Table bases- can someone explain these to me?

Is there software for them, kind of like the database equivalent of chessbase, or do most people do it online?

Fritz, etc. can access tablebases, and it comes packaged with them.

Arena also facilitates access to tablebases by installed engines, although some freeware engines lack the capability to employ them.

Chessmaster allegedly employs tablebases, but there were TB bugs in the initial release of CM X. I don't believe that CM X allows you to specify the path, which means it cannot use tablebases that you've downloaded from the web, and is limited to those on the manufacturer's disk (likely 3-4 piece, but perhaps not 5 piece, and almost certainly not 6 piece).

Its important to remember that tablebases are not a databases for the purposes of the TOS. These are brute force solutions to endgame positions and are generated by engines. They are very useful for post-game anlysis, but are a violation of the TOS if consulted during play in RHP games.

Originally posted by HomerJSimpson
Is there software for them, kind of like the database equivalent of chessbase, or do most people do it online?

Originally posted by Gatecrasher
Its important to remember that tablebases are not a databases for the purposes of the TOS. These are brute force solutions to endgame positions and are generated by engines. They are very useful for post-game anlysis, but are a violation of the TOS if consulted during play in RHP games.