There are several uses for PGN files in Arsenal:

• backing up and restoring your opening book
• transporting data from one iOS device to another
• pre-loading your database with your book from desktop software such as Chessbase or SCID
• pre-loading your database with tournament games from a site such as The Week in Chess
• distributing study lines to your chess students

Load PGN files into Arsenal in one of two ways.

1. The first is useful if you have a lone file in email, your browser, or any other app.  This would be the case if you previously emailed your repertoire to yourself for backup.

Simply tap the filename in Mail or Safari, Dropbox, etc. and you’ll see this screen.

Open in “Chess Arsenal” to add the lines or start with a fresh database.

2. From your desktop it can be convenient to use iTunes File Sharing.  This is also the only way to back up and restore your training statistics.

a) Open iTunes with your device attached.  In the left column at top, select the device icon.  Below that, in the Settings area, choose Apps.

b) In the main window, scroll past Apps to show File Sharing.  Click Apps -> Chess Arsenal.

c) Chess Arsenal Documents shows all the PGN files in your app.  Use “Add…” to bring in new files.  “Save to…” copies from Chess Arsenal to your desktop.

Full Backup without PGN

d) Take special note of the “Database” folder as this is how you save training statistics.  Click on “Database” then “Save to…” to save your entire app database, including variations, comments, statistics… everything except for app settings.  Settings, such as playback speed, are easily changed after a restore from within the app’s settings screen.

Restoring a full backup

e) To recover from a full backup, “Add…” the same database folder back onto your device.  Be sure to add the folder itself, in its entirety, and not the individual files inside.  Restoring in this manner will overwrite everything in your app so be cautious.

Thoughts on backup

I back up after major opening work like adding all my Ruy Lopez lines.  PGN export is sufficient for me because I don’t care about stats beyond how I did that day.  I’ve yet to try this, but I think about keeping different PGN files for each major openings to have more specific backups, like if I want to analyze a smaller set in Chessbase.  One way to do this is to:

1. save everything as MainDB.pgn.
2. delete all the top-level openings that don’t match the Ruy (e.g., delete 1. d4, 1. c4, etc.).
3. drill down, deleting non-Ruys.
4. save RuyLopez.pgn.
5. reload MainDB.pgn.
6. repeat, saving other major lines.

Doing so is a little obsessive and the training filters work nicely to isolate what I want to study in a session.

Enjoy your training!