ChessOcrPict
Free Game
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About ChessOcrPict
This app recognize chess figures (diagrams) in a book or magazine. It is a free version of ChessOcr https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kgroth.chessocr but instead of using the back facing camera, the input is any captured image in the gallery. This captured image must contain the chess figure and is typically obtained by doing a screen capture of a displayed chess figure (from a pdf file or a web page). The input image can also be captured off-line using any camera, which is then transferred to the Android device.
This app can be invoked directly at which point the input picture must be selected. However, if you have an image in the gallery to process (or have a screen capture) then you can also open it and select ChessOcrPict to process this image using the share content icon. Once in ChessOcrPict simply touch the screen to start the recognition process. If recognition is successful it displays the result, and asks you to select which color is to move, which is always necessary. Then it saves each recognized figure in a pgn file, and also puts the most recent one in the clipboard as a FEN string.
Once the position is recognized you can do with ChessOcrPict exactly what you could do with ChessOcr. That is you can invoke an Android chess program like DroidFish, SCIDOnthego or Chess for Android to analyze the position or perform a data base search for games that contain this position (SCIDOnthego). There is a free SCID database that can be used with SCIDOnthego. Simply download the zip file http://www.kgrothapps.com/files/dbsmall-apr-6-13.zip then unzip and put these files in SCID directory.
For best results the chess figure should take up at least half of the input image. If recognition fails then the app simply returns directly without a result. So in summary, this app has the same functionality as ChessOcr, but the input is a static image obtained off-line, and not a live image obtained from a back facing camera. ChessOcrPict does not work well on web pages, but it will work on the pdf files for books and magazines.
This app can be invoked directly at which point the input picture must be selected. However, if you have an image in the gallery to process (or have a screen capture) then you can also open it and select ChessOcrPict to process this image using the share content icon. Once in ChessOcrPict simply touch the screen to start the recognition process. If recognition is successful it displays the result, and asks you to select which color is to move, which is always necessary. Then it saves each recognized figure in a pgn file, and also puts the most recent one in the clipboard as a FEN string.
Once the position is recognized you can do with ChessOcrPict exactly what you could do with ChessOcr. That is you can invoke an Android chess program like DroidFish, SCIDOnthego or Chess for Android to analyze the position or perform a data base search for games that contain this position (SCIDOnthego). There is a free SCID database that can be used with SCIDOnthego. Simply download the zip file http://www.kgrothapps.com/files/dbsmall-apr-6-13.zip then unzip and put these files in SCID directory.
For best results the chess figure should take up at least half of the input image. If recognition fails then the app simply returns directly without a result. So in summary, this app has the same functionality as ChessOcr, but the input is a static image obtained off-line, and not a live image obtained from a back facing camera. ChessOcrPict does not work well on web pages, but it will work on the pdf files for books and magazines.
All Application Badges
Free
downl.
downl.
Android
3.0+
3.0+
Android game
Game History & Updates
What's Changed
Release 1.4 allows the ChessBase Android app to be invoked. ChessOcrPict is free for recognition from screen captures (square figures). But recognition from device cameras (not square figures) requires ChessOcrProKey app and is best done with the ChessOcr app.
Release 1.1 Now allows an image to be specified when the app is started. So the app can be invoked directly, or can be used to process an image in the gallery by using the share content icon.
Release 1.4 allows the ChessBase Android app to be invoked. ChessOcrPict is free for recognition from screen captures (square figures). But recognition from device cameras (not square figures) requires ChessOcrProKey app and is best done with the ChessOcr app.
Release 1.1 Now allows an image to be specified when the app is started. So the app can be invoked directly, or can be used to process an image in the gallery by using the share content icon.
More downloads ChessOcrPict reached 5 000 - 10 000 downloads
What are users saying about ChessOcrPict
K
by K####:
by K####:
It doesn't recognize other chess diagrams. But it helps on other books.
J
by J####:
by J####:
Don't waste your time. Chessfimee does it better: it can scan from a picture and also take a photo and has a clean design. This app is just a big bug.
K
by K####:
by K####:
Why keep an app that doesn't work
Y
by Y####:
by Y####:
App crashes on opening
C
by C####:
by C####:
This would be a fantastic app if it actually worked. Edit: upgrading my initial review to say I've had much better success with this on some PDFs . I don't know if the images are better quality--to my eyes they aren't. But I'm guessing the app thinks so. I do wish this was still maintained tho.
M
by M####:
by M####:
Have not better chance than with the live OCR version... it looks like image is opened with some 90° shift, but anyway gives weird resilt. Why isn't it the same app asking to use for live input or browse from gallery. Anyway installed both and I suspect my phone (S5 4g+) is may be not very nice with that OCR engine ?
M
by M####:
by M####:
It doesn't recognize other chess diagrams. But it helps on other books.
N
by N####:
by N####:
The app (if it works) is only for crystal clear pictures you get from e-book, not from your camera! The description and the demo image is misleading. I have also tested with screen capture images of 3 popular tactics apps on Android, it didn't recognize any one of them! Regardless of cropping or not. So disappointed!
N
by N####:
by N####:
Don't work
X
by X####:
by X####:
Not yet successfully grabbed an image :( Samsung s4
E
by E####:
by E####:
Bad.
X
by X####:
by X####:
The app (if it works) is only for crystal clear pictures you get from e-book, not from your camera! The description and the demo image is misleading.
J
by J####:
by J####:
I was originally very critical of this app because it does not handle screenshots of other apps very well, but I see now that is not the main purpose described here. I've since discovered the app is excellent at interpreting images in ebooks which is what it was designed for. I still wish it could handle anything I throw at it, so for a more versatile version of this app I would give it a perfect five stars. The developer is very helpful so I would recommend e-mailing him with any constructive feedback.
R
by R####:
by R####:
Great app while reading chess ebooks. It recognizes positions from snapshots almost immediately and perfectly. The UI could use some UX expert but that cannot sent 5*s!
E
by E####:
by E####:
Not yet successfully grabbed an image :( Samsung s4
by K####:
I haven't used this in a while, but now one app does what this and Chess OCR do and does it better. Shortly after I bought this key it went bad. I can't get a decent scan no matter how I try. Thankfully I found "Chess: scan, play, analyze". It works even when things aren't perfect. Even when Chess OCR worked it was difficult and everything had to be just right. Thanks for your efforts Mr. Roth but you've been passed up.