Welcome to the World of Chess!

The FICS SR team is glad to present:

February 2000

**** What's New !!! ****

Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) News

What's New?  -  Both our total New Player accounts and Active accounts hit new monthly records for the server.  FICS would like to welcome the 1,685 new players that have joined us in the month of January.  Total active users in the past month also has hit a new high of 10,934.  Some other things of interest have happened in the previous month. Oxymoron was promoted to admin(*).  FICS has added two new programs, TrainBOT which will be used for server help, and a 'King of the Hill' game, KOTHbot.  Oort(C) captured first place in the Quarterly Computer Tournament.

In the interim, the FICS Service Representative (SR) team has been actively trying to create a better environment on the server for our new players who will find it easier to obtain comprehensive guides on getting started, 24 hour e-mail support, and other 'soon-to-be announced' enhancements.  Be sure to read the rest of the February Monthly Newsletter for more FICS news and other chess related information.   Don't forget to check out the links to previous Newsletter issues, July 1999 to present.  The Service Representative (SR) Team welcomes you to our Server.

Please welcome FICS newest Administrator for the Service Representative (SR) Team -- Oxymoron.

Please welcome our newest Admin, Oxymoron(*);  Our newest US Central Time Zone Admin. Typical log-in times vary, but he is usually here mid-evening server time to late a.m., helping our fellow users and staff.  Oxymoron(*) along with afw(*) is the new head of the Service Representative (SR) team.

The FICS Service Representatives (SR) primary role is to provide assistance with new players in getting them started on the FICS server.  Service Representatives are designated by "(SR)" in 'who' listings and in finger notes.  For information about FICS Service Representatives program, read the help file:  help sr_info.

FICS' 2 newest BOTS

TrainBOT: TrainBOT is FICS newest training aid for those who are new to the server.

 

King Of The Hill (KOTHbot) game added to FICS: King of the Hill (KOTHbot) is FICS hottest new game.  The idea is to become 'King of the Hill' and defend against all opposition. The challenge will be rated blitz.

Would you like to link to previous Newsletter Issues?
It's a great way to locate other helpful:"Tip of the Month" sections
and older news highlights that were covered in past issues.
Click this button if you would like to see more.

 


**** Major Events ****

Oort(C) wins FICS 2nd Quarterly Computer Chess Tournament!!!

Oort(C) wins the FICS 2nd Quarterly Computer Chess Tournament that was held on Saturday, January 29, 2000. Sixteen computer accounts played to capture The FICS 2nd Quarterly Computer Chess Tournament title.  The Tournament was a 5-round Swiss with time controls of 5 8.  This tournament was opened to all FICS registered computer accounts. Congrats to the winners, and all who participated.  You can check out the standings of this Tournament by selecting this link: Cross Tables

Computer Accounts:   In order to register a computer, contact the "computers" account (the team who handles this procedure).    E-mail to:  computers@freechess.org  with the information contained in "help computer_app".  The review process usually takes a few days.  You will be contacted about your request. To see a list of computers registered on the server, type "=computer".   Details about these accounts are given in "help computerlist". Computers are designated on "who" lists by (C).

Server policy:   Unregistered computers will be banned from playing rated games.

Kasparov Wins Corus Tournament

Corus Tournament; Wijk aan Zee

Russia's Garry Kasparov placed first, winning the first annual Corus Chess Tournament at Wijk aan Zee Sunday, January 30, 2000.  The Corus Chess tournament took place January 14, 2000 to January 30, 2000.  There were 14 players in the main GM tournament.  Kasparov won with a huge lead over his nearest rivals in a field that included six other players from the top ten on the international ranking list. He collected 9½ points for an unbeaten tournament record of six victories and seven drawn games.  Kasparov finished 1½ points ahead of India's Viswanathan Anand.

More information about this event can be found at:
The Corus 2000 website: http://chess2.lostcity.nl/corus/
This Week in Chess: http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html
Kasparov Chess: http://www.kasparovchess.com/

The FICS Grand Prix!!!

The 1999-2000 FICS Grand Prix!  This is a 'standard tournament' competition that extends throughout the entire year and keeps score based on scheduled standard tourneys run on FICS.  The FICS Grand Prix cycle lasts 52 weeks:  Tuesday, September 21, 1999, through Monday, September 18, 2000.  During the course of these 52 weeks, a number of Grand Prix events will be held.  At the end of the year there is a $150.00 (US Dollars) guaranteed prize fund.   You will find information for Frequently Asked Questions, Events listings, Standings and a complete player list on the Grand Prix website at: http://www.angelfire.com/wi/EscapeArtist/FICSGrandPrix/index.html

The top three participants in a field of 210 players are listed here, bigbad takes the lead!!!

Rank

 Name 

GP 
Points

# of 
events

1st 
place

2nd
place

3rd 
place

1

bigbad

2140.24

55

15

20

7

2

SGV

1903.28

32

17

2

11

3

Knightnite

  874.77

15

9

3

2

(The following point totals reflect events posted as of the publication date of this newsletter.)

**** FICS Tournaments ****

"Nightly 5 0" tournaments: These are tourneys held every day at 10:00 PM server time.  As the name implies they are played with a 5 0-time control and run 5 rounds.  At the end of the week an overall Champion for the week is crowned, and a news item is posted with the winners name.  There is also, an Under 1600 title and an Upset title.  The titles are awarded each week, and are included on the weekly news items.  You do not have to participate everyday to win titles.

The Nightly is an open tourney and all are encouraged to participate.  The tourneys also last a little over 1 hr so plan ahead! For more information contact timp.

Check out the Nightly web page: http://here.at/freechess

"Nightly 5 0" Tournament of Champions:  Each week the winners of the three sections are invited to participate in the Monthly "Tournament of Champions." This puts the top 12 players over the entire month against each other to crown the "Nightly Champion." The week of tournaments runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the 3 weekly winners being mentioned in a special news item for all of FICS to see!

The tournament will be a Swiss system 12-player format, participants will play others in the same ratings classes.  Each match consists of 5 0 games between the opponents, with the winner being the first person to score 2 points. This winner then moves on to the next round!  For the first round, you need to score 2 points to advance. For the second round it is 3, in the third round you'll need 4 points, and in the championship round the winner is the first to achieve 5 points.  Please see the Nightly Web Page for more information.

The following people have been invited to play in February in the January Tournament of Champions:  Halcyonn, BXtreem, Christen, cavebird, Loof, tlabue, Laazrockit, Mojoman, timp, Gron, Tylersdad, and DamonM! Congratulations, and good luck in the Tournament of Champions!  Matches for the first round will be posted soon.

December Tournament of Champions update:  Congrats to Laazrockit for winning the December Tournament of Champions!  Laazrockit defeated Ahijah 4-1 in a best of seven match February 3rd on FICS.  Thank you to all who participated!

Suicide on Saturdays (SOS):   The SOS (Suicide On Saturdays) is a tournament run each week by DChessmaster(TM).   The SOS Tournament will be held every Saturday at 10 am server time (CDT).   The score is kept for each player who plays in 1 or more tournaments.   The weekly tournament will be a 5 0 Swiss consisting of 5 rounds.   There will also be a quarterly Suicide Championship.   And lastly, there will be an Annual Suicide Championship 4 player 5 0 Double Round Robin!   The quarterly championships will be a qualification tournament for the annual tournament.

To qualify for a quarterly tournament, you must be in the top scores of a division.   The divisions are under 1800 (0-1799) and over 1800 (1800-9999). To qualify for a quarterly tournament, you must be in the top 4 scores in the over 1800 section or top 2 from the under 1800 section. If a player is forced to withdraw or is unable to attend, a wildcard slot will be available to the next qualified player from their division.   The winner of the under 1800 section gets a lesson from Haley (2326).  More information about this event may be obtained by e-mailing DChessmaster(TM) or while on FICS, you can visit the SOS web site at: http://www.kingscourt.cjb.net/

SOS News - Congratulations to Sandstrom!

    Sandstrom won FICS first ever SOS Quarterly Championship Tournament held on January 8, 2000.   He now qualifies to play in the Annual Server Suicide Championship Tournament.   The following shows player standings for the new quarter (Jan, Feb, Mar).

    Current SOS Quarterly standings -
    First: DChessmaster (9.5)
    Second: SuperIntellect (8.5)
    Third: Knightwizard (6.5)

    Other interesting statistics for the previous quarter:
    Highest Score (1st place): luvk(39.5)
    Highest Rating: Haley(2350)
    Most Improved Rating: luvk(+202)
    Highest Score(under 1800): cox(15.0)
    Most Improved Rating(under 1800): paddles(+141)

Click here for more FICS tournament information!

***** The Chess Academy *****

The FICS Chess Academy provides a medium for the interaction between strong and weaker chess players. Stronger players, designated by the symbol (CA), donate their time to help their weaker counterparts in order to share knowledge. The most common event is semi-formal analysis of games or positions, there will also be lectures, master challenge sessions, guided group analysis of GM games, and more!  In accordance with the principles by which FICS was founded, all Academy advisers volunteer their time and expertise. Instructors are users who are master or candidate master (expert) strength players and are enthusiastic about helping others.

Do you have a question on how to participate?  To receive instruction or otherwise participate in the Chess Academy you should follow these steps:

  • See the schedule for Academy Hours by typing 'help motd'.
  • Use the 'date' command to check the time of day.
  • Add one or more of the following channels:

The proceedings start in channel 65, but often "follow (CA Lecturer)" is used while examining a game or position. Prepare your questions and interesting games before the Chess Academy hour starts.  Game submissions for analysis are welcome, and should be e-mailed to: The Chess Academy and/or saved in your journal, accompanied by a  message to Academy.  Use tells to channel 65 during the Chess Academy Hours ('tell 65 I don't understand the Lucena position').  Chess advisers will have (CA) after their handles.
 
The  FICS Chess Academy weekly schedule for February:

    Day: Server 
Time:		 Academy Event:
Monday 13:00 Group Analysis
Wednesday 15:00 Group Analysis
Thursday  07:00 
21:00		 Group Analysis 
Group Analysis
Saturday 15:00 Group Analysis
Sunday 15:00 Special Events *

*  Every Sunday at 15:00 server time, the Chess Academy will hold
Special events such as: team games, simuls and master events.

The next lecture by GM Knezevic is scheduled on February 6th

GM Knezevic lectures are twice every month.
He will be starting a new lecture series on the Alekhine Defense.
The next lecture is on Sunday, February 6th, 2000.

All lectures will start at 09:00 server time.
To stay updated, finger the Academy account on FICS.

*****New Players *****

A total of 1,685 new player accounts have been created for the month of January.
Currently to date, FICS total size is 58,834 player accounts.
Active accounts in the month of January totaled 10,934.

***** Server Tip of the Month *****

February's "Server Tip of the Month" will cover, How to communicate on FICS

Communicating Online

Once you connect to the server, you will most likely want to speak with other users. This can be done either privately through tells or publicly in channels and shouts. Channels are forum-like environments where users gather to speak with each other. FICS has 256 channels (0-255). Some channels have specified topics. New users are automatically added to channels 1 (The help channel), 2 (Discussions About FICS), and 50 (General Chat). To view a listing of all channels and their topics, type:

help channel_list

Shouting is similar to channels in that it is a forum-like environment where users gather to speak with each other. However, there is only one shout forum. You can think of shouts as a single channel.

The commands used for communication on FICS are explained below in order of relevancy.

  1. Tell: the tell command is the most common way to communicate on FICS. You can use the tell command to speak to either a single user or all users in a channel.

    The basic tell command to speak to an individual user looks like:

    tell user message

    where user is the person you want to speak with, and message is what you want to say.

    Example: user "toddmf" enters the command

    tell DAV hi

    This will send a message to DAV, which will appear as:

    toddmf tells you: hi

    User DAV can reply by using the command:

    tell toddmf hi

    This will send a message to toddmf, which will appear as:

    DAV tells you: hi

    Note that some users hold titles that are marked by different symbols after their names.
    Some of these titles are:

    (*) Administrator
    (SR) Service Representative
    (TM) Tournament Manager


    When speaking with these individuals, you do not need to include their title in your command.

    Example: if you see user DAV(*) and want to send him a tell, you need only type:

    tell DAV hi

    Again, don't include the administrator flag or title: (*), in your tell.

    To speak to all users in a channel, the tell command is, again, used but in a different manner. The tell command used to speak to a channel looks like:

    tell # message

    where # is the number corresponding with the channel you would like to send your message to, and message is what you want to say.

    Example: user "DChessmaster" enters the command

    tell 1 I need help

    This will send a message to all users in channel 1 that will appear as:

    DChessmaster(1): I need help

    There are two shortcuts for the tell command:

    . (period)
    , (comma)

    A period will send a tell to the last person you sent a tell to.
    A comma will send a tell to the last channel you sent a tell to.
    These shortcuts are also called an alias.

    Example: After user toddmf has told user DAV "hi" (see above), he can speak to DAV again by using this shortcut:

    . how are you today

    Which will appear to DAV as:

    toddmf tells you: how are you today?

    The comma works the same way for a channel tell.

    Example: After user DChessmaster has told channel 1 "I need help" (see above), he can then use this shortcut:

    , What is the FICS website address?

    and everyone in channel 1 will see:

    DChessmaster(1): What is the FICS website address?

  2. Shout: Shouts are used for general chat purposes. Long discussions, however, should be taken to the appropriate channel. There is a limit of 2 shouts per user per minute.

    The command to shout looks like:

    shout message

    As before, message is what you want to say.

    Example: user TheDane enters the command:

    shout hello everybody!

    This will send all users who have shouts turned on a message that looks like:

    TheDane shouts: hello everybody!

    There is another version of the shout command: it. The it command will send a message that is usually used to express an action.

    Example: user gpace enters the command:

    it says hello to everybody

    Each user with shouts turned on will see:

    --> gpace says hello to everybody

    You can toggle shouts on and off with these commands:

    set shout 1 (on)
    set shout 0 (off)

  3. cshout: cshouts are a form of shouts, but are restricted to chess-related topics such as tournament announcements, lecture announcements, etc.

    The cshout command looks like:

    cshout message

    Example: the computer LectureBot enters the command:

    cshout I am starting a lecture

    Each user with cshout's turned on well see:

    LectureBot c-shouts: I am starting a lecture

    You can toggle cshouts on and off with the commands:

    set cshout 1 (on)
    set cshout 0 (off)

  4. Say: say is the primary method of communication during a game. Say sends a message to your current opponent if you are playing a game, or to your last opponent until one of you logs out or you start another game, at which point say will speak to your new opponent.

    To use the say command, type:

    say message

FICS is currently looking for users who want to help us promoting FICS.  Among things we are working on is to get the FICS Banner on your local chess club and personal web pages.  If you have time and want to help us then send e-mail to:  binford@freechess.org.

The Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) Monthly Newsletter.

Please send comments and feedback on what you would like to see in future editions.
Edited by: afw(*)
Comments to afw or Oxymoron.