Board   E4EC
 
Special words, that come up on these pages
  Glossary


Here on the pages of the club and in the messages of the server you can read some special words which are tried to explain below:

Average move time: According to a player's last 20 moves, it shows what is the average time that the player takes his moves.

Challenge: When a player wants to start a new game with another player, he can challenge him. The challenging player determines which color he wants to play, the time control, the game type (rated or friendly). Also can set a startup position by either move list or FEN line. According to these and the information about the player the opponent can decide if he accepts or refuses the challenge. Players can set a maximal game number while they want to be challengeable.

Chess server: This is a computer that executes players' commands they send via email messages. The server checks the validity of moves, draws the changed boards, or creates PGN texts, sends messages, etc. When a player receives an opponent's move or message, the email itself was created and sent by the server. Answer moves and replies must be sent back to the server replying to the messages or clicking on the links in html message format.

Conditional moves: Conditional moves are widely used in correspondence chess. It is possible to say here in the club also, that "If your next move will be Nxd4 then I will move Qxd4+". This works in more moves ahead and in separate move chains also. Conditional moves are fully supported by the server.

Coordinate notation: A simple way to describe a move. Examples: d2d4, c1d3, etc. The server accepts moves in this format, but converts them into SAN before recording.

Correspondence notation: A traditional way to describe a move. Examples: 4244, 3143, etc. It's used to avoid language and letter problems, since everything is written by numbers in it. Promotion also, queen is 1, rook is 2, bishop is 3 and knight is 4, so 17281 is equal to axb8=Q in SAN. The server accepts moves in this format, but converts them into SAN before recording.

Country codes: Players can set where they live, this informs other players about them. The standard Olympic codes are used, such as BRA, USA, HUN, etc. Birth year and gender can also be set.

Digest mode: When a player plays many games his everyday work may be disturbed by the many incoming emails about his/her opponents' moves. Players can set that they want to get all their messages collected into one at the given hours of each day. So, messages are not sent them immediately but wait until the digest time comes and go out batched in one message.

FEN line: A state of a game can be described by one textual line. This line consists of the positions of the pieces, castling availability, en passant target square and color at move. Despite a PGN text it is possible to describe a setup that can't come about from normal moves, and a FEN line can be used if not all the previous moves are known in the game. FEN lines can be used in challenges, in this case the game starts with the setup the FEN line describes.

Friendly games: Standard chess games, but the result doesn't influence players' results, ratings, rankings.

Game deletion: Except games of tournaments a game can be deleted by its players. When one of them wants to delete it the game will be deleted if the opponent agrees with the deletion. Deleting a game does not changes the results and rating of the players.

Game logs: The server keeps a log for each games. The start of the game, the taken moves and the result of the game are recorded in the logs. Events are recorded in the order of occurrence by their date and time (in GMT).

Glicko method: The standard elo rating calculation is implemented by this method to take into attention how we can be sure in a player's strength in the club. While the uncertainty is high the player's rating changes faster, when it's low the change is slower. The uncertainty lowers as the player finishes games and slowly raises as time elapses. Of course, the chess server calculates the ratings.
A detailed description can be found here: http://math.bu.edu/people/mg/glicko/glicko.doc/glicko.html

GMT: Since there are players from all around the world in the club, each time information is shown in a dedicated time zone, which is the Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT.

Ignoring: When a player ignores another player the other player can't send messages to him and can't challenge him. Also, they won't be paired together. Players can ignore more players if they want, and can cancel ignoring them anytime.

Last activity: This is a time value showing how old a player's last activity, so his last sent in message. This value helps players to see another players' activity.

Lists: Lists distribute messages. Subscribed players can send messages to lists, and these messages are sent to all the subscribers. The Newsletter is a list where players can be informed about new things in the club. Another list is the Discuss where players can talk about chess related things. Players can subscribe to and unsubscribe from lists anytime.

Long algebraic notation (LAN): This is a standard way to describe a single move. Examples: d2-d4, Nc1xd3, Qa1xa8+, Bb4-c5, etc. The server accepts moves in this format, but converts them into SAN before recording. A LAN move can be unpunctual: instead of Qa1xa8+, these are all right: Qa1-a8, or Qa1a8.

Most active time: This is an automatically calculated time range according to the player's last 20 moves. Shows when the player takes most of his moves in a day. If the value is 08-15, this means the player takes his moves usually in work hours. Each time is in GMT.

Move list: A sequence of SAN moves taken from the beginning of a game. For example: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5. When a player uses a move list to set the initial position in a challenge, LAN is also accepted (1.d2-e4 e7-e5 2.Ng1-f3 d7-d5).

Pairing: If a player wants to start a new game, he can request pairing from the chess server. It will search for a player who has also requested pairing, who's rating is within 100 points, and who haven't ever, or more than 90 days he played. If there is a player who meets these criteria a new game starts. If there isn't, his pairing request is recorded until someone else requests pairing who is right for him. The 100 points and 90 days intervals can be changed, customized.
Also there is an automatic pairing method. With this players can set how many simultaneous games they want to play and when the number of their active games lower under this value the server will try to pair them according to the above.

PGN: This is a standard description of a game. Gives the names of players, their rating, sides, starting date, time control, the move list and the result of the game (if it has already). Players can use PGN to send in their moves. In this case the server generates messages for them about opponents' moves also in PGN.

Player logs: The server records every event concerning to each players. When a player sets something, challenges somebody, sends or receives a message from a player, and when a new result is available, etc. these events are recorded in his log. Events are recorded in the order of occurrence by their date and time (in GMT).

Private games: Games started by challenges or pairing are private, only the playing two players can see the game. Tournament games are public.

Public games: All tournament games are public. This means any player of the can see the game, not only those two who play it. Games started by challenges and pairing are private. External tournament games are 'more public', these are listed on this website on the Events page and can be watched by all visitors.

Rated games: Standard chess games, the rating of the two players changes according to the result of the game. The rating calculation is the standard elo rating calculation implemented by the Glicko method.

Rating: This describes a player's playing strength in the club. Rating calculation is based on the elo system, and supplemented by the Glicko method. Its value is usually between 600 and 2900 points. Weaker players, children have a rating usually under 1000 points, average players have 1200-1400 points, really strong players are over 2000, while the world champion is over 2800 elo points.

Reminder: Sometimes it can happen to anyone that temporarily forgets a game. In this case the server sends a reminder message to the late player. By default reminders are sent after 10 late days, this value can be set to either longer or shorter time.

Standard algebraic notation (SAN): This is a standard way to describe a single move. Examples: d4, Nd3, Qxa8+, Bc5, etc. Of course, the server accepts moves in this format, this is the preferred notation in the club, but any player can use the long algebraic, the coordinate, or the correspondence notation to send in moves.

Time controls: To not to allow a game to last until the end of times it is possible to limit the available time in correspondence and email chess also. In this club games can run without time control, in 10/30, 10/40, 10/50 and in 5+1 time control. The default time control is 10/30.
Without time control means both players have 180 days for each of their moves in the game.
In the 10/30 time control clock of both players show 30 days at the start of the game, and every used up time is subtracted from the corresponding clock. After each 10th moves another 30 days are added to the clocks. In practice this means players have an average of 3 days for each of their moves. 10/40 and 10/50 are similar with the corresponding days.
The 5+1 time control requires faster play. The clocks show 5 days at the beginning of the game. After a taken move the used up time is subtracted and 1 day is added to the corresponding clock. In practice average thinking time can not exceed 1 day.
If the available time lowers to 0, timeout occurs.

Timeout: A timeout occurs if a player runs out of available thinking time in a game. In this case the Vacation Policy tries to protect the game from being terminated and lost by the late player. The game is terminated only if the vacation time also elapses, or the player has no more vacation time in the current year. In this case the game is lost by the late player. If the player takes his move before his vacation time elapses the game continues and the used up vacation time is subtracted from the player's available vacation time.

Tournament logs: The chess server keeps a log for every tournament, so it records when a player enters for it, new games start or games finish, and records all the results. Events are recorded in order of occurrence by their date and time (in GMT).

Vacation Policy: Since anyone of us can go to a vacation or can bump into problems which may cause we can't reach our email for a few weeks, players can announce vacation when they plan to go or an automatic vacation occurs when a game times out. Every player has 6 vacations in each calendar year, these total length can be 45 days, and the length of one vacation can be 21 days as a maximum. During a vacation game clocks are stopped in those games where the player to move. later, when the player takes a move the vacation ends the clocks start ticking again. If the player doesn't come back before the vacation ends (normally 21 days after his first game timed out), he loses those games which would have forfeited during the vacation. His other games continue.
Unused vacation days can't be rolled over the next year, at January 1 each player starts 6 slots and 45 days again. Registered players get a detailed manual about Vacation Policy.




 
Chess Tournaments

Modern chess tournaments began in the 1840s and the first international tournament was held in London, in 1851. Strong international tournaments were still quite rare and in the 1880s a master would have been lucky to be able to play in one reasonably strong tournament a year.

By the 1890s, however, a master could enter many strong tournaments throughout the year, and the prize money offered at tournaments made it possible for masters to have a professional chess career.

Nowadays there are many strong tournaments for masters and grandmasters, but there are also a huge number of tournaments for players of every strength. Weaker players today have the chance of improving their play by taking part in such tournaments, which are very competitive.
 
Reminders

The server automatically sends reminders in 10 days, for those games where it's still your turn. If you have forgot a game, this helps preventing timeout.

The 10 days value can be adjusted as you want if you want reminders sooner or rather later. The 0 value turns this feature off.
 
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