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Xref: bloom-picayune.mit.edu rec.games.chess:20249 news.answers:4628 Newsgroups: rec.games.chess,news.answers Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!micro-heart-of-gold.mit.edu!xn.ll.mit.edu!ames!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!yale.edu!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!shauck From: shauck@netcom.com (William R. Shauck) Subject: rec.games.chess Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 92/11/15 Message-ID: <chess-faq_724486525@netcom.com> Followup-To: poster Keywords: chess FAQ semimonthly answers Reply-To: shauck@netcom.com Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) References: <chess-faq-toc_724486311@netcom.com> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 06:15:43 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Expires: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 06:15:25 GMT Lines: 1151 Archive-name: chess-faq/part1 This twice-monthly posting (1st and 15th) is intended to address some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the rec.games.chess newsgroup. Because the answers may not be complete, please feel free to ask questions. This is only intended to address first-level concerns, and not to stifle discussions. The table of contents for this FAQ list is given in a separate posting. The FAQ list was last revised on Nov. 15th. Please address changes to shauck@netcom.com. [1] Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) ----------------------------------------------- FIDE (pronounced "fee-day") is an international chess organization that organizes tournaments (e.g. Olympiad), grants titles, and controls the World Championship cycle. Write to: Federation Internationale des Echecs, Abendweg 1, P.O. Box 2841, CH-6002 Lucerne, Switzerland. Phone 041 41 513378,9; fax 041 41 515846. FIDE grants three over-the-board titles: FIDE Master (FM), International Master (IM), and International Grandmaster (IGM; but more commonly just "Grandmaster" and "GM"). FM can be obtained by keeping your FIDE rating over 2300 for 25 games. IM and GM titles require performances at certain levels for 25-30 games (2450 for IM and 2600 for GM). This is usually achieved by obtaining several "norms." A norm is obtained when a player makes at least a given score in a FIDE tournament. The required score is a function of the number of rounds and the strength of the opposition. There are also minimum rating requirements. There are about 35 GM's, 60 IM's, and 100 FM's living in the U.S., not all of whom are active players. FIDE also grants titles for which only women are eligible: FIDE Woman Master, International Woman Master (IWM; but _Chess Life_ often uses "Woman International Master" and "WIM") and International Woman Grandmaster (WGM). Women are also eligible for the other titles. FIDE also grants titles for Chess Composition, Composition Judging, Tournament Direction (as "Arbiter"), and Correspondence Chess; and maintains a separate rating list (and titles) for "Action chess" (G/30). There is another international organization that sometimes competes with and sometimes cooperates with FIDE: the Grandmasters Association (GMA). It has been involved in disputes with FIDE. For its address see [14]. [2] The United States Chess Federation (USCF) --------------------------------------------- The USCF is the national chess organization of the United States. It does several things: (1) computes ratings for players who play in USCF-rated tournaments, (2) publishes a monthly magazine called _Chess Life_, (3) sponsors national over-the-board tournaments such as the National Open and the U.S. Open, and a variety of correspondence (postal) tournaments, and (4) officially represents the interests of chess in the U.S. to international chess organizations. Most over-the-board tournaments held in the U.S. are USCF-rated. This means that to play in them, you must join the USCF (this can normally be done at the tournament site if you prefer). _Chess Life_ includes a listing, sorted by state, of USCF-rated tournaments to be held in the following few months. It periodically publishes the addresses of all state chess organizations (see [14]). It also has chess news, games from the U.S. and around the world, instructional and enjoyment articles, and embedded catalogs from which you can purchase books and equipment. Regular memberships are $30/year, including a _Chess Life_ subscription. Youth memberships (same benefits) for age 19 & under are $15/year. Scholastic memberships for age 19 and under (provides a bimonthly publication called _School Mates_ instead of _Chess Life_) are $7/year. Senior memberships (age 65 and over) are $20/year. Life memberships are $600 or can be had by paying double the regular membership rate for 10 years running. _Chess Life_ subscription (without membership): $33/year. Write to: United States Chess Federation, 186 Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553-7698. Phone 800-388-5464 or 914-562-8350. Those with access to Internet e-mail have an active member of the USCF staff available. IM Elliott Winslow is Assistant Editor of _Chess Life_, and can be reached at ekw@world.std.com. [3] Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) ------------------------------------ The CFC maintains ratings of all players in good standing, runs tournaments, attempts to promote chess in Canada, and sells equipment to both members and non-members. Members get a subscription to _En Passant_, a bimonthly magazine. The rating system used by the CFC is the Elo system, also used by the USCF and FIDE. Local variations make CFC ratings from 25-200 points lower than USCF ratings for players of similar ability. Dues range from $25-$45 (Canadian), depending on province of residence. Junior memberships range from $15-$25 (Canadian). Life memberships are also available, depending on age. Write to: Chess Federation of Canada, 2212 Gladwin Crescent, E-1(b), Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 5N1, Canada. Phone 613-733-2844; fax 613-733-5209. [4] American Chess Foundation (ACF) ----------------------------------- The American Chess Foundation promotes chess in the U.S. It sponsors some promising young players and contributes money toward large tournaments (e.g., the U.S. Championship). Write to: American Chess Foundation (President Fan Adams, Executive Director Allan Kaufman), P.O. Box 302, Flushing, NY 11358. Phone 718-353-1456. [5] Ratings (with FIDE top-10 list) ----------------------------------- Different countries have different rating systems. The most common system in use is called the Elo system, named after its inventor. An excellent book on the subject is _The Rating of Chessplayers, Past & Present_ by Arpad E. Elo (copyright 1978; ISBN 0-668-04721-6). FIDE and the USCF use the Elo system, although in the USCF there have been some adjustments and additions in the past which have distorted USCF ratings vis-a-vis systems which have been "pure Elo" forever. The 10 players rated highest by FIDE as of July 1992 (Helsingin Sanomat): 1. Garri Kasparov (Russia) 2790 2. Vasili Ivantschuk (Ukraine) 2720 3. Anatoli Karpov (Russia) 2715 4. Aleksey Shirov (Latvia) 2710 5. Viswanathan Anand (India) 2690 6. Boris Gelfand (Byelorussia) 2685 7. Nigel Short (England) 2680 8. Yevgeni Bareev (Russia) 2670 9. Jan Timman (Holland) 2665 10-11. Gata Kamsky (USA) 2655 10-11. Valeri Salov (Spain/Russia) 2655 FIDE maintains a separate women's rating list; its top 10 players (ibid): 1. Judit Polgar (Hungary) 2575 2. Zsuzsa Polgar (Hungary) 2540 3. Pia Cramling (Sweden) 2530 4. Maya Tshiburdanidze (Georgia) 2505 5. Jun Xie (China) 2480 6. Zsofia Polgar (Hungary) 2445 7. Nana Ioseliani (Georgia) 2445 8. Ketevan Arakhamia (Georgia) 2435 9. Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) 2435 10. Svetlana Matveyeva (Russia) 2435 USCF has rating classes as follows (with number in class as of Oct. 1991): Senior Master 2400 and above 211 players Master 2200 - 2399 842 players Expert 2000 - 2199 2,475 players Class A 1800 - 1999 3,938 players Class B 1600 - 1799 4,910 players Class C 1400 - 1599 5,274 players Class D 1200 - 1399 4,793 players Class E below 1200 5,968 players There are more USCF members than the total 28,411 listed here. These are just those who have been active in tournaments recently. The average rating on this list is 1566. Your rating is determined by your results and the ratings of the players you play against. There is no hard and fast relationship between the various rating scales. For Grandmasters, their USCF rating *averages around* 100 points higher than their FIDE rating. This difference seems to increase with weaker players. Some attempts are being made by USCF to remedy this. One question which often arises is: Do Elo historical ratings of famous players of the past enable us to predict how well they would do against present day players? Some discussion of this issue occurred in (the now discontinued) _Chess Notes_ in 1988. Edward Winter wrote, "Elo's retrospective rankings look less and less convincing the more one studies them. For example, George Walker is attributed 2360, the same as George Botterill in January 1988 (who has thus had the benefit of insight into a century and a half of chess development since Walker's time)." Ken Whyld responded this "shows a misunderstanding of ELO. The ratings do not reflect how a player from a past age would fare against a present-day player. . . . Elo's figures measure competitive ability, NOT the quality of play. . . . In chess we can only know the standing of players within the pool of which they are a part. It is idle speculation to make comparisons between discrete periods." Arpad Elo himself then got into the discussion, saying, "The historical ratings have generated controversy partly because people misunderstand what they represent . . . Mr. Ken Whyld . . . correctly points out how ratings should be viewed, i.e., as a measure of competitive ability, and that proper comparisons can be made only between players of the same milieu. . . . There is also a fundamental point that should not be overlooked: the rating scale itself is an arbitrary scale, open ended, . . . with no reproducible fixed points." [6] How USCF Ratings are Calculated ----------------------------------- The following is a simplified version of how the USCF rating system works; for a full version, write to the USCF (see [2]). *** For the first 20 games (provisional rating): *** Take the rating of the opponent +400 if the player wins. Take the rating of the opponent -400 if the player loses. Take the rating of the opponent if the game is a draw. Average these numbers. (If unrated players play other unrated players, this requires several iterations of the above.) *** After 20 games (established rating): *** The maximum amount a player can win or lose per game (called the "K" factor) varies according to rating. Players rated under 2100 have a 32-point maximum; players rated 2100-2399 have a 24-point maximum, and players rated 2400 and up have a 16-point maximum. (In a "1/4 K" tournament, divide these maximums by four.) If players of equal rating play, the loser loses half of the maximum, the winner gains the same amount. No change for a draw. If players of unequal rating play, the higher-rated player gains fewer points for a win, but loses more points for a loss. (The lower-rated player does the opposite, of course.) A higher-rated player loses points for a draw; a lower-rated player gains points. For players rated 400 or so points apart, the maximum rating change is used for an upset, and the minimum gain/loss is 1 point if the much higher-rated player wins. The true formula for the number of points won/lost versus the ratings difference is a curve, but a straight-line approximation for players with a K factor of 32 points can be used, where every 25 points of ratings difference is one additional rating point gained/lost starting from a beginning of 16 points for a win/loss, and from zero for a draw. (I.e., for a 100-point difference, the higher-rated player gains 16 - 4 = 12 points for a win, but loses 16 + 4 = 20 points for a loss. If a draw, the higher-rated player loses 4 points, the lower-rated player gains 4.) The actual formula is as follows: K = K factor delta_R = (Opponent's rating) - (Player's rating) Expected_Wins = 1/(10^(delta_R / 400) + 1) New_Rating = (Current rating) + K * ((Actual wins) - (Expected_Wins)) An established player's rating cannot drop below (his rating - 100) truncated to the next lowest hundred (i.e., a 1571 player cannot drop below 1400). This is called the rating's "floor." [7] How USCF Lifetime Titles are Earned --------------------------------------- USCF's class title norm system is similar to the system FIDE uses to determine GM and IM titles (see [1]). There is no time limit for accumulating points towards USCF titles. There are two titles per class from E to Expert: "Certified" and "Advanced." Master-level titles have a different naming scheme: 2200 is "Life Master," followed by "1-Star Life Master" at 2300, "2-Star Life Master" at 2400, etc. Points are earned toward titles by exceeding the expected score of a player with the minimum rating of that level by a certain number of points. Rules: 1. A norm can be earned only in events of four rounds or greater. (Norms cannot be earned by playing a rated match.) 2. A minimum score of two game points in the event is required, not counting unplayed games. 3. Ten "norm points" are required for a title. 4. Making a norm earns two points toward the title for that level. 5. A player who does not have the title 100 points below the norm level also earns five points towards that title. 6. A player who does not have the title 200 points below the norm level automatically achieves that title. 7. A player who achieves an established rating, but not the title corresponding to 100 points below this rating, is awarded that title. 8. Only established rated players can earn titles. The Life Master title may still be earned by playing 300 games at the 2200 level. After 1996, this title may only be earned through the norm system. For a full description of the system, see _Chess Life_ May 1992. [8] Tournaments --------------- Chess tournaments can be large (1000 players) or small (10 players or even less); long (1 round per day for 2 weeks) or short (a few rounds in one day). There are tournaments only for Masters and tournaments only for beginners, although most tournaments are open to anyone. A typical _Chess Life_ will list about 350 tournaments coming up in the U.S. in the next couple of months, and there will be about the same number which are unlisted. If you want to participate in a tournament but are intimidated because you don't know the procedures, by all means go and ask the director and/or other players questions before things begin. They'll be glad to help. A typical tournament announcement will contain the following: (1) Date(s) and name of the tournament. (2) What kind of tournament it is, e.g., 4-SS or 3-RR. The number given denotes how many rounds will be played. "SS" stands for Swiss System, which is a method of pairing the contestants (see [9]). "RR" stands for round-robin, a format in which the players are divided into groups of similar ratings before the tournament begins, and then each member of a group plays every other member of that group. Thus, in a 3-RR, the group size will be four. The Swiss System is by far the most popular in the U.S. (3) The time controls, e.g., "30/60, SD/60" or "G/60" or "20/1, 30/1." The number on the left is the number of moves, and the number on the right is the time in minutes, or if that number is 1 or 2, in hours. "SD" stands for "sudden death," and "G" stands for game. Where more than one time control is listed, they are the controls which will take effect as the game progresses. So, the three examples given above can be explained as follows. In the first example, the players would each get 60 minutes on their clocks, and would have to have made their 30th moves before the 60 minutes expires (your clock only runs when it is your turn to move). Then, they each have another 60 minutes to finish the game completely. Time left over from the first time control carries over to subsequent time controls. In the second example, each player would begin with 60 minutes on his clock, and would have to finish the game within that time. In the third example, the players would each get 1 hour for the first 20 moves, 1 hour for the next 30 moves, and another hour for every subsequent group of 30 moves. (4) The location of the tournament. (5) The entry fee, sometimes by section (see item 7). (6) The total prize fund (if any), either "guaranteed" (G) or based on a certain number of entries (e.g., b/30). The difference is guaranteed prizes must be paid, and "based on" prizes need only be paid in full if the stated number of players enter. If the stated number of players do not enter, the prize fund is reduced proportionally, but only down to a minimum of 50%. (7) Sections, if any. If none are listed, the tournament is an "open." "Open" sections are always open to *any* player. Other sections may be restricted to players below a certain rating, and/or occasionally above a certain rating. Sometimes sections (or whole tournaments) are restricted to certain age groups, school grades, etc. "Class" tournaments separate players by USCF rating classes. Sometimes different sections carry different entry fees. (8) Prize fund breakdown (if any). If the tournament is in sections, each section shows its own prize fund. In an small open, a typical prize fund might look like this: $140-100-70, A 50, B 45, C 40, D/E/Unr. 35, Jrs. 20. This means first prize is $140, second is $100, and third is $70. The top Class A player gets $50, etc. The top player in the combined classes of D, E, and unrated players gets $35, and the top Junior (under age 21) gets $20. (9) The registration time and time the rounds will begin. (10) Where to send an advance entry fee, and/or who to contact for more information. [9] The Swiss Tournament Pairing System --------------------------------------- The best way to get the rules for a Swiss System is to buy a copy of the USCF rulebook, available for about $7.95. (The FIDE rulebook also has rules for a Swiss, which vary from USCF's rules.) However, a VERY simplified summary of the USCF rules is: 1. Arrange players in order by rating, highest to lowest, unrated either at the bottom or by estimated rating. 2. For round 1, divide into two stacks. The top players in EACH stack play each other, then the second players in each stack play each other, etc. This results in the highest rated player playing the middle-rated player. 3. After round one, divide up by score groups. Win=1, Draw=1/2, Loss=0. 4. Pair up each score group as in step 2. If an odd number, the bottom person in higher point group plays top person in next score group. If odd number in lowest score group, lowest rated player gets a full point bye. (Limit players to one bye each.) 5. Where possible, players should alternate color, or at least equalize. (By round 4, players ideally should have had two Whites, two Blacks.) 6. Players NEVER play the same opponent more than once. If necessary, pair players with someone in next lower score group. (Treat as if odd number.) 7. To improve on color allocation as per step 5, if two players in the bottom half of a score group are rated within 100 points, they can be interchanged. (If rated over 2100, 50 points is a better cutoff.) [10] I'm a Novice (or Intermediate). How Do I Improve? ------------------------------------------------------- There are lots of variations to the methods, but the things most good teachers agree on is to emphasize (1) tactics, (2) endings, and (3) playing with a plan. Most people spend too much time studying openings. Just learn enough about openings to get to a playable middlegame. The books listed below should give you a great start on (1), (2), and (3). Of course, playing experience is important. Review your games (with a much stronger player if possible) to find out what you did right and wrong. Seek out games against stronger players, and learn from them. Some books are listed below to help in the quest to improve. You don't need to buy all these--pick and choose as you please. For example, buy #1 and see what you might want to supplement it with later. Or, buy one or two general works (numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6), a tactics book, and an endgame book. 1. _Comprehensive Chess Course_ 2nd edition (ISBN 0-9617-207-0-5) by GM Lev Alburt and Roman Pelts. (Available as 2 separate vols. from Chess Digest.) Expensive. Chess neophytes (i.e., NOT most rec.games.chess readers) will find volume I useful; otherwise, try volume II. Good teaching material for an intro-to-chess class. 2. _Essential Chess Endings Explained Move by Move_ by IM Jeremy Silman (ISBN 0-87568-172-7). Very clear explanations of basic endings. For novices and intermediates. 3. _The Game of Chess_ by Tarrasch. Excellent instruction for intermediates. 4. _How to Reassess Your Chess_ by IM Jeremy Silman (ISBN 0-938650-53-X). Explains how to formulate a plan. An excellent improvement program for the intermediate player. 5. _Logical Chess Move by Move_ by Chernev (ISBN 0-671-21135-8). Looks at 30 or so games, and comments on the thought behind *every* move. Bridges the gap between novice and intermediate books. 6. _My System_ by Aron Nimzovich (ISBN 0-679-14025-5). As per _The Game of Chess_ above. 7. _1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations_ by Fred Reinfeld (ISBN 0-87980-111-5). A cheap book of 1001 tactical quizzes, most from actual games. Mix of easy & hard. Great for improving tactical ability. 8. _Pandolfini's Endgame Course_ (ISBN 0-671-65688-0). Another good endgame book for novices and intermediates. 9. _Simple Chess Tactics_ by Gillam (ISBN 0-7134-6513-1). A first tactics book for novices. 10. _Square One_ by Bruce Pandolfini. For the earliest of novices and children. 11. _Your Move_ by Yakov Neishtadt. A good tactics book with 350 positions for you to try with solutions and explanations. [11] Recommended Openings and Opening Books for Novices and Early Intermediates ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember your goal is to reach a playable middlegame. Don't worry about what is popular, or what the Masters play. As GM Lombardy once said, all openings offer good winning chances in amateur play. As you become stronger, you can shop around for an opening yourself. But, the openings recommended here are hardly inferior, and will serve you well throughout your chess career if you so choose. Besides what is recommended here, you may want a general manual to browse in (not study from!). _Modern Chess Openings_ 13th edition (MCO-13) or _Batsford Chess Openings_ edition 2 (BCO-2) are good choices. White Pieces Opening 1.e4 is a really good idea, as it will get you into tactics fast. Yes, you may last a few moves longer against a Master by cowering around with 1.Nf3 2.g3 3.Bg2 4.O-O etc., but you won't learn as much or improve as fast. Add a gambit or two to your system if you open 1.e4. Another good idea is the Colle System, where White opens 1.d4 and sets up with Nf3, e3, Bd3, c3, Nbd2, O-O, and plays to open up the position with e4 and attack on the Kingside. The great thing about the Colle is White has a clear plan (and will encounter some tactics, too). Recommended books for White Opening (pick one): _Winning with 1.e4_ (ISBN 0-87568-174-5) by GM Andy Soltis. Covers all (reasonable) Black responses with good lines which tend to avoid the well-trodden paths. _Winning with the Colle System_ (2nd ed.; ISBN 0-87568-169-7) by Ken Smith and John Hall. Comprehensive coverage of this opening. _Colle System_ by IM George Koltanowski, a real pioneer of this system. Cheaper than the book above, but a bit less comprehensive. Black Pieces As a response to 1.e4, establish pawn control in the center by either 1. ... e5 or 1. ... c5 (Sicilian), or make a "strong-point" at d5 by either 1. ... e6 (French) or 1. ... c6 (Caro-Kann), followed by 2. ... d5. Playing 1. ... e5 will subject you to some hairy attacks, but again, you will learn tactics thereby. To help avoid reams of theory, use the Petroff defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6) if you choose 1. ... e5. 1. ... c5 (the Sicilian) has rather a lot of White possibilities to play against, but is sound and aggressive at the same time. The French and the Caro-Kann are a bit easier to play, but don't run into as many early tactics (usually). As a response to 1.d4, play 1. ... d5 and then follow 2.c4 (the most typical 2nd move) with either 2. ... dxc4 (Queen's Gambit Accepted), 2. ... e6 (Queen's Gambit Declined), or 2. ... c6 (Slav Defense). The first promotes early tactics, and the other two have the advantage usually producing similar pawn structures to the French Defense and Caro-Kann, respectively. If you play French and QGD or Caro-Kann and Slav, you are less likely to be confused by transpositions if White varies his move order in the early stages, e.g., by opening 1.Nf3. Recommended books for Black Opening (pick either I, II, or III): I. Choose one from A. and one from B. A. _A Complete Black Defense to 1.P-K4_ by Cafferty and Hooper. The main line is the Petroff Defense, but the authors also show how to handle the other possibilities, e.g., the King's Gambit. _How to Play the Sicilian Defense Against all White Possibilities_ (ISBN 0-87568-168-9) by GM Andy Soltis and Ken Smith. B. _A Complete Black Defense to 1.P-Q4_ by Cafferty and Hooper. The main line is the Queen's Gambit Accepted, but the authors also show how to handle the other possibilities, e.g., the Richter-Veresov Attack. The disadvantage is you aren't shown how to handle other closed openings such as 1.Nf3, 1.c4, etc. although these can frequently be transposed into the QGA. Or, as your B. choice, use the "closed" opening defenses from either II or III. II. _A Complete Black Repertoire_ (ISBN 0-87568-163-8) by IM Jeremy Silman. Based around the French and Queen's Gambit Declined. III. _A Black Defensive System for the Rest of Your Chess Career_ by GM Andy Soltis. Based around the Caro-Kann and Slav. [12] Publications ----------------- _Ajedrez Universal_, Luis Hoyos-Millan, P.O. Box 10020, Staten Island, NY 10301. _APCT News Bulletin_, c/o Helen Warren, P.O. Box 70, Western Springs, IL 60558. Correspondence chess. _BDG World_, P.O. Box 7363, Warner Robins, GA 31095. _Blitz Chess_, WBCA, 8 Parnassus Rd., Berkeley, CA, 94708. Edited by GM Walter Browne, who also founded the World Blitz Chess Association. The WBCA runs "blitz" (5 minutes/game) tournaments and has a separate rating system. _Caissa's Chess News_, P.O. Box 09091, Cleveland, OH, 44109. _Chess_ magazine from Pergamon in the U.K. Pergamon Chess, London Road, Wheatley, Oxford, England OX91YR. $44.95/year (2nd class airmail) _Chess Chow_, Chess Chow Publications, c/o Joel Benjamin, Apt. 2-B, 115 West 75th St., New York, NY 10023. Edited by GM Joel Benjamin. 6 issues/year; $21/yr, $39/2 yrs; $25/yr, $45/2 yrs (Canada/Mexico); $45/yr, $85/2 yrs (air mail Europe). 48 pp., many guest GM and IM contributors, emphasis on instruction and entertainment. _Chess Horizons_ by the Massachusetts Chess Association, c/o George Mirijanian, 46 Beacon St., Fitchburg, MA 01420 is published bimonthly and contains about 64 games/issue, many of them from outside the U.S. $10/year; $18 Canada; $19 Europe; $20 Australia. _Chess Informant_ by Sahovski Informator, P.O. Box 739, Francuska 31, 11001 Beograd, Yugoslavia (Serbia). Published in March, August, and December (semi-annually before 1991). Consists of "good" games (judged by committee) from major tournaments; as well as interesting positions (combinations, endings) given as a quiz, and tournament crosstables. There are about 750 games/issue classified by opening (known as _ECO_ classification). Notation is figurine algebraic; games are annotated (often by the players) with special ideographs (defined for 10 languages). The January & July FIDE rating lists are published in the following edition. _Informant_ games are also available in ChessBase/NICBase formats. _Chess Life_ magazine and/or _School Mates_ magazine--see [2]. _The Computer Chess Gazette_, Box 2841, Laguna Hills, CA 92654. 714-770-8532. Focuses on computer chess. _Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_ published quarterly by ICD Corp., 21 Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746. Phone 800-645-4710. Subscriptions are $10/year. Focuses on computer chess, and rates dedicated chess-playing computers and software. The main contributor is IM Larry Kaufman. _GMA News_, 2 Avenue de la Tanche, 1160 Brussels, Belgium. _Inside Chess_ magazine published biweekly by International Chess Enterprises, Inc. Subscriptions in the U.S. are $45/year, $80/two years. Subscription address: ICE, Inc., P.O. Box 19457, Seattle, WA, 98109. Phone 800-677-8052 (or 206-325-1952). _Inside Chess_ describes itself as THE magazine for the serious player. Edited by GM Yasser Seirawan. _International Computer Chess Association (ICCA) Journal_ published quarterly. Membership/subscription is $30/year. Follows computer chess worldwide. ICCA, c/o Jonathan Schaeffer, Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H1. European address: ICCA Europe, c/o Prof. Dr. H. J. van den Herik, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maasticht, The Netherlands (Membership/subscription is Hfl. 50). _New In Chess_ published by Interchess BV, P.O. Box 393, 1800 AJ Alkmaar, The Netherlands. U.S. distribution: Chess Combination Inc., P.O. Box 2423 Noble Station, Bridgeport, CT 06608-0423. Phone 203-367-1555; fax 203-380-1703. Internet: 70244.1532@compuserve.com (Albert Henderson). 8 issues, $68 by air mail, $58 by surface; intro subscription: 6 issues, $34 by air. Sample issue $5 (free for Internet or CompuServe users). [13] Where to Get Books and Equipment ------------------------------------- American Chess Equipment (DeWayne Barber), 524 S. Avenida Faro, Anaheim, CA 92807. 714-998-5508. Good source for sets and boards in quantity. Chess Digest, Inc., P.O. Box 59029, Dallas, TX 75229. 800-462-3548; fax 214-869-9305. Massive selection of books; also boards, sets, and clocks. Limited computers and software. Large (!) catalog available. Chess House, P.O. Box 12424, Kansas City, KS 66112. 800-348-4749 or 913-299-3976; fax 913-788-9860. Books, boards, sets, clocks, computers. Catalog available. Chessco, P.O. Box 8, Davenport, IA 52805-0008. 319-323-7117. Associated with Thinker's Press publishers. Books, boards, clocks. Catalog available. Computer Chess Gazette, Box 2841, Laguna Hills, CA 92654. 714-770-8532. Chess computers and software. Electronic Games, 1678 Mayfield Road, Lapeer, Michigan 48446. 800-227-5603 or 313-664-2133. Computers, software, and clocks. Fred Wilson, 80 E 11th St, Suite 334, New York, NY 10003. 212-533-6381. Specializes in out-of-print and rare chess books; also fine chess sets. ICD Corp., 21 Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746. 800-645-4710 or 516-424-3300. Chess computers and software. Associated with _Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_ (see [12]). Lindsay Chess Supplies, Box 2381, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. 313-995-8738. Books, sets, clocks. Possibly the cheapest source for _Informants_. Catalog available. Metro Game Center (Jeff Prentiss), 4744 Chicago Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55407. 612-874-9555. Distributor for Swis-Sys, a $49.95 Swiss System pairing program. PBM International Corp. Inc., 11 Church Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042. 800-726-4685; fax 201-783-0580. Computers, software, and clocks. Catalog available. USCF - books, boards, sets, clocks, computers, software (see [2]). [14] State and Local Organizations (USA) ---------------------------------------- Every state has its own chess organization affiliated with USCF, and most also have a bimonthly or quarterly publication. The state organizations are listed in the annual _Chess Life_ yearbook issue (April). From these state organizations, information can be obtained on local chess clubs. Another very good way to find a local club is to look at the tournament listings in the back of every _Chess Life_. [15] Correspondence Organizations --------------------------------- American Postal Chess Tournaments, c/o Helen Warren, P.O. Box 305, Western Springs, IL 60558. Also runs electronic "postal" chess on the USA Today Sports Network (see [16]). Correspondence Chess League of America, c/o Dick Vandenburg, 2316 Regan Ave., Boise, ID 83702. International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF), c/o Max Zavanelli, ICCF-US Secretary, 1642 N. Volusia Ave #201, Orange City, FL 32763. Non-US residents may contact ICCF directly to obtain information about their respective affiliated national correspondence chess federation, by writing to the ICCF Tournament Director, address: ICCF Tournament Director, c/o Ragnar Wikman, Box 36, 20111 Abo, Finland. Internet e-mail: rwikman@finabo.abo.fi Transcendental Chess, c/o Maxwell Lawrence, 1655A Flatbush Ave., No. 1502, Brooklyn, NY 11210. Postal chess (PRE-chess!--first 8 moves set up the pieces behind the pawns) organization. [16] Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) ----------------------------------- CANADA Alberta: Chess Hackers. 403-456-5808. USA CompuServe: 800-848-8990. Sierra Network: 800-SIERRA-1 (800-743-7721). USA Today Sports Network: 800-826-9688. Provides both on-line and "postal" chess games, some of which are associated with American Postal Chess Tournaments. Address: USA Today Sports Center, Four Seasons Executive Center, Building 9, Terrace Way, Greensboro, NC 27403. CA: Charles Rostedt's chess BBS: 213-634-8549 (data), 634-8477 (voice). CA: Strategies and Tactics: 714-458-0818. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley BBS: 510-486-0795. Modesto, CA: Flightline of Dbase: 209-551-2227. CO: Colorado Chess BBS: 303-444-4301. Waterbury, CT: Chess Horizons BBS: 203-596-1443. 755-9749 (voice). Rob Roy, 54 Calumet, Waterbury, CT 06710-1201. Free software catalog. Plant City, FL: The ChessBoard: 813-754-6043. Chicago, IL: ChessBoard: 312-784-3019. IL: Free! Board: 312-275-0848. Louisville, KY: The Chess Board: 502-271-5233. Metairie, LA: High Tech BBS: 504-837-7941. New Orleans, LA: Woodpusher BBS: 504-271-5233. Chevy Chase, MD: The Mystery Board BBS: 301-588-9465, 588-8142. MD: Interstate Express: 301-674-6835. Brooklyn, NY: The Round Table BBS: 718-951-6652. Columbus, OH: The Endgame BBS: 614-476-3351. Mansfield, OH: DK Jet-Works: 419-524-3959. Mansfield, OH: Procyon: 419-524-7825. Portland, OR: PDX Chess BBS: 503-232-2282. TX: Let's Play Chess: 512-244-3349. Austin, TX: Austin Chess Studio: 512-448-4861. [17] E-Mail Games, ICS, Mailing Lists, Usenet reader ---------------------------------------------------- Rob Buchner (rainbow@cbnewsc.cb.att.com) organizes e-mail games on "ladders." If you would like to be included on the ladder, simply send him a message. Contacting potential opponents and setting up matches is your initiative. Just let him know whenever a match starts or ends. Also, after a game has been completed, include the following information: white score black completed moves opening ***** ***** ***** ********* ***** ******* name ?:? name date number type Ladder updates are posted to rec.games.chess about once a month. The Internet Chess Server (ICS) was originally developed by Michael Moore (mmoore@stegosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu). ICS allows interactive chess games for those with Internet telnet capability. Use telnet (e.g., "telnet eve.assumption.edu 5000") to connect. All may log on and play chess, but if you wish to have your games recorded and develop a rating, register by sending e-mail to the contact person listed below with the name & password you'd like. Available servers: valkyries.andrew.cmu.edu (128.2.232.4) 5000 chess@valkyries.andrew.cmu.edu eve.assumption.edu (192.80.61.5) 5000 shaheen@eve.assumption.edu Features of ICS include: o Game score recording, with the time taken for each move. o You can have your game's moves automatically sent to you upon completion. You can also have the list of moves for any game sent to you. o Elo rating system. o Save/Load games. o Observe up to 8 on-going games. o Settable time clocks. o Standard communication package of "say," "tell," and "shout." Also, see [18] for information on xics. Michael Nolan has set up a mailing list for rec.games.chess which is gatewayed to Usenet. Messages sent to the list will be posted in rec.games.chess, and all posts to rec.games.chess will be sent to the mailing list. The address to send messages to be posted to rec.games.chess is: chessnews@tssi.com The mailing list administration address is: chessnews-request@tssi.com tssi.com is a registered domain, but just in case the UUCP addresses are: tssi!chessnews and tssi!chessnews-request Requests to be added to the mailing list should include a clear indication of the e-mail address to be used, and will be verified before being accepted. (This is to avoid problems with bounced e-mail.) There is a mailing list which is not associated with rec.games.chess called "chess-l." It averages about 4 posts/day, which are sent to subscribers via e-mail. To subscribe to the chess-l newsgroup, send the message "subscribe chess-l Your-Real-Name-Here" to listserv@grearn.bitnet. For those on the Internet whose sites do not receive rec.games.chess, it can be read (along with all other Usenet groups) from an experimental bulletin board system (EBBS) run by the University of North Carolina. The Internet address for EBBS is samba.acs.unc.edu (128.109.157.30). A news reader (read-only) is available to all users, but posting is limited to those who have been verified by land mail. Internet e-mail privileges are also available to verified users. All access to this system is free at this time. There is a FidoNet conference for chess which offers games by e-mail. Contact the moderator of the CHESS conference: Tim Eichman @ 1:273/603.5. [18] Material Available via Anonymous FTP ----------------------------------------- FTP is a way of copying files between networked computers. Information on it is available via anonymous FTP from rtfm.mit.edu (18.172.1.27) in the file /pub/usenet/news.answers/finding-sources. If you do not know how to use anonymous FTP or do not have access to it, you can retrieve the file by sending an e-mail message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with "send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources" as the Subject: or body of the message. (Send a message containing "help" for general information on the server.) Or, see the posting titled "How to find sources (READ THIS BEFORE POSTING)" in the news groups comp.sources.wanted or news.answers. (Sigh: DON'T INCLUDE any double quotes ("") given above.) Miscellaneous. valkyries.andrew.cmu.edu (128.2.232.4) is a general repository for chess-related material. See the pub/chess directory. New material may be placed in pub/chess/uploads. There are a number of freeware chess programs for MS-DOS (also gnuchess and XBoard), graphical ICS clients, "Chess Bits" archive, and an archive of the Fischer-Spassky II games. GNU chess. Gnuchess is a freely available chess-playing software program. Gnuchess 4.0 can be FTP'ed from prep.ai.mit.edu, export.lcs.mit.edu, and probably other sites. It can be compiled for X Windows (with XBoard, below), SunView, curses, IBM PC character set, or ASCII interfaces. Included in the package are the utilities gnuan (analysis program), game (PostScript printout), postprint (prints hashfile), checkgame (checks a game listing for illegal moves), and checkbook (checks the opening book for illegal moves). It has been posted to gnu.chess. LaTex chess macros. Piet Tutelaers' (rcpt@rwc.urc.tue.nl) chess LaTex package (version 1.2) may be FTP'ed from sol.cs.ruu.nl (131.211.80.5); please restrict access to weekends or evenings. A server can answer e-mail requests (put "send HELP" as the message to mail-server@cs.ruu.nl). Get TEX/chess12.*. See [23]. Notation. Notation is a chess game score preprocessor written by Henry Thomas (hthomas@irisa.fr). It reads chess games, either in full algebraic or shortened notation (i.e., Nf1-g3 or f1g3 or Ng3) and is able to output the games and/or the board at any move, in ASCII, PostScript, TeX, or nroff. It also can generate output for the gnuan and XBoard programs. It is multi-lingual for piece identification; understanding French, English, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Polish, etc. The program also handles variations and symbolized comments. It works fine on UNIX (Sun SPARCstation and Sun-3). It uses standard C, and function declarations are done in both K&R-C and ANSI-C. It won't be difficult to compile for MS-DOS with MSC. Sources have been posted to comp.sources.misc. You can also get them from Mr. Thomas by e-mail. They may be FTP'ed from wuarchive.wustl.edu, in /usenet/comp.sources.misc/volume28/notation/*.Z (European users use garbo.uwasa.fi). Chess programming toolkit. The Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN) Kit chess programming C source toolkit is designed to help chess software efforts by providing common routines for move notation I/O, move generation, move execution, and various useful position manipulation services. There are substantial additions to the previous version which include a standard position notation scheme along with some benchmarking tests. A main program is included which gives sample calls for the various routines. Simple I/O functions are also provided. A clever programmer needs only to add a search and an evaluation function to produce a working chessplaying program. A programmer who already has the source to a chessplaying program may improve it further by including toolkit routines as needed for standardization. The author of this package is Steven J. Edwards (sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com). The SAN Kit may be retrieved from valkyries.andrew.cmu.edu (128.2.232.4) as pub/chess/misc/san.tar.Z XBoard. XBoard is an X11/R4-based user interface for GNU Chess. It uses the R4 Athena widgets and Xt Intrinsics to provide an interactive referee for managing a chess game between a user and a computer opponent or between two computers. You can also use XBoard without a chess program to play through games in files or to play through games manually (force mode); in this case, moves aren't validated. XBoard manages a digital chess clock for each player and resets the clocks if the proper number of moves are played within the time control period. A game can be started with the initial chess position, with a series of moves from a game file or with a position from a position file. The "match" shell script runs a series of games between two machines, alternating sides. The man page describes other features. XBoard was originally written by Dan Sears and Chris Sears. It borrows its colors, icons and piece bitmaps from XChess, which was written and copyrighted by Wayne Christopher. We thank him for his work on XChess. Beginning with version 2.0, Tim Mann <mann@src.dec.com> has taken over development of XBoard. XBoard 2.0 can be FTP'ed from prep.ai.mit.edu, export.lcs.mit.edu, and probably other sites. It has been posted to gnu.chess. XICS. xics, an X Window System client for ICS, is available from export.lcs.mit.edu (18.24.0.12) via FTP in /contrib/xics.epi.small.tar.Z. Version 2.0 is available from valkyries.andrew.cmu.edu (128.2.232.4) in /pub/chess/ics-clients/xics-2.0.tar.Z. [19] Chess-Playing Computers ---------------------------- There are numerous dedicated chess-playing computers available commercially, as well as chess-playing software for various personal computers. Prices vary from perhaps $10,000 for the most expensive dedicated computer to perhaps $30 for the cheapest software (see [20]). The differences are basically how strong the machine (or software) plays, and the other features it has to offer (e.g., for dedicated machines: size of board, wood/plastic, autosensory or "push the pieces," etc.). When purchasing a chess computer or software, it is best to buy something which plays at least 300 points above your rating. Here are the estimated USCF ratings for some of the more popular dedicated chess computers. Some explanations of abbreviated headings: "CSS"+ means _Computer Schach und Spiele_ (based on nearly 30,000 games--most at 40 moves in 2 hours--plus nearly 5,000 computer-human tournament games) with 150 points added to adjust for the average difference between C.R.A. ratings and the German list. Numbers in parentheses are calculated from the same program's performance at another speed (i.e., by dividing by MHz factors, a rating achieved at a higher--or even lower--MHz can be adjusted to what its strength would be at a different speed). (This is the top portion of the list from _Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_, 2nd Quarter, 1992.) Computer MHz Approx. USCF rating CSS+ CCR30 Mephisto Vancouver 68030 36 2504 (2449) Mephisto Lyon 68030 36 2456 (2473) Mephisto Portorose 68030 36 2437 (2400) Fidelity Elite 10 68040 25 2415 (2421) Mephisto Vancouver 32 bit (68020) 12 2406 (2340) Fidelity Elite 9 68030 32 2395 (2371) Mephisto Lyon 32 bit (68020) 12 2354 2364 Mephisto Portorose 32 bit (68020) 12 2344 2291 Fidelity Premiere 68000 16 (2335) 2290 Mephisto Vancouver 16 bit (68000) 12 2325 2277 Mephisto Lyon 16 bit (68000) 12 2278 2303 Fidelity Designer 2325 68020 20 2324 2314 Mephisto Almeria 32 bit (68020) 12 2295 2289 Fidelity Elite 5 (2 68000's) 16 2273 **** Mephisto Portorose 16 bit (68000) 12 2248 2235 Mephisto Polgar 10 (6502) 10 **** 2252 Novag Diablo/Scorpio (68000) 16 2227 2225 Fidelity Elite 2 (68000) 16 2258 (2210) Mephisto Almeria 16 bit (68000) 12 2212 2219 Fidelity Mach 3, Designer 2265 16 2223 2204 Mephisto Milano (6502) 5 2175 2123 Mephisto Mondial 68000xl (68000) 12 (2176) 2195 Mephisto Polgar 5 (6502) 5 2165 2193 Mephisto MM5 5 2161 2149 Novag Super Expert/Forte C (6502) 6 2168 (2184) (discontinued) Mephisto Roma 68000 12 2170 2161 Novag Super Export/Forte B (6502) 6 2116 (2201) Mephisto Academy (6502) 5 2131 2146 Fidelity Mach II L.A. (68000) 12 2143 2160 The following were listed in _Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_, 3rd Quarter, 1990. Fidelity Elite 6/Mach 4 20 2285 Fidelity Elite 5 16 2239 Saitek Galileo Maestro D 10 2118 Fidelity Designer Display 2100 6 2071 Fidelity Chesster 5 2055 Saitek Stratos 5.6 2031 Novag Super VIP (handheld) 10 1945 Mephisto Marco Polo (handheld) 8 1880 Some recommendations: If you want a dedicated computer rated at least 2200 and are willing to live with a small plastic board and pieces, buy a Fidelity Mach III for just over $300. For a larger wood board w/autosensory, buy a Novag Super Expert C (now discontinued) for nearly $600. For something in the 2100 range, either the Fidelity Designer Display 2100 (about $150 with small plastic board and pieces) or the Saitek Galileo Maestro D ($? more expensive and nicer). Handhelds: either the Super VIP ($119) or the Mephisto Marco Polo (about the same price). There are a number of non-commercial chess-playing machines, the strongest and most famous of which is "Deep Thought." Deep Thought was built and programmed by graduate students Feng-Hsiung Hsu, Thomas Anantharaman, Murray Campbell, Peter Jansen, Mike Browne, and Andreas Nowatzyk at Carnegie Mellon University, and who are now working (some of them, anyway) for IBM. The current version of Deep Thought has beaten several GM's and many IM's. It has a USCF rating of about 2520. (The Oct. 1990 issue of _Scientific American_ goes into more detail on Deep Thought.) Another Carnegie Mellon product, "Hitech," was developed by former World Correspondence Champion Dr. Hans Berliner and sports a USCF rating just over 2400. [20] Chess-Playing Software --------------------------- The strength of chess-playing software is highly dependent on the hardware it runs on (all software discussed is for MS-DOS; programs available for MacOS are noted). Here is a method to approximate the strength differences for the same software running on different hardware (source: _Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_). Processor "Chess MIP's" 8088 Speed in MHz divided by 19 80286, 1 wait state Speed in MHz divided by 8 80286, 0 wait states Speed in MHz divided by 6 80386, no cache memory Speed in MHz divided by 6 80386 with cache Speed in MHz divided by 4.7 80486 Speed in MHz divided by 2.3 Now, if a program has a given rating on a 1 (Chess) MIP machine, this is how to adjust the rating for other MIP's (interpolate between points): MIP: 0.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 8 12 16 24 32 48 64 Adj.: -180 -87 0 47 80 124 154 195 223 261 287 323 347 379 402 For example, a program running on a 10 MHz 8088 (0.5 MIP's and -87 points) will be about 272 USCF rating points weaker than the same program running on a 33 MHz 80386 (no cache: 5.5 MIP's and +185 points). The strongest commercially available chess software is generally agreed to be MChess (price around $100), with RexChess and Zarkov next (for around $70). All these programs will play in the USCF Master range on a 33 MHz 80386, with MChess approaching the Senior Master threshold. Zarkov interfaces to the Bookup database (see [21]). In descending order of strength, here is the next tier of commercial software: Colossus Chess X, Chessmaster 2100, and Sargon IV. These programs would generally perform in the USCF Expert range on a 33 MHz 80386 machine. BattleChess is a weaker program, although it has by far the most entertaining graphics. Available for MacOS: Chessmaster, Sargon, and BattleChess (also CheckMate, by the authors of BattleChess). Recommendation on chess-playing software: Buy one of the top three programs, especially if you have something less than a 33 MHz 80386. Only consider Colossus Chess or Chessmaster 2100 if you are bone poor or you have a very fast PC and don't ever intend to play above 1800 USCF. Gnuchess is a freely available chess-playing software program (see [18]). Its strength varies widely based on the machine for which it's compiled. [21] Database Software ---------------------- Chess databases store games and information about games, and can manipulate and recall that information in a variety of ways. The "big three" of chess databases are NICBase, ChessBase, and Bookup. You can purchase data disks for each of these databases. NICBase and ChessBase are game-oriented, while Bookup is opening-oriented. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. A good (but dated) review of these programs was written by Eric Schiller and appeared in the Sept. 1990 _Chess Life_. Bookup interfaces with the Zarkov chess-playing software. NICBase 3.0 ($175; MS-DOS & Atari) & NICTools ($125) from Chess Combination, Inc., P.O. Box 2423 Noble Station, Bridgeport, CT 06608-0423. 203-367-1555; fax 203-380-1703. Internet 70244.1532@compuserve.com (Albert Henderson). Free catalog. $10 demo disk (free for Internet or CompuServe users). ChessBase 3.0 (MS-DOS only); basic $295, deluxe $395, upgrade from 2.2 $75. ChessBase ACCESS $39.95. ChessBase USA, P.O. Box 133, Hagerstown, MD 21741. 301-733-7541 (orders only: 800-524-3527); fax 301-797-6269. USCF prices: 3.0 $279, ACCESS $37.95. ChessBase 4.0 is out; upgrade from 3.0 is $60-70, depending on manual. (I don't have current prices on 4.0). Bookup from Chess Laboratories, P.O. Box 3541, S. Pasadena, CA 91031. 818-799-7567. Version 7 for MS-DOS costs $99 and version 1.3 for MacOS costs $59. [22] Utility Software --------------------- Eric Churchill's Chess Recorder, a (PC) Windows program that records chess moves, suitable for keeping track of postal games, will be uploaded to GEnie and submitted to comp.binaries.ibm.pc. (It even keeps a log of when the moves were entered, which could be used to keep track of postal time limits.) You can enter annotations and other comments and they appear in a separate window when the corresponding move is displayed. The program will print out the moves of the game (with annotations). $15 shareware fee. Graphics are quite good--looks OK even on monochrome systems. The colors of the pieces on color systems are 'interesting.' It can now flip colors to put Black on bottom. For other software utilities see [18]. [23] Using Figurine Notation, Symbolic Annotation, or Diagrams in Printed Text ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are basically three ways of composing chess texts in international figurine notation (or including diagrams in printed text): 1) Use a wordprocessor or page-layout program and a chess font. For instance, for the Apple Macintosh there are at least 3 different sets of fonts usable with standard wordprocessors like Microsoft Word, MacWrite, Nisus or WriteNow; or with page-layout programs like Illustrator or PageMaker. Most of these fonts are proprietary (you must purchase them). The fonts usually can be used for both the figurines and the diagrams. A freely available/usable PostScript font, including a variety of figurines, diagrams and _Informant_ symbols, has been posted to comp.fonts and rec.games.chess by Andy Walker (anw@maths.nott.ac.uk). 2) Use a chess-specific writing application. ChessWriter (Apple Macintosh) offers an interface including a chessboard and a text window. Moves made on the chessboard are automatically transformed into characters in the text window. ChessWriter is proprietary. 3) Use the LaTeX chess macros and fonts package by Piet Tutelaers (see [18]). TeX is an advanced public-domain system for text formatting available on mainframes, workstations and personal computers. LaTeX is a set of text-formatting macros for TeX. METAFONT is a font generator program for TeX. For general information on all of these, and pointers to reference manuals, see the FAQ list posting in comp.text.tex.) Once you have the chess package, you'll need to 3a) be able to use METAFONT to generate chess fonts starting from the programs contained in the package; 3b) be able to install the LaTeX macros in your TeX system; and 3c) learn the macro language to format chess texts. Activity 3a can become tiresome if you do not have any help from a TeX wizard. Using LaTeX to write chess text is not very simple, but the results are worth the effort. [24] Trivia ----------- How long is the longest possible chess game? The basic idea is a player may claim a draw if fifty moves elapse without a capture or a pawn advance. Ignoring the special cases where more than 50 moves are allowed by the rules, the answer is after Black's 5948th move, White is able to claim a draw. The simple calculation is (<Pawn_moves> + <Captures> - <Duplicates> + <Drawing_interval_grace_period>) * <Drawing_interval>, or (16*6 + 30 - 8 + 1) * 50 = 5950; we're able to trim two moves from this total by observing that sequences of Captures/Pawn_moves must have (at least) 4 alternations between the two players. [25] Common Acronyms -------------------- AI Artificial Intelligence ("Anything we can't do with a computer") BCE _Basic Chess Endings_ (see your local chess book source) BCF British Chess Federation BCO _Batsford Chess Openings_ (see [11]) DT Deep Thought (see [19]) DT II Deep Thought; latest version ECO _Encylopedia of Chess Openings_ (see your local chess book source) ELO Arpad Elo's rating system (see [5]) FAQ Frequently Asked Question (see news group news.answers) FIDE Federation Internationale des Echecs (see [1]) FM FIDE Master (see [1]) F-S II Fischer-Spassky match held Sept-Nov '92 (Fischer won 10-5) GM Grandmaster (see [1]) ICS Internet Chess Server (see [18]) IGM see GM IM International Master (see [1]) IWM International Woman Master (see [1]) KIA King's Indian Attack (see opening books) KID King's Indian Defense (see opening books) MCO _Modern Chess Openings_ (see [11]) N Novelty (see TN) NM National Master (or just "Master"; see [5]) OTB Over-the-board (as opposed to correspondence/postal chess) QGA Queen's Gambit Accepted (see opening books) QGD Queen's Gambit Declined (see opening books) SM Senior Master (see [5]) TD Tournament Director TN Theoretical Novelty A new idea in an opening line (usually used when a GM first tries it) USCF United States Chess Federation (see [2]) WGM International Woman Grandmaster (see [1]) [27] Variants ------------- Over the centuries, many variations of chess have appeared and more have been invented recently by gaming enthusiasts. Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. (28 South Main Street, Rutland, VT 05701) has published a general book on the subject: _Chess Variations: Ancient, Regional, and Modern_ by John Gollon. Two of the most popular alternatives to our version of chess are known as Chinese Chess (or shiang-chi or xiangqi) and Shogi (or Japanese Chess). Ishi Press International (76 Bonaventura Drive, San Jose, CA 95134) sells good books on both of these games. (_Chinese Chess for Beginners_ by Sam Sloan and _Shogi for Beginners_ by John Fairbairn. Warning: Sam Sloan's eccentric views about chess history are far from universally accepted.) One relatively recent variation of chess is called Ultima and is described in detail in the book _Abbott's New Card Games_ by Robert Abbott. [28] Disclaimer and Copyright Notice ------------------------------------ Some answers given may reflect personal biases of the author and the FAQ listing's contributors. In cases where the answers name specific products and their respective manufacturers, these are not to be taken as endorsements of, nor commercials for, the manufacturer. Where cost information is stated this is based on "street" information, and is in no way binding on the seller. Unless otherwise stated, prices, addresses, and telephone numbers are in United States' terms. The answers contained herein pertain to discussions on the rec.games.chess newsgroup, and are by no means exhaustive. The FAQ list owes its existence to the contributors on the net, and as such it belongs to the readers of rec.games.chess. Copies may be made freely, as long as they are distributed at no charge, and the disclaimer and the copyright notice are included. -- William R. Shauck Internet: shauck@netcom.com