For ChessBase users
Your ChessBase library on your Mac.
ChessRoller imports .cbh and .cbv databases directly on macOS, no fiddling with virtual machines.
Your games come across
Your games arrive as you left them. Variations, text comments in the languages you wrote them, NAGs, annotation arrows and squares, engine evaluations, clock times, medals, and tournament headers import from .cbh and .cbv files. SCID and PGN come along too.
And there's no lock-in in the other direction: databases export back to PGN.
One purchase, no subscription
No starter tier, no premium tier, no add-on packs. One edition, one purchase: the database, the engine analysis, the game review, the trainers. There is no companion database product to buy and no online membership behind it. Your games stay on your own machine, and your copy is yours to keep.
It doesn't just inform you. It trains you.
Review a game and your mistakes flow into a spaced-repetition trainer alongside your repertoire lines: the same system that flashcard apps use to make facts stick, applied to your openings and your blunders. You can even generate a starting repertoire from your own database and drill it the same day.
Tell us what you need
ChessRoller is not a clone of ChessBase. We'd like to know how you actually study, what fits and what doesn't, and what you want that isn't there. Write to us at hello@chessroller.com.
FAQ
Does it run on Apple Silicon?
Yes – it's a Mac app, so there's no Parallels, no CrossOver, no emulation. An Apple Silicon Mac (M1 and later) is required; Intel Macs aren't supported. There's a Windows 11 build too, and the same license covers both.
Will my annotations import?
Yes. Variations, comments, evaluation symbols, and colored arrows and squares import from .cbh and .cbv files. Multimedia and training-question annotations currently don't, so if those matter to you, write to us at hello@chessroller.com.
Can I switch back?
Databases export to standard PGN. Your games sit in files you control.
Do I need an account?
You don't need an account to use the app. Your license key is activated online when you first enter it, and re-checked from time to time, with a grace period for working offline in between.
ChessBase is a trademark of ChessBase GmbH. ChessRoller is not affiliated with or endorsed by ChessBase.