user5839: I've been using ARENA for quite a while(5 years to be specific) and I have a collection of Winboard engines that I love. I recently parted with $140 to buy Fritz 14. But to my dismay it doesn't support Winboard engines. This is a big disappointment considering the cost of the product. How can I get my favorite WB engines to play in the FRITZ GUI? Why doesn't ChessBase include native WB support with their products?

user2607: ChessBase products only support two protocols:
1) Their own proprietary (used by the .eng engines)
2) The UCI (used by by many commercial / open source engines)
You must see a "Create UCI Engine" option in either Fritz or ChessBase (I used it all the time to make tournaments between engines).
I also use Arena for engine tournaments and supports both UCI / Winboard. You should be able to use UCI engines in both Arena / ChessBase.
Some notes:

There are adapters for Winboard to UCI like Good UCI to WinBoard adapter (but I don't have seen the opposite).
I have learned that whenever I have to buy a commercial engine (like Houdini or Komodo) I prefer to not buy it thru ChessBase (because they only provide the .eng and only works in their own interface).


5839: <p>I've been using ARENA for quite a while(5 years to be specific) and I have a collection of Winboard engines that I love. I recently parted with $140 to buy Fritz 14. But to my dismay it doesn't support Winboard engines. This is a big disappointment considering the cost of the product. How can I get my favorite WB engines to play in the FRITZ GUI? Why doesn't ChessBase include native WB support with their products?</p>
 2607: <p>ChessBase products only support two protocols:</p>

<p>1) Their own proprietary (used by the .eng engines)</p>

<p>2) The UCI (used by by many commercial / open source engines)</p>

<p>You must see a "Create UCI Engine" option in either Fritz or ChessBase (I used it all the time to make tournaments between engines).</p>

<p>I also use Arena for engine tournaments and supports both UCI / Winboard. You should be able to use UCI engines in both Arena / ChessBase.</p>

<p>Some notes:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>There are adapters for Winboard to UCI like <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/4078/a-good-uci-to-winboard-adapter">Good UCI to WinBoard adapter</a> (but I don't have seen the opposite).</p></li>
<li><p>I have learned that whenever I have to buy a commercial engine (like Houdini or Komodo) I prefer to not buy it thru ChessBase (because they only provide the .eng and only works in their own interface).</p></li>
</ul>
