Q: What is Chesspark?
Q: Do I have to download anything?
Q: How much does it cost?
Q: Why are there two clients?
Q: Do I need a Chesspark account to play?
Q: I forgot my password. How do I reset it?
Q: What are Jabber and XMPP?
Q: What are ratings?
Q: How do I report a problem?
Q: How do I find someone to play?
Q: How do I upload an avatar?
Q: Can I take lessons on Chesspark?
Q: How do I add and remove friends on my friends list?
Q: Can I add friends from Yahoo, MSN, or AIM?
Q: How do I cancel my subscription?
Q: How do I invite my friends to Chesspark?
Q: What are the bots?
Q: How do I add the bots to my friends list?
Q: What are time controls?
Q: What is en passant?
Q: What is stalemate?
Q: What are variants?
Q: What variants does Chesspark support?
Q: What is Chesspark?
A: Chesspark is an online Chess community. Members can communicate and play
with people from all over the world.
Q: Do I have to download anything?
A: No you don't. We have 2 options for game play at Chesspark. The web client
runs in your favorite web browser, no plug-ins or download required. However, if you prefer not
to play through your web browser, you can download the Windows client here.
Q: How much does it cost?
A:
Chesspark is free to try. A pro account is available by subscription.:
- 1 month $4 (one month recurring)
- 6 months $22 (six months recurring - save 9% off monthly)
- 12 months $40 (one year recurring - save 17% off monthly)
Q: Why are there two clients?
A: We have used the latest web technologies to bring you the Chesspark web
client. This client runs on all the most popular browsers on many operating systems
including Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and more. However, some people will prefer
a native client and so we've provided one for the Windows operating system.
Q: Do I need a Chesspark account to play?
A: Only Chesspark members may access Chesspark services, but you may use
any Jabber/XMPP account in order to do so. If you do not already have a Jabber/XMPP
account on another server, we are happy to provide you one at chesspark.com. If
you wish to join with a previously existing Jabber account just use your JID as
your Chesspark username (for example: your_name@jabber.org).
Q: I forgot my password. How do I reset it?
A: Click on the forgot password link next to the login box, or click
here. If this doesn't work, please contact us via email at
help@chesspark.com.
Q: What are Jabber and XMPP?
A: From http://www.xmpp.org/about/
Jabber is the community that birthed XMPP, and the less formal moniker for the XMPP
protocols.
The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) is an open XML technology for real-time communications, which powers a wide range of applications including instant messaging, presence, media negotiation, whiteboarding, collaboration, lightweight middleware, content syndication, and generalized XML delivery.
Q: What are ratings?
A: Ratings attempt to measure your current chess playing strength. The higher
your rating, the harder your are to beat. Playing opponents near your rating should
result in a competitive game.
The most efficient way to improve your rating to beat higher rated players.
There are 2 parts to your rating. A rating and the rating deviation (RD). Putting
these together forms a confidence interval (from statistics). sure your real rating
is between rating-rd and rating+rd. So really player's real strength is very likely
to be between rating - RD and rating + RD. The smaller RD is, the more confidence
the system has in your rating.
Q: How do I report a problem?
A: Please report problems in the Support Forum if you
are a member of Chesspark. Otherwise, you may email us at
help@chesspark.com.
Q: How do I find someone to play?
A: There are several ways to find people to play. Of course you can challenge
the bots at anytime. However when you are ready to play a real human, you can click
on a person's name in your friends list (right click for the Windows client) or
in any participant drawer.
You can also go to the games tab and click on Search for Games. From there you can
search through game ads that other players have placed. While you are on the games
tab you can also place your own ad so other players can find you.
Q: How do I upload an avatar?
A: To upload an avatar simply click the default egghead avatar. You will
then be prompted to browse to the image file you want to use for your avatar. Currently
the web client supports one avatar. If you are using the Windows client you can
save 10 avatars and pick among them.
Q: Can I take lessons on Chesspark?
A: Not quite yet; we're working on it, and lessons will be offered soon.
In the mean time, brush up your mating skills with Robo Trainer!
Q: How do I add and remove friends on my friends list?
A: To add a friend, click on the Add Button (it looks like a plus sign). This
button can be found at the top of the friends list next to the tabs in the web client,
and at the bottom of the friends list in the Windows client. Select Add Friend and
the Add Friend Dialog will pop up. Enter the Chesspark or Jabber ID of the friend
you'd like to add, and click Ok.
Your new friend will receive a notice that you've requested to add them to your
list. If they are not online, they will receive this message when they next log
on. They'll have a chance to accept or deny your request, and if they decline, you
won't be able to see their presence. Until they accept or deny your request, they
will appear in your Friends List as pending.
To remove a friend click (right click in Windows client) the friend in your roster
and chose remove friend.
Q: Can I add friends from Yahoo, MSN, or AIM?
A Not yet. We are currently testing gateways to other IM systems, and plan
to add these soon. When these are working, your friends list will be able to contain
your friends from other IM systems as well.
Q: How can I cancel my subscription?
A: You can cancel your subscription on the
Account Management page.
Q: How do I invite my friends to Chesspark?
A: To invite someone to Chesspark who is already in your friends list, just
click on their name (right click in Windows client) and select "Invite to Chesspark".
To invite someone not yet on your friends list, use the Invite
Form on your My Chesspark page to invite them.
Q: What are the bots?
A: There are several chess playing programs on Chesspark. All of these automated
chess engines are referred to as "bots" and have the computer role. You should have
Robo Pawn, Robo Knight, Robo King, and Robo Trainer in your roster. Robo Pawn is
the easiest bot, and Robo King is the hardest. Robo Knight is set at a medium difficulty.
Robo Trainer will present chess puzzles for you to solve that will help sharpen
your tactical skills. To play then, challenge them as you would a normal friend.
For Robo Trainer, click on its name in the friends list (right click in Windows
client) and select "Play a Random Puzzle".
Q: How do I add the bots to my friends list?
A: All the bots should be automatically added your your friends list when
you first log in. If you need to do this manually, just add robopawn@chesspark.com,
roboknight@chesspark.com, roboking@chesspark.com, or trainer@chesspark.com to your
friends list by using the add button in the friends list.
Q: What are time controls?
A: All chess games on Chesspark are timed. The clock is an essential part
of the game in modern chess. The simplest time control will give each side a set
number of minutes to complete all their moves. For example, a blitz game might allow
each side 5 minutes to make all their moves. Each time a player moves, their clock
stops ticking and the clock for the other player starts. If you run out of time,
you will lose the game.
More sophisticated time controls are also possible. You can have multiple time control periods, increment time, delay time, or any combination.
Timed correspondence games are in development and should be available soon.
Q: What is en passant?
A: From Wikipedia:
En passant (from French: "while [the pawn is] passing") is a maneuver in the board game of chess. The en passant rule applies when a player moves a pawn two squares forward from its starting position, and an opposing pawn could have captured it if it had only moved one square forward. The rule states that the opposing pawn may then capture the pawn as if it had only moved one square forward. The resulting position is the same as if the pawn had only moved one square forward and then the opposing pawn had captured as normal. En passant must be done on the very next turn, or the right to do so is lost. The move is unusual in that it is the only occasion in chess in which a piece captures but does not move to the square of the captured piece.
Q: What is stalemate?
A: From Wikipedia
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves but is not in check. Stalemate ends the game, with the result a draw.
Q: What are variants?
A: Variants are chess based games played using modifications of the normal
rules of chess. Examples include Chess960 (the first and last row of pieces are
randomly placed), Loser's or Suicide (where the object is to lose first), Atomic
(where pieces explode and take out neighboring pieces), and Crazyhouse (where captured
pieces can be placed back on the board). There are hundreds of Chess variants.
Q: What variants does Chesspark support?
A: Currently Chesspark supports the standard ruleset as well as the variant
Atomic. Loser's, Chess960, and Crazyhouse are currently in development, and these
will be followed by many more.