User Guide
Everything you need to know about ChessWorld.net
To get the maximum enjoyment from your ChessWorld experience please take a little time to read this User Guide.
You can return to this page at any time for information and guidance. If you have any specific problems then you may find it helpful to refer to our extensive FAQ pages. If you still cannot resolve the problem, please message the HelpDesk.
Note: Some features discussed in this User Guide are available to Full Members only.
Table of Contents
Navigating around ChessWorld
The easiest way to navigate around ChessWorld is to use the menu. Each of the menu options provides a number of choices and, in many cases, there are also subsidiary choices available to you. Whichever page you are currently viewing, if you click on the ChessWorld logo, which appears at the top left of the menu bar, you will always be returned to the playing area.
Because of the importance of the playing area there are also a number of direct links built in to the page. Depending upon the configuration that you have chosen, you will find the game related buttons grouped at the left hand side of the board:
- Analyse
- Play Through
- Planning Notepad
Most Members will have chosen to use the unique ChessWorld tabbed display which appears to the right of the board. Below this tabbed area are grouped the playing action buttons, including Draw and Resign .
If you are playing in an All-play-All tournament you will see a Tournament Crosstable button which will take you direct to the crosstable.
If you are playing in one of the popular Knock Out Tournaments, you will see a Tournament Table button. This can be a very useful tool if you wish to check on your current Opponents’ playing strategies.
The ChessWorld Play page
Play page layout
The board style can be changed to suit your preference; below some board styles + Board Size - and Store links will be available. The Movelog is displayed at the left hand side. Below the links you will find a set of play related buttons.
On the right hand side of the board an information panel is provided that can be navigated by the various tabs:
- Chat (Messages & Online Friends)
- Msgs (Topical Links)
- Game (Stats & History)
- Goto (Jump to Game #)
- Tips (Openings)
- Vids (Video Library)
- Note (Private Notepad)
Use the X tab to minimize the tab display, increasing visibility of the board.
Play-related buttons
The Analyse and Play through buttons offer dual functionality (full screen vs pop-up). The Analyse button allows you to plan your next moves at leisure without transferring them to the main board. The Play through button allows you to review the game from the first move.
If you need assistance, the Opening Identified button provides relevant links. As the game progresses, this is replaced by an equivalent Endgame Search . The Tactics Training button links to the puzzle library.
Game-action buttons
The Draw and Resign buttons follow standard FIDE conventions. When it is your move, you will see buttons like Prev , List , Next and Skip Game .
The board defaults to showing you at the bottom. To change this, simply use the Flip button.
Playing a game
The way that you move your pieces depends on your configuration in My Stuff ... My Interface.
- Click and Click: The default setting.
- Drag and Drop Enabled: Slide pieces. Illegal moves trigger a pop-up with legal options.
- Drag and Drop: Slide pieces without the pop-up assistance.
An appropriately colored icon ( White or Black ) indicates whose turn it is. Always check this icon if you find you cannot make a move.
Many Members find it helpful to make use of our Conditional Moves feature to predict opponent responses.
Different styles of play
With ChessWorld you can choose to play individual games, rated or unrated, or join Tournaments or Teams. You can select a time limit from 1 to 15 days per move.
Be careful! This is a variable limit. It means you must make 10 moves in 50 days. However, it also implies a hard limit of 10 days per move. Do not overlook this!
In Tournament and Team games, time limits are strict. If you exceed the time limit, your opponent can claim the win. You can use the Holiday feature (up to 35 days/year) to pause your clock against claims.
Pyramids
If the stress of competitive leagues doesn't appeal to you, join a Pyramid. Pyramid play is a little different because in any Pyramid you will never have more than two games, one with each color.
Every player starts at Level 1 and the aim is to climb the Pyramid to the higher levels. You are free to choose an Opponent from the list of available players on the same Level as you, or one Level above you.
• When you challenge someone above you, you play White.
• When someone challenges you, you play Black.
• You cannot refuse a challenge while in a Pyramid.
Depending upon the result, you may be moved up or down the Pyramid, although you can never go below Level 1.
Joining or creating Tournaments
Visit Join Games ... Join New Tournaments.
Tournament Types
- Strength (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
- Class (Rating Groups)
- Open (All-comers)
Creating a Tournament
You can create your own tournament and specify the details. We suggest you carefully consider your entries for the Tournament Nickname and Ideas boxes to make your tournament stand out.
Warning on Game Load: The number of players makes a significant difference.
- Knock Out: 1 extra game per round.
- 4-Player All-Play-All: 6 total games (3 with each color).
- 15-Player All-Play-All: 28 total games (14 with each color).
You can place restrictions on the ability range of entrants. The default is Open to all , but we suggest considering a range of around 200–400 points to provide a fair chance of success.
You can also create Thematic Tournaments where specific opening moves are pre-played.
Joining or creating Teams
Visit Join Games ... Join New Teams.
You can apply to join a Team currently on the League schedule, view categories that need new Members, or join teams where your Friends are playing.
Creating a Team: You become the Captain and are responsible for recruiting players. You must select a league affinity and write a Team Philosophy.
Creating a Game
ChessWorld allows you to create individual games to your precise specification via Join Games ...Create New Games.
You can specify the number of games (up to 10), color preference (Mixture recommended), and specific opening moves (Thematic games).
Depending upon your preference you may choose Rated or Unrated . We advise setting a rating range (e.g. +/- 200–400 points) to ensure a good match.
Choosing an Opponent
Invite Your Friends
This option provides a convenient means to send ChessWorld invitations to friends who are not yet Members. Just enter your friend’s name and email address, and then decide upon your proposed first move with White. To personalize your message we suggest that you complete the message box with some suitable greeting before you send the Invitation.
Suggested Opponents
- Suggest Opponent: A quick "smart match" suggestion based on your level and availability.
- Suggest Variety: Shows a small shortlist of 5 similar-rated players so you can choose quickly. Click Join this Opponent for a game on their homepage to start.
Advanced Search Options
- Search by Details
- Search by Nickname
- Search by Quick List
If you enter minimum details (e.g. searching by details), the list may be excessively long. To conserve server resources, search lists are limited to show no more than 100 Members. We advise you to carefully refine your search pattern (e.g. specify Country) to get better results.
Important Behavioural Advice
To help you choose, the rating of a potential Opponent is displayed as well as the number of games they have played.
- Provisional Ratings: If a player has played less than 50 games, their rating is Provisional and may not indicate their true strength.
- Last Minute Movers: Many Members find it hard to play against an Opponent who makes virtually every move at the last minute. We suggest visiting their Homepage and checking the Average Time to move clocks in the About tab.
- Inactive Players: Using the "Last logged in" filter is crucial. Selecting "Not important" may present candidates who have left the site.
ChessWorld Friends: Use My Stuff ... My Friends to manage your personal list and keep private notes.
Learning chess at ChessWorld
ChessWorld not only caters for the enthusiast at all levels but also provides guidance and information for those who are new to the game. Visit the Improve ... menu to find a range of options suitable for all levels.
Learning chess at ChessWorld
ChessWorld not only caters for the enthusiast at all levels but also provides guidance and information for those who are new to the game and who wish to learn not only the basics but also further information to help them better understand the ideas of tactics and strategies.
If you visit the Improve ... menu you will find a range of options, all of which are suitable to provide you with guidance and advice at all levels of the game.
The ChessWorld Masters Collection
We offer several options to access our unique Masters Collection which features in excess of 2 million games, all played by Internationally recognized players, with some games dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Visiting any of the four 'Masters' links will provide you with a page offering a wide and powerful selection of search tools. The full power of these pages is best understood by simply visiting them, but, before you do so, we suggest that you first visit the Masters Collection section of our Features FAQ's where you will find detailed and comprehensive instructions to help you make the most of this ChessWorld facility.
Site Games
As one of the longest established on-line chess playing sites we have a very comprehensive range of past games which are available for Members to explore. Visit either of the two options provided and you can explore the rich diversity of our database. The search options are much simpler than those for our Masters Collection but they are more than adequate to give you every result for which you may be searching.
Annotated Games
In both the Masters Collection and the Site Games sections you will find options to search for annotated games. We suggest that these might be the ideal choices to start any research and learning plan that you may have. Virtually all of the annotations have been authored by ChessWorld Members including a number who are FIDE rated. Studying a carefully annotated game is a proven way to improve both your understanding and your standard of play. Of course, if you find sections and comments that seem at first sight, to be too complex, it is easy to return and re-read the annotation until you have fully grasped the content.
Self help resources
As an alternative to intensive study of past games, or perhaps as a relaxation between your own games, you may wish to investigate our Play the Computer, Puzzles and Tips sections, all of which can provide you with stimulating mental exercise. If the Puzzles section is of particular interest to you ChessWorld provides several options allowing you to simply tackle puzzles at your own pace, (until you have solved them!), or against the clock. The latter option may provide a challenge that you will find hard to resist as you can monitor your puzzle solving skills to check for your own weaknesses and check your score history. Be aware that your ChessWorld puzzle rating should not be confused with your official ChessWorld rating.
Different phases of the game
Rather than study complete games you may prefer to concentrate on those parts of your game where you wish to make the most improvement, or to increase your understanding. Selecting one of the Openings, Middlegame or Endgame options will take you a series of topic specific pages which will provide you with links to a variety of authoritative content. A number of these links will provide you with technical articles written by a highly experienced FIDE rated player and are all well worth spending some time reading and digesting the content.
Other sources
In addition to our own material we also provide a number of links to external sites, each of which we have carefully checked for their quality and content. You may visit any of those links, which you will find by visiting Improve ... Learning Links, with total confidence.
ChessWorld Coaching
Visit Improve ... Coaching Resources
If you feel that your game could be improved by some extra help then you may be interested in using some or all of our Coaching resources. ChessWorld offers a range of help from videos to game annotations, any of which can be accessed easily. However, we are aware that there are always Members, perhaps new to the game or new to ChessWorld, who feel that they would benefit from the advice and assistance of another player.
If you are in this category we suggest that you check the Member Coaches link which will offer you a list of all of our volunteer coaches. These are all Members who have offered to share their expertise and time by helping others; you will find that each of them will be patient and understanding whatever problems or difficulties you may have. If this default list is a little overwhelming you can refine the list by selecting one of the options at the top of the page. By checking the different options you may gain a better impression of some players, but the choice is entirely yours and whichever player you choose you can be assured of genuine help and interest.
Before you make your selection you should consider whether you want a proper coaching game or an ordinary game. In either case the games will be unrated so that you will be able to play without the fear that you may be risking any of your hard earned rating points. Once you have made that decision, when you click on the relevant link you will be taken to a page showing the games that the prospective Coach has played. You can easily check either category of course. If you want to check further, click on any of the game numbers listed and you will then be able to see the game in its entirety. In virtually all such games you will be able to read any messages and chat that the two players may have had and this particular information can be most helpful when you are trying to get a 'feel' for a particular player.
In many cases you will find that your selected Coach will have made use of the unique ChessWorld stem game analysis feature. This may sound rather intimidating but is in fact, extremely simple to use and extremely helpful to you as a student. If your coach chooses to use this option they can stop your game at any time and open a new board, retaining your present position, and then explore some alternative moves with you. In an extended coaching session you may find that your coach will open a number of such games, all of which are preserved on our database so that you can return at a later date to review your progress and understanding.
To check if this is the case with your prospective coach click on the Game tab on any coaching game page that you visit. The top line in this tab may read Friendly Unrated Coaching game , in which case the coach did not use this feature. However, if the top line reads Friendly Unrated Coaching Group game the coach did use the feature, which you will be able to explore by clicking on the Coaching Group link. In such cases you will be able to see exactly how this feature works and you will also see that in each case an extra message space is included so that you can have a series of discussions with your coach.
Once you are completely satisfied that you have made the best choice simply click on the Invite link next to the players name and plan your winning moves!
Understanding chess terms
Visit Improve ... Chess Glossary, a ChessWorld feature that is almost encyclopaedic in its content. Within the many pages you will find clear descriptions and explanations of virtually all specialised chess related terms as well as playable demonstrations and discussions on various aspects of the game.
Measuring playing ability
All Members are given a rating of 1400 when they join ChessWorld. This will vary, in either direction, depending upon the results of any rated games that are played. The ChessWorld rating system is based upon Internationally recognized standards and may be regarded as a reliable measure of your performance whilst playing games on ChessWorld. However, in common with all online chess playing sites our rating is not directly comparable with real life ratings. You may gain some idea of the relative value if you compare the ChessWorld ratings of any Members who also have a published, and Internationally verified, FIDE rating. However, we suggest that you use our rating values as a measure of your personal progress on this site only.
To provide the best possible measurement ChessWorld uses two systems. For the first 50 games we use a simplified system that will show quite significant changes in your rating from game to game. However, as you get nearer to the 50 game total your ChessWorld rating will tend to be much more consistent and a more reliable indication of your playing performance. Once you have completed more than 50 rated games we use the Elo system which will provide you with a consistent measure of your progress over time and over an increasing number of games. For a full explanation of the ChessWorld system, and to use our Elo calculator visit the Ratings FAQ's.
Although you can measure your performance in numerical terms, many Members prefer to make use of our powerful Rating Graph feature which shows all of your results, color coded to distinguish wins, draws and losses, over a default period of 50 games. Optionally, you can choose to superimpose the ratings of your Opponents so that you have an instant graphic display of your performance against players of different abilities. The default period of 50 games can be changed, in increments, up to the maximum number of games you have played, so that you can measure your performance over several years if you so wish. As a further refinement you may choose to display your last 50 wins, draws or losses only, but in this case it is not possible to superimpose Opponent ratings.
The easiest way to access your rating graph is by visiting your Homepage and clicking on the Rating tab, or, alternatively, click on My Stuff ... My Rating and then click on the appropriate link. The Homepage display is a simplified, non-configurable, version but there is a convenient link below the graph which takes you to the full, and colorful(!), version.
ChessWorld statistics
We understand that many chess players like to keep detailed records of their performance and their playing characteristics. With the help of our massive database and some skilfully designed and optimised data analysis methods we can present information about your playing performance is almost microscopic in detail.
At the most basic levels a visit to Play ... My Current Games or Play ... My Completed Games will give you a summary of each game, its duration and opening moves. In addition, where it is appropriate, we provide links to one of the many ChessWorld videos that may be instructive for you. As a convenience to Members we also provide, on the My Current Games page, a small icon to indicate the recent on-line activity of your Opponent(s). This is only a guide and, like the equiivalent comments in the ChessWorld 'Friends' list, does not guarantee that your Opponent is actually on-line at the moment that you check the icon.
The My Completed Games list is limited to your last 50 games, but by visiting My Stuff ... My Rating you will be able to access every game that you have played on ChessWorld.
You can access a much wider range of information by visiting the My Stuff ... menu.
My Games
This is an important page that offers you various options to list your games by result and by color played. This page may be helpful to you when checking on a potential Opponent because you can easily access it from their Homepage and, after opening the Rating tab, scroll down until you can see and click on the See detailed game statistics link. You can also use this page to check the number of rated, unrated and coaching games that you, or your prospective Opponent, have played.
My Rating
This page will show you a quick summary of your performance since you joined ChessWorld, and, below, a list of your last 50 games played. This is the default setting and if you wish to check for details of all of your past games click on the relevant link. You should be aware that if you have played a high number of games the search may take several seconds. As this page is based upon your rated games you will not be able to view any unrated games that you may have played although you may still access them by using the My Games link.
My Pyramids
This page only provides statistics relevant to your current Pyramid status. However, it does also provide you with convenient links to the 20 most popular of our Pyramids, where you can look for an affinity group and check how many active Members are playing on a particular Pyramid. For convenience, and perhaps to help you make up your mind to enrol in your first Pyramid, this page also provides a detailed outline of how ChessWorld Pyramids are managed, with particular reference to promotion, (and demotion), between successive levels.
My Teams
This page may be useful if you are a Member of one or more Teams as it provides details of current Team Members and their Board rankings.
My Tournaments
ChessWorld Tournaments, in all formats, are extremely popular and this page allows you to check on your complete Tournament records, either in their entirety or in specific formats only. The ability to select only those Tournaments which are currently 'In progress' may be especially helpful if you wish to check on the progress that your fellow-competitors are making. In the case of Knock Out Tournaments it can be particularly helpful to check how an Opponent has played in earlier rounds of the Tournament. If you are the Tournament Organiser you will also find useful tools to help you manage the Tournament, some of which will only be available before play commences.
For further advice on Tournaments please refer to our Tournament FAQ's. These FAQ's contain useful guidance for all players explaining how you can create and manage various procedures. The award of Tournament Titles and Tournament norms to Tournament winners can be the cause of some confusion and these processes are dealt with in detail. We advise all Members to make themselves familiar with these FAQ's before they start playing in their first Tournament.
My Other Stuff ... My Opening Statistics
This page can help you to assess your frequency of use, performance, and success, with all, or any, of the classified openings that you may have used as a ChessWorld Member. All of your openings are identified both by their common name and by their ECO code.
The information is presented for all of your games by default but you can easily select your games played as White or Black. You may also choose to display these results ordered by ECO code if you find that that would be more convenient.
If your interest is in a more detailed search you can use the Search games by Move Entry option. This presents you with a board with the pieces in their starting positions and you can enter any sequence of (legal) moves, using click and click, that you wish to explore before pressing the Submit button. If there any games in our database with those specific moves you will see tables listing game results and number of games with White and Black. There is also a convenient link that will take you to a list of your own games where that sequence of moves has been played.
For Members who may wish to explore their Openings in a tree view format the relevant option displays results in an ordered list showing Opening move(s) together with Win, Loss, Draw statistics. In some cases the sequence of moves that you played led to games being won by you. If the overall performance was significantly beyond normal chance then you will also find a brief assessment of 'Good' or 'Very Good' appended to the display. In these cases you may feel encouraged to work further with the openings and build upon previous successes.
You should be aware that not all games can be easily classified and it is possible that some of your own games fall into this category, for example when you or your Opponent have made one, or more, quite unconventional opening moves that are not normally classed as 'standard' and may not have been allocated an ECO code. You can attempt to more properly classify any such games by using the ChessWorld 'Retrospective Opening Classification Tool'; simply click on the Try and classify ... link at the top left side of the page. This powerful and unique tool will re-examine all of your unclassified games and attempt to classify them into the appropriate ECO grouping or code. Initially you will see a summary of the number of any such unclassified games that you may have played. The tool then tries to index each game in sequence, and if successful moves on the next game. If a match is found you will see a brief note showing the common name of the opening and the reference number that identifies that Opening in our database. In some cases a number of similar matches will be found and you may see that a game has been matched to two or more entries in our database. However, although this is a powerful tool, there may be times when it cannot find any corresponding entry in our database. In such cases you will see message explaining that the game has been skipped.
My Other Stuff ... My Positions
This page does not present any statistical information but you may find it useful after using the My Stuff ... My Other Stuff ... My Openings page. For example, you may have found that even after attempting to re-classify one of your games there is still no entry within our database. You may feel that this is, perhaps, an omission on our part, and you may feel that the position in question deserves wider recognition. In such cases you could submit the details using this page; however, you should be aware that any such submissions are always checked for their intrinsic value to ChessWorld by Admin before they are finally accepted. This process may take several days so we advise patience. If Admins find that you are submitting frivolous or irrelevant material you may be referred to the WebMaster for a final decision.
Using statistics to improve your game
There are various ways that you can use ChessWorld statistics to improve your game. The most obvious, and perhaps simplest, is to take care in your choice of Opponent. Playing Opponents much stronger, or weaker, than you are may give you a misleading impression of your playing ability. Playing very strong Opponents can give you some practice in dealing with complex situations but if you are being outclassed your level of understanding may be inappropriate to fully appreciate some of the subtleties of the game. If you are playing against very weak Opponents, you may find that winning is relatively easy but equally, there may not be enough quality in your Opponents play to really test your own capabilities. We suggest, as a rough guide, that you look for Opponents in the range of +/- 200 points or so of your current ChessWorld rating, although of course, the choice, as with everything at ChessWorld, is yours.
Once you have decided upon an appropriate level of playing strength with which you feel happy, you should perhaps consider the quality of your prospective Opponents. This can be assessed quite easily by visiting their Homepage and clicking on the Rating tab. The default display may not be too helpful in providing you with the depth of information that you are looking for so we suggest that you click on the See more detailed Rating Graph link. This will present you with a full analysis of your Opponent’s performance for their past 50 games, which you can amend if you so wish. A quick check will probably show that your Opponent has had a mixture of wins, draws and losses over that period. This is quite normal and may reassure you that you have chosen wisely. However, if the graph shows a preponderance of wins, for example, you may feel that the player is rather stronger than you initially thought. To check this in greater depth, select the Default + Ratings option. This will superimpose the ratings of all players that your prospective Opponent met over the course of the past 50 games. If the majority of those ratings, (shown as a line graph for clarity), show that the various players had a lower rating than your prospective Opponent you may begin to feel that perhaps the preponderance of wins may be due more to playing weaker Opponents rather than a demonstrable ability level. In such cases you may wish to start again and look for a more 'balanced' player. To summarise: a typical good quality Opponent will usually have a Rating graph that shows a mixture of results played against a mixture of playing abilities. If you see that then you have chosen wisely.
Another way to improve your game is to make sure that you allow yourself sufficient time to plan, and make, your moves. Remember that you need to allow some time for this, depending upon your personal approach to your game, and also to allow for the various restrictions that your lifestyle and working arrangements impose. If you choose a short time limit, and find that you have limited free time and availability you will be forced into a situation whereby you will make ill-planned moves and by so doing begin to lose games. We suggest that you choose a time limit that is convenient for you, allowing you time to plan and make your moves and, above all avoids putting too much pressure on your other time. If you can find players who also share the same preference for the time limit that suits you and, as a bonus find players who tend to make most of their moves within the time limit then you will feel more relaxed about playing. Many Members find it hard to play against an Opponent who makes virtually every move at the last minute, even when a response is obvious. Although such extended tactics are quite within the rules, Members frequently express irritation about such Opponents. Of course, in such cases, there is always the obvious, and unavoidable risk that a sudden computer failure, or a lack of Internet connectivity, will mean that such players can be claimed against on time. To give you reassurance that your proposed Opponent is a typical player, who tends to move well within the time limit on all of their games, we suggest that you visit their Homepage and check out the ChessWorld 'Average Time to move' clocks which you will find in the About tab.
However, despite all of the above, one of the most effective ways to improve your game is to study the results that you get from using different Openings. Do you play better with some Openings playing White and with different opening responses when playing with Black?
Visit My Other Stuff ... My Opening Statistics which was discussed in detail in the ChessWorld Statistics section, above. The default display shows information for all of your games, but you can choose to display your games by color if you wish to simplify the display. Select the entry which shows you the most games played with a specified opening. Click on the ECO code link which appears in the right-most column, headed W/D/L for ECO Group . This will take you to a page showing you your performance over all games in which you played the chosen Opening, displayed both numerically and graphically. You will need to look carefully at the statistics displayed but, as an indication of what can be deduced, assume that in your chosen Opening you have played 100 games with each color. Your statistics may show that, with White, you won, or drew, the greater majority of your games, but, when playing with Black, you actually lost the majority of your games. This may suggest that your responses, when playing with Black, are in some way lacking in sharpness. You may therefore decide to study a number of games, (perhaps from our 'Masters Collection'), and attempt to learn some better strategies. You may, of course, decide that, based upon this evidence, you should try and avoid playing with Black when faced with that particular opening. This may improve your overall statistical performance but it will not help you to improve your game!
When viewing this page you could also check the results for every individual game, by color, and select several of those games for further study. In that case, simply click on the Play through link which will allow you to scroll backwards and forwards through the game to better understand each move. If you click on the Game number link in the left-most column you will see the normal ChessWorld play page which would allow you to read any messages that may have been exchanged with your Opponent but will not allow you to play through the game until you click on the appropriate link that appears on every play page.
Remember that, with many Openings, the optimum responses can vary depending upon the color with which you are playing. As a very general guide, you may see that some Openings have been allocated a range of ECO codes; this suggests that there are a number of variations any or all of which you may wish to explore further. You can explore many of these variations in greater detail by visiting Improve ... Learn about Openings or by clicking on the Opening Identified link which appears on all play pages for both current and completed games.
Using the tools on the play page
There are several tools available on the play page which may be helpful in studying your game before you move, or in preparing for several potential responses from your Opponent.
The Analyse button provides a convenient area to examine potential moves. You may either opt for the large or small versions of this board, although most Members will probably find that the smaller display, accessed via the 'smaller' button, is more convenient because it does not obscure the playing area.
This board allows you play through the game up to the current position, to help you identify any potential errors or weaknesses and then, when the current position has been reached, allows you to experiment with various moves and expected countermoves from your Opponent. Any moves made are restricted to this board only and are not copied to the main play page. When you have found a suitable response return to the play page and enter your move in the usual manner. This procedure is intentional and protects you from making any inadvertent errors.
The Analyse button is also available on the My Current Games page, on any Tournament Crosstable and for games listed on the Rating Information page.
The Play Through option acts in a similar manner to the Analyse option but does not give you any opportunity to plan future moves. This board is probably most convenient for any post game analysis that you may wish to carry out.
The Planning Notepad feature allows you to keep your own, private, notes for any game - your Opponent cannot see them! If you open this link you will be presented with a thumbnail graphic showing the current position, with a link to the smaller Analyse board underneath. You can open the Analyse board and still be able to use the Planning Notepad by toggling between the two. There is a convenient link on the Planning Notepad that allows you to attach the notepad to the play page which you may find helpful if you prefer to simply make your own private notes rather than carry out any detailed analysis. When this link is clicked a new tab, ( Note ), is opened at the right hand end of the tab row which you can use as you wish. The notepad works in exactly the same way as the Message box; simply enter your text in the input box and click the Note button to the right. When there is any text stored in the Planning Notepad an asterisk, (*), is added to the Note * tab as a reminder when you return to the game later. Any text entered is automatically duplicated in the main Planning Notepad so that you can switch between the two whenever you wish without losing any important information.
To remove the Planning Notepad from the play page simply visit the main Planning Notepad and click on the Remove private ... link at the top of the screen. The contents of the Planning Notepad are only visible to you, but, if you choose to utilise the play page display option, take care not to confuse the Planning Notepad with the ordinary message box! Although your Opponent may be happy to know what you are planning, it is unlikely that you will share their point of view!
The Export Game PGN link is useful to those Members wishing to copy their game to their own local database or into their own analysis engine for post game analysis. The file conforms to the current PGN standard and should be compatible with any third party software that you choose to use. This feature is not intended to assist in the analysis of current games with chess engines, a practice which is in breach of our Terms and Conditions.
For the convenience of Members an equivalent PGN button is provided on completed games in any Tournament Crosstable. The Completed Games page also includes a PGN link.
Depending upon the state of the game other options become available: Opening Identified , Position Search and Endgame Search . The use of any of these options utilises our powerful database of past games and will offer you various choices, as appropriate, to help you. The use of these features is permissible during any game and is recognised as being equivalent to manual research procedures utilised during conventional 'correspondence style' games.
The Tactics Training option is provided to encourage use of our extensive Puzzle library. Although the solution of conventional chess problems and puzzles does not necessarily appeal to everyone, nevertheless, any time and effort expended in solving our puzzles helps to improve your tactical strengths and powers of deduction.
Other ways to improve your game
Apart from the range of analytical tools that ChessWorld provides we also offer several convenient alternatives.
Many players can benefit by a careful study of older, sometimes ‘classic' games, and our Masters Collection contains over two million such games. Any of these can be opened by visiting Improve ... Learn from the Masters or Improve ... Play like the Masters. Within these two sections you will find a selection of powerful search tools which enable you to find games, players and even opening moves that will meet your current interest. If you need further guidance on this unique database resource visit the Masters Collection section of our Features FAQ's
Even though a careful study of past games can be helpful, many players may find it difficult to manage their available time, due to the pressures of work and everyday life. In such cases we strongly recommend that studying any of our unique ChessWorld videos is a profitable use of valuable time. These videos concentrate on the important points of the game and emphasise those points where a detailed understanding is needed. You can pause and rewind as often as you like to review the content, and return at a later time to refresh your understanding. There are several thousand of these videos, with further videos being added on a regular basis, all hosted on YouTube, so that you can access them at any time. Each video has been produced by the WebMaster, an experienced and highly rated FIDE player, so that each video can be regarded as being both instructive and authoritative. There are various links to different video selections that you may find around the site but the most convenient and efficient way to access them, and to more closely focus your search, is to visit the Videos menu which offers a range of choices and a continually updated list of the latest ChessWorld video releases. The content ranges from informed discussions about past Master games, current Championship games and the innovative 'live' commentaries where the WebMaster records his thinking as he moves against his Opponents in 'blitz' games. Although ChessWorld is dedicated to, and encourages, 'correspondence style' play, an appreciation of how a highly skilled player analyses his moves against the pressure of time can be helpful when playing conventional chess.
For the convenience of Members, we provide, via the Improve menu, the option to use our Play the Computer feature. This allows you to make use of a fully functional chess engine which provides you with several levels of difficulty. As a means to improving your game we suggest that you play a few games at the lowest level until you feel that you can 'win' on a regular basis, before you try playing against the next higher level. Even playing a few games on a daily, or weekly, basis should help you gain insights into the game and your responses to specific counter moves. You can change the color with which you play and select a preferred opening from a short list of options.
This engine is not suitable for post-game analysis. The use of a chess engine to provide assistance when playing any current game is in breach of our Terms and Conditions.
Books are often a much undervalued resource when trying to better understand, or improve, your game. Many Members have extensive collections of Chess books and list them on their homepage under the Content tab. Many of the books listed have been reviewed by Members and you can click on any one of the relevant links to check if the book you are interested in offers you the quality and content that appeals to you. We also provide a convenient area for Members to discuss their own, and others, books. Visit Forums ... Chess Books and check the latest posts.
Annotating games
Any ChessWorld Member, with a rating higher than 1500, is able to make use of our Annotation feature. This powerful and instructive feature allows Members to critically analyse their own, and others, games, exploring possible errors or interesting variations. Although annotations are usually composed after a game has been completed, it is possible for Members to make a start, but not publish, whilst a game is in play. By default, all annotations are hidden from public viewing, (marked as being 'in progress'), until the author is satisfied with the quality of the comments and analysis. It is considered to be a basic courtesy to the other player(s) involved to inform them before any annotation is published. After publication it is always possible for Members to offer feedback and in such cases the original author is able to make corrections and enhancements.
Although the use of computer based analysis is permitted in any annotation, it is important that any such analysis is clearly explained. A brief acknowledgment of the engine used is also helpful to other Members.
It is also possible for any Member to submit one, or more, of their games for independent annotation by using the Request Annotation link that may be found on any completed game page or, perhaps more conveniently, on the Completed Games page. Adjacent to these links there is also an Annotate this Game link which provides a convenient way to access the 'Annotation' feature.
For further, detailed, information on the Annotation feature please refer to the Annotations section of the Features FAQ's.
Move notifications
For the convenience of all Members, whenever a player makes a move ChessWorld sends an Email to their Opponent. If you do not wish to receive such Emails you can change this default setting by visiting My Stuff ... My Email and unchecking the Turn Chess Move Email ON box. Full Members may select the option to have the move notifications sent in HTML format which describes the move made and also includes a graphic display of the board awaiting your move showing the pieces in their current positions.
ChessWorld Emails, regardless of topic, are despatched immediately from our servers. However, in common with all Internet based operations, once our Emails have left our server we have no control as to the speed, or reliability of delivery, nor have we any control over the way that your ISP handles their traffic. We advise you to make regular visits to the site to check for any important information, and particularly Opponent moves, rather than rely solely on Email.
You should be aware that we use your Email address, which is shown on the My Stuff ... My Email, page for all of our communications with you. If you suspect, or experience, any failure in delivery we advise you to check your Email configuration. For further, detailed, information on managing your Email settings please refer to the Email section of our General FAQ's
Messaging my Opponent
ChessWorld encourages all Members to take advantage of our messaging facilities. We provide a convenient message box in the Chat tab, which appears on every Play page, so that you may, if you wish, hold a 'conversation' with your Opponent during the game.
If you find that the box is a little small and inconvenient when entering longer messages you can simply scroll down the screen where you will be able to use a much larger box, which also has the added feature of a preview function which can be used by clicking on the Prev button. Whichever message box you use you are able include any of the range of emoticons which you can access by clicking on the 'smiley' button to the left of the message box. Select your icon and click on it - the necessary code will be automatically added to your message. When your Opponent sees the message he or she will see the appropriate graphic.
As all game pages can be viewed at any time by any Member it is possible that, from time to time, another, visiting, Member may add a few comments to your conversation. This is quite acceptable provided that any such contribution does not include any game related comments or make suggestions for 'better' or 'winning' moves.
If you feel that a visiting Member has added some unfair comments or has provided undue assistance to your Opponent please contact the HelpDesk immediately. We view all such breaches of game ethics most seriously.
You should be aware that our Terms and Conditions give clear guidelines regarding 'Member Conduct'. In particular, any use of offensive, provocative or derogatory language is not permitted and in such cases we reserve the right to take whatever action we deem necessary to resolve the situation.
Messaging other Members
You can message any other ChessWorld Member in two different ways. You can go to their Homepage and simply click on the Leave Message link, or you can visit My Stuff ... My Messages and open the My Compose link. This will take you to the same message creation page but you will need to add the Member nickname in the appropriate box.
We suggest, however, that perhaps the most convenient means to create a message, and to keep a copy of that message, is to visit My Stuff ... My Notepads and use the features provided therein. You can create your message and refine it as you wish and then save it. When you wish to forward the finished message you simply click on the Msg link that appears to the right of your message. This will take you to the same outgoing message box, with the text already entered, leaving you to simply add the Member nickname.
Be aware that there is a limit on the total length of any message that you post although, as this is around 1500 words you should not have any problems.
It is not possible to send copies of any message to multiple address simultaneously as we do not permit any bulk postings that could be misinterpreted as 'spam'. If you wish to communicate simultaneously with fellow Members in one of our Tournaments you may wish to consider the option of using a dedicated Tournament Forum. If such a Forum has not been set up, contact the Tournament creator, who will make the necessary arrangements.
You should be aware that our Terms and Conditions give clear guidelines regarding 'Member Conduct'. In particular, any use of offensive, provocative or derogatory language is not permitted and in such cases we reserve the right to take whatever action we deem necessary to resolve the situation.
Sharing personal details with other Members
ChessWorld respects the privacy of all Members and we do not, under any circumstances, disclose your Email address to any third party. If you wish to change your Email address at any time you should visit My Stuff ... My Email and make any necessary corrections or changes. We cannot do this for you as your account details are protected by your password. If you forget your password you can use the appropriate link on the ChessWorld login page which will send the information via an automated email to the address that you have entered on our database. To protect your privacy and security we will not forward password details to you by any other means.
If you wish to share your personal details, such as your Email address, with any other Member then that is at your sole discretion; we cannot accept responsibility for any dispute, harassment or offensive mailings in such cases. If you intend to exchange any such details with another Member we suggest that you use our Homepage message service which allows you exchange private messages that cannot be seen by any other Member.
We strongly advise you to exercise caution if you are asked to provide personal details by any other Member or you are asked, by another Member, to sponsor their membership. If, and at your sole discretion, you do offer to pay for, or provide a gift subscription, using any method of payment other than that provided by our Service Agents, PayPal and WorldPay, you do so at your own risk.
If you are experiencing technical issues and you contact the HelpDesk, we may, exceptionally, ask you to provide your Password so that we can investigate in detail. All communications and their content, between you and the ChessWorld HelpDesk are entirely confidential and, other than yourself, may only be accessed by the WebMaster and members of the Admin team.
ChessWorld Forums
ChessWorld provides a wide range of Forums to cater for most Chess related interests. We also provide a popular Social Forum, the ChessWorld Cafe, which is always active with social chit-chat.
We encourage all Members to visit our Forums, if only to read what other Members are discussing. Of course any and all contributions are welcomed, subject only to the restraints of relevance and good taste. We are proud of our reputation for maintaining vigorous discussions without causing offence to any of our Members.
In addition, all Tournament creators have the option to set up their own private Forum that is only open to the players in that Tournament, giving them a chance to talk about their games, their ideas or, indeed, anything in which they share a common interest.
We also encourage all of our Members to view, and when they feel it is appropriate, contribute to the Suggestions Forum, (the Site Improvement Forum). Many ChessWorld features have been refined and enhanced as a result of Member contributions to this Forum. Members of the Admin team read all posts to this Forum but, in general, do not respond. However if a completely new feature, or a major enhancement, has been suggested, we may add comments to explain any specific points in detail, or, exceptionally, to comment upon the practicality of the suggestion.
Check out some of the most interesting Forums by visiting Forums ... Latest Posts or Forums ... Index.
ChessWorld Awards
All players can earn an exclusive ChessWorld rating giving them an easy way to compare the abilities of different Opponents. However, an alternative measure of performance is the number of Tournaments that have been won.
- Winners of our All-play-All Tournaments are awarded a ChessWorld norm, indicated by a 'cup' icon.
- Winners of our Knock Out Tournaments are awarded a ChessWorld norm, indicated by a 'medal' icon.
- Players in a winning Team are awarded a ChessWorld norm, indicated by a larger 'cup' icon.
As soon as the first norm in each category has been awarded, the appropriate icon appears alongside the player name on the Play page; the actual number of such norms achieved can be viewed by rolling the mouse over the relevant icon. As more Tournaments are won, and as the number of norms accumulates, we award players with one of a range of ChessWorld Titles.
For details of how norms are awarded, and the range of Titles that may be achieved, visit the Tournaments FAQ's where you will find full explanations.
It is also possible to earn one of our more specific icons such as a 'scroll' when you have welcomed or referred Full Members. Other icons that may be awarded are a 'parchment' when you have annotated a minimum number of games and satisfied the quality checks that we always make on such content, a 'jigsaw piece' if you have successfully solved more than 5 of our Puzzles and a 'light bulb' if one of your suggestions has been judged by the WebMaster to be exceptionally good. These icons are automatically awarded when you have satisfied the relevant conditions.
We also award a 'globe' icon that can be displayed after you have played Opponents from more than 20 different countries. In this case we do not add this to your play page automatically; to display the icon simply visit Join Games ... Search by Country and click on the appropriate link which you will find near the top of the page.
Booking a holiday
The ChessWorld holiday scheme is simple to use. Every player is entitled to reserve up to 35 days in any calendar year as 'holiday' time. This means that when you are on a booked holiday none of your Opponents may claim a win against you on time. However, as the ChessWorld clock never stops running it is possible for you to make a similar claim against an Opponent who is not on holiday. We are aware that the use of the holiday period can be the cause of some misunderstanding: the following explanation may be helpful.
We allow any Member to book holiday time; we do not restrict their activity whilst they are 'on holiday' so that it is possible, if they wish, to continue to make moves. For example, a player may be travelling to a distant destination for a family holiday where they would normally expect to have a complete break from the game. However, they may take a laptop with them, or visit an Internet Cafe and log on to ChessWorld to make a few moves. This is perfectly acceptable and we place no restrictions at all - after all you are free to use your holiday as you wish in real life!
There may be occasions where you suspect that an Opponent has deliberately placed themselves on holiday simply to delay making their next move - they may be in difficulties or they might be applying some degree of 'gamesmanship'. There is nothing in our Terms and Conditions which prevents such behaviour although we certainly deplore it. However, regardless of how or why the holiday is taken the upper limit is 35 days so that any reckless use of holiday time to manipulate ratings or results cannot be continued indefinitely.
To book your holiday visit My Stuff ... My Holiday and enter the appropriate details; we have provided a simple, clickable, calendar to help you enter the dates in the correct format. Please be aware that we automatically add an extra day to your holiday booking, as long as that does not exceed your 35 day limit. This is however, optional, and you may uncheck the option if you do not wish to allow yourself an extra day in case your return from holiday is delayed for any reason. When you return to base on schedule, or early, simply visit the My Stuff ... My Holiday page and cancel any unused whole days which will then be added to your remaining annual entitlement.
Encouraging newcomers
As a thriving community, ChessWorld welcomes all players, of all abilities. We understand that, for newcomers, navigating around the site can be quite challenging. Our team of Welcomers have all volunteered to help newcomers during their first few games and are always willing to answer any questions that may arise.
Apart from the game(s) that may be played with Welcomers, all newcomers also have the option to join one of our Guest Welcoming Tournaments. These are based on the four-player, 3 days per move, 'All-play-All' format and are automated so that as soon as there are four players enrolled, the Tournament begins. Players in these Tournaments, especially if they are new to Tournament play, need to be aware that in such a Tournament there are six games to be played, three with each colour. Of course, as with conventional games, the player with White has to make the first move; if they fail to do this it is possible that their Opponent will simply wait for the time limit to expire and then claim the game.
As an incentive to our Welcomers we do offer them a two month extension to their ChessWorld subscription for every newcomer that they have met and encouraged to become a Full Member. For further information on our Welcomer programme please visit the Welcomers FAQ's where you will find guidance for both the newcomer and the Welcomer.
At a more general level, the ChessWorld Admin team can also offer advice and suggestions at any time. Visit Help ... Contact the HelpDesk or view our comprehensive FAQ pages.
Configuring ChessWorld
Although we have tried to provide, by default, an attractive interface, we understand that many Members, for a variety of reasons, like to tweak their browser interface to suit their own preferences and circumstances. Although it is not possible for a Member to change certain fundamental components of our many pages it is nevertheless possible to change a number of the visual aspects of the pages.
Visit My Stuff ... My Interface to check out the numerous features that you are able to tweak and rearrange.
We provide you with the choice of two menus, with identical functionality. The only difference is that one option, (Menu system 4), scrolls with the page and the other, (Menu system 5), remains fixed to the top of your viewport when you scroll a page.
The appearance of the ChessWorld menu and the ChessWorld buttons, background color, font size, style and highlight color can all be changed at will. However, you should be aware that even though you can increase the text size within the buttons, the button size itself does not change, so that in the more extreme cases you may have a visually unattractive effect.
It is not possible to change the font style, (font family), within the body of our pages. We have carefully chosen our default font style so as to provide text that is easy to read in all browsers. The background color for all of your pages can be changed to suit your personal preferences but we advise you to check that you do not reduce the legibility of our text.
The color of the playing board can be changed, selecting from a number of attractive options. Once you have chosen a board style that appeals to you it is possible, on all options except 'Meridia', to resize the board as well. You can resize the board from any play page using the + Board Size - link, below the board, to change the size. When you are satisfied with the result click the Store link.
You may find it helpful when reading the My Current Games page, or any one of our many statistics pages, to highlight alternate rows making them easier to read. This highlighting also enhances the readability of our Forums. You can change the 'light' and 'dark' row colors using the ChessWorld Color Picker, which also allows you to see the contrast between the text and the background color. If you prefer to select from a range of predefined color combinations either visit the My Current Games page, or click on the table customisation link which will take you direct to the same page. Once you are on that page click on Customise colors to view the current range.
When you are changing colors we suggest that you use the handy ChessWorld Color Picker, which is available where appropriate, to change or modify your color schemes. You may, however, prefer to use our Color Chart which offers you a side by side comparison with a wide range of colors, which you may use by entering the appropriate hexadecimal color codes.
You can reposition certain buttons to suit your own preferences and these options are clearly shown on the My Interface page. On the play page we provide, by default, a 'tabbed' style of presentation which gives you quick and easy access to a number of sources of information, all of which can be viewed without excessive scrolling of the page. You can combine this option with several styles of the message box, which appears on every play page, for the convenience of those Members who enjoy a 'conversation' with their Opponent during the game.
There are a number of other options that you may wish to explore before finally setting up your preferred configuration.
When you login, you can select the Auto-login option which you will find on the My Stuff ... My Login page. If you have already checked the Auto-login option on the login page and you wish to remove the option in future, you must visit this page to uncheck the option, otherwise you will still be automatically logged in next time you visit ChessWorld.
You may change a number of Email related options by visiting My Stuff ... My Email. In particular you can change your preferences for various invitations to suit your current preferences, depending upon, for example, your current game load. If you change your personal Email address at any time, please ensure that you record the change on this page, otherwise there is no way in which we can contact you in future!
We provide, by default, a continual move-log on the left hand side of the play page. However, if you find that the presentation does not meet your personal preference, visit My Stuff ... My Moves and select from one of the various options provided. These options are explained in detail in the My Moves section of the Preferences FAQ's.
You can also use the My Stuff ... My Moves page to set your preference for the movement of pieces, or adjust the action after you have made a move. An important option on this page allows to you to make use of our Conditional Moves feature, which is explained in detail in our Conditional Moves FAQ's.
Please feel free to explore the various possibilities but we do suggest that you make a note of your preferred settings so that you may reuse them in the future, or if you have tried one of our default settings.
Getting Help and Support
If you need help at any time we suggest that you first check our extensive FAQ pages, using the links below to take you direct to the relevant section. Our FAQ's provide advice and assistance for virtually all of the issues that you may encounter.
If you still have problems, or there is something that you cannot understand, please contact the HelpDesk by visiting Help ... Contact the HelpDesk. A member of the Admin team will answer your question as quickly as possible; we will notify you by Email when your post has been answered. You can also check the answer(s) at any time by visiting Help ... My HelpDesk Posts.
All posts to the HelpDesk, and the replies, are entirely confidential between you and the Admin team. No other Member can access them at any time.
See the following FAQ's for detailed information...
Preferences
Message the HelpDesk.
To help us help you, remember to include all relevant details, for example, Game number, Tournament number, Operating system or Browser type!
You may also wish to discuss any issues that you encounter, or seek advice from other Members, by posting to the Advanced Help, Newbies or Suggestions Forums which can be accessed by visiting the Forums ... menu. In common with all ChessWorld Forums, with the exception of the HelpDesk, postings to these Forums are visible to all Members.