Functions, mostly - the big `awk` command in the example goes into something like

    # @param $1 whatever
    chess_extract_scores() {
         awk blah blah blah
    }

and then your whole pipeline simplifies to

    cat foo | grep bar | chess_extract_scores

which is pretty readable. You can even do most of this in a live bash session with ^X ^E.

You can actually do without cat:

grep bar foo | chess_extract_scores

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_%28Unix%29#Useless_use_of_c...

Sure you can, but premature optimization is also a real thing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_optimization#When_to_op...

bash has functions; functions are just like commands. Write your comments in the functions, and your final line will be the pipeline of awesomeness:

   generate_data ()
       {
        # make it rain
       }

   process ()
       {
        # chunky
       }

   gather ()
       {
        # puree
       }
  
   generate_data | process | gather