There are following chart categories available for chess:

Chess chart

Chess chart is a list of the most active players. It is calculated in relative numbers. The maximum value – 10 points – is always attributed to the first position in the chart. This value is accounted while calculating a total rating of the user on the site.

Chess rating is in no way connected with the position in the chess chart.

The most successful players

This list includes those players bearing the highest ratio between won and lost games. This value is not accounted either while calculating a total rating of the user on the site, or while balancing his/her chess rating.

The most dynamic players

The list includes those players who has the most changed position in the chess chart as compared with last Sunday.

A system by professor Glicko is used to calculate chess rating.

Its main difference from Elo rating consist in the index of statistical error (rating deviation) which depends not on a player’s activity, but on the amount of time of his/her inactivity. The more he/she is idle, the more the discrepancy is. The discrepancy is individual for each player. Thus the rate of incrementation of a rating may differ between players after a game. The player who haven’t played for a longer time will have more incrementation. For example, a player can get 100 points for a win, but in the meantime his/her opponent can lose only 10. More details here.

A player has individual ratings for each type of game and time, that is games of different time and type of game are calculated separately.

Rating deviation

Rating deviation is used not only to determine rating gain more accurately, but to calculate player's activity rate also. At the present time the threshold value amounts to 70. You can see this value on chess statistics page. Those players who have value more than 70 do not participate in

• Chess rating
• The most successful players rating

Top users based on chess rating

Those players having the highest rating in a certain category of game and time are included in the top of the players. Apart from the high rating, the player should have rating deviation (RD) not exceeding 70.

To enter the rating you have to play often and successfully.

Today there are three options of user registration based on Partner Network available:

• Registration payment of all users, including anonymous users.
• Registration payment of real users, excluding anonymous.
• Registration payment of active users. By “active users” we mean those actively participating in site activities, hereinafter referred to as “participants”.

Anonymous registration

All users are registered, including anonymous. If you don’t think that your users will stay on our site, this option is just for you.

User registration

All users are registered, excluding anonymous. This is an intermediate option between players registration and anonymous users registration. This option will suit you best if you don’t expect a lot of users from your site to take part in our site’s games.

Participant registration

In this option only those who took part in any game available on the site (i.e. chess) can register. If your site is visited by a target group, you’d better use this option.

Actually, you can’t change a user nickname, but those users who have registered within last two weeks still have this opportunity. All you need is to confirm your email address.

If you still haven’t confirmed your email address, “Change nickname” button in your profile is dimmed, which means that the option is not accessible.

If you have confirmed your email account, you should see this picture.

To change a nickname you have to click on “Change nickname” and then click on “Send code” in a new window.

You will receive a code in your email inbox. You need it in case if somebody gets an access to your personal office (by means of a stolen cookie, for example), he would not be able to change the nickname. As soon as you get the code, enter it in the next form (you can also open it from your office).

After successfully entering the code, you have to log on to the site again using your new nickname. The old one is deleted from the database and can be registered again by other users.

Very often (each day, as a matter of fact) we receive messages regarding chess timing problems. They go like this:

What should I do if in a lost position the opponent leaves for timing correction and doesn't come back for a very long time. Guest80732 is well known for it.

If I have to leave for a minute what should I do to suspend my timing? My opponents take advantage of it but I don't know which button to hit.

Dear users! Nobody here is fiddling with timing. It is theoretically very complicated in the current configuration of the applet, and practically impossible. Your opponent has precisely the same interface as you do and can not suspend or add time. All timing operations are conducted at the server's side.

I strongly recommend you to read:

• Applet timing problems during a chess game
• How to adjourn a game

Onsite chat is turned off at the moment. Online dialogue is allowed only during a chess game with the following limitations:

1. Writing and sending messages is allowed only in your own time.
2. Chatting is allowed only during a game. Chatting after a game will be accessible in the nearest releases.

If you have any questions or requests, please write them as comments to this post.

Rating is a complex numeric degree of user's activity on the site. The more user participates in site's life, the higher is his/her rating.

Rating is a relative dynamic value. In other words, it

1. Varies with time. Having achieved a certain rating and finished any participation in site's activities, you are sure to lose points.
2. The point of reference is one. The first place in the rating is always 10 points. All other user's points are ratios from the first place.

There is a rating for each game. It is in no way connected with user's rating on the site. More details:

• Chess rating

From the point of view of the system an anonymous user is the same as a registered one. Although it is important that the lifetime of an anonymous user is limited. If an anonymous user isn't using the site for a certain period of time, his/her account is going to be deleted. All user information is either cleaned or impersonalized.

Besides, an anonymous user has less possibilities while using the site. For example, he/she can not create and keep a blog or can not participate in site ratings. Any anonymous user can become a registered user without losing any information regarding his profile.

While playing chess, an anonymous user has the following essential limitations:

1. Closing an applet leads to an automatic loss in a game.
2. In any adjourned game an anonymous user is considered as defeated. If there are adjourned games with an anonymous user as a player means that these games were adjourned by registered users. For example, game Misterx — Guest65231. We can see that it is Misterx's turn to move but he is not considered as defeated because he is a registered user.

Chess applet is a special game window in which you can manage your chess game. It is important to understand that the game is played on a server and a user is given certain access to it based on his/her authorization data. The players can enter moves for "their" color of figures, the others may only watch them playing. Let's explore applet's controls.

1. Offer a draw. You click on the button and make a move. Your partner can accept a draw or make his move. If he makes a move, the offer is rejected. You can offer unlimited draws.

2. Propose to abort the game. You can do it without the other party's acceptance only if there were not less than two moves made in the game. In all other cases it is equal to a draw proposal, i.e. you click on the button and make a move. If your partner agrees, the game is aborted.
3. Resign the game.
4. Turning auto turning a pawn into a queen ON/OFF. Here you can see the OFF position. You will be prompted to choose a piece yourself (in due time, of course).
5. Turning sound ON/OFF.
6. Change the style of a board.
7. Change the style of pieces.
8. Boost your partner's time. If you trust him/her or just want to present a few seconds, use this button.
9. Adjourn the game.
10. Change the size of a board.
11. Reload the applet. Possible in emergency cases.
    

There is a special tab for chess settings in a personal profile page for a registered user. The user has to be a chess player or at least has to create chess profile.

1. Default setting for auto turning a pawn into a queen in each game.
2. Default board style in each game.
3. Default pieces style in each game.
4. Default game type. Used when placing a seek.
5. Default game time. Used when placing a seek.
6. Allow/disable personal challenges (not by public challenges).
7. Default board size in each game.
8. FIDE title. Used only for displaying purposes.
   

Sometimes certain timing problems arise in the applet during a chess game: the opponent's time is not counting or your time isn't counting during partner's move, etc. All you have to do is to click on "Reload" button in the upper right corner of the window.

You can create a game by two different ways. The first one, recommended and the most correct method is to place a seek. The second one is to manually find a seek of other users and accept it. We will not discuss the latter as you shouldn't have any particular problems with it: you either accept or decline conditions of the seek. So let's discuss the first way.

1. Click on "Play" button. Say, being on the Home Page.
   
2. You will see a window to place a seek. If you're a first time visitor to our site, you have to type in the code shown on the picture. Here you can also select the most appropriate time control.
   
   You can find more details regarding settings of a seek in the next post.
3. After pressing "Send" button, the server will start looking for an appropriate partner. As soon as he/she will be found, a game will be created for you and you will be automatically transferred to a chess applet's page.
   

So the game is already created and we wish you all the best on your check patterns!

Before making a move or right during the game you can change the style of your chessboard or pieces using corresponding buttons.

You can find more details regarding all capabilities and buttons of the chess applet in the next post.

After the game is finished you will see something like this window:

Available buttons:

1. Challenge you opponent for an iterated game on the same terms.
2. Place a general seek on the same terms.
3. Analyze the game. You will stay in the applet.
4. Close the applet.

If you are an anonymous user (i.e. you haven't registered prior starting the game), you have to refresh the page of the site you're on now (regardless which one it is). You will see additional information in the status panel.

Though you haven't registered, a chess office is created for you. It is accessible by clicking a link on your status panel.

If you decide to register, played games and all other information (for example, rating) will not be lost.

If you have any resources on the Internet or some spare time and certain skills, you can earn money with our site just by joining our Partner program. All you need is:

1. Register.
2. Choose "Become a Partner" on your profile's main page.
   
3. A new tab will appear in the profile: "Partner". Click on it.
4. Once there, click on "Add an agreement".
   
   See more about plans here.

After adding a plan we will track metrics, corresponding to your tariff plan, and calculate your income.

You can browse facts, relevant for calculation of you income, clicking "Facts" tab.

List of paid facts (the ones for which you have already received money) are shown in "Payments" tab.

You can adjourn a game unilaterally only if you have more than 10 minutes for the rest of the game. If you have less than that, the game may be adjourned only with your opponent's consent.

The game is also adjourned in the case of disconnection. It is to be determined that the player who was to make a move has really adjourned the game. It means that he will not be able to create any game if his opponent has challenged him to play the adjourned game off.

If the opponent, who has put the game off, is going online, the user will see a notification on his Control Panel.

All adjourned games available on special page or games page.