Extract text from ChessBase game files (CBG)
To convert CBG game files to another format, you need ChessBase or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Proprietary Database Files" file type, you need software like ChessBase or a similar tool.
The .cbg file extension primarily represents two distinct proprietary formats: a ChessBase Game Moves File and a CyberGauge Data File. In the chess community, ChessBase uses .cbg files to store complex game moves, variations, and annotations within its database ecosystem. Meanwhile, legacy network monitoring software (originally by Neon Software) uses .cbg files to store SNMP bandwidth statistics and network performance graphs.
Both versions of the .cbg file share a major disadvantage: they are highly proprietary and locked to specific software. You cannot open a ChessBase .cbg file directly in standard text editors or web browsers, and it often requires an expensive commercial license to read. CyberGauge files are similarly restricted to older network monitoring environments. This vendor lock-in frustrates users who need to share data with colleagues or import it into modern analytics platforms.
To solve these limitations, users often need to convert ChessBase .cbg files into the standard PGN (Portable Game Notation) format, which is universally supported by free chess engines. For CyberGauge files, exporting the data to CSV or JSON is necessary for analysis in Microsoft Excel or standard database tools. When converting, proprietary visual formatting and custom tree variations are often lost in favor of raw data.
Converting these files directly online is extremely difficult because their internal binary structures are closed-source. Often, only the original software can properly parse and export the data. Standard online converters frequently fail to process them. Our analysis engine inspects the file headers to determine if it is a chess database or a network log. If our system detects an embedded or supported underlying text format, viewing the raw contents or running a conversion may still be possible without the original software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CBG file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CBH, CGB, CPG, PNG and ZIP files.
If you want to convert CBG file to JPG, PDF, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR, PSD or PSB, you can use ChessBase or similar software from the "Proprietary Game Data or Logs" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RAW, PNG, AI, NEF, PSB, DNG, SVG, GIF, EPS, JPG, ARW or PDF files to CBG, try ChessBase or another comparable tool in the "Proprietary Game Data or Logs" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our CBG converter.