn_filename>/sections/ folder at the console prompt

• e.g.:

  • 1st start at TEX/<pgn_filename>/sections/ generating all PDF subfiles and check them - you may like to make some changes at some .tex files.
  • 2nd go to TEX/<pgn_filename>/ and generate the main.pdf that collects all the subfiles, TOC, Players and Openings Index.

Open item

• add ECO Opening diagram to each game's TeX
• collect all games' TeX files to multiple TeX file(s) using TeX \subfile{} machanism, so that we got one (main.tex) and in subfolder sections/ one .tex for each game.
• add a TOC
• add index about Players and Openings
• add PDF outline headline at \section level [ Site, Event, Round, (Date) ], and \subsection level [ Players, Result, ECO ]
• allow some options; see config.py
  • move_arrows = False (default); see PDF/examples True: 'Tarrasch7games.pdf', False: 'Carlsen8games.pdf'
  • print_detailed_moves = True (default); change to False for games' one-pagers only; see PDF/examples True: 'WorldChamps1886.pdf', False: 'Capablanca.pdf'
• complete testing
• documentation, e.g. wiki
• add different Openings csv to chose by renaming; only eco.scv will be used
• layout enhancements, in most cases the game's 1st page shows the opening and the game moves after the opening in tabular figurine long notation and the Opening, 2nd page give all game halfmoves' diagrams

Contact

@hlotze

Footnotes

Footnotes

1. PGN - see Wikipedia Portable Game Notation ↩ ↩²