Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr55/chessfaq.zip/RECCHESS.FAQ

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Date: 03-03-92 (19:52)              Number: 1089 of 1095
  To: ALL                           Refer#: NONE
From: WILLIAM R. SHAUCK               Read: (N/A)
Subj: REC.GAMES.CHESS FAQ: TABL     Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE
Conf: ANSWERS (1446)             Read Type: GENERAL (+)

·  Newsgroup: news.answers
· Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
·    Subject: rec.games.chess FAQ: Table of Contents

Archive-name: chess-faq/part0

Prologue
--------
Last Revision
-------------
The United States Chess Federation
----------------------------------
American Chess Foundation - ACF
-------------------------------
FIDE
----
Chess Ratings
-------------
How Ratings are Calculated: USCF Rating, Simplified
---------------------------------------------------
Chess Tournaments
-----------------
The Swiss Tournament Pairing System
-----------------------------------
Recommended Books for Novices/Intermediates
-------------------------------------------
I'm a Novice (or Intermediate).  How Do I Improve?
--------------------------------------------------
Recommended Openings and Opening Books for Novices and Early Intermediates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chess Publications
------------------
Chess Playing Computers and Software
------------------------------------
Chess Database Software
-----------------------
Where to Get Chess Books and Equipment
--------------------------------------
Other Chess Organizations - Postal and Electronic
-------------------------------------------------
U.S., State, and Local Chess Organizations
------------------------------------------
E-Mail Games, ICS, Mailing Lists, USENET reader
-----------------------------------------------
Available From the Net: gnuchess, XBoard, (La)TeX, and notation
---------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer
----------
Copyright
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Date: 03-03-92 (19:52)              Number: 1090 of 1095
  To: ALL                           Refer#: NONE
From: WILLIAM R. SHAUCK               Read: (N/A)
Subj: REC.GAMES.CHESS ANSWERS T     Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE
Conf: ANSWERS (1446)             Read Type: GENERAL (+)

·  Newsgroup: news.answers
· Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
·    Subject: rec.games.chess Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 02/15/92

Archive-name: chess-faq/part1

Prologue
--------

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.

Last Revision
-------------

The FAQ list was last revised on 2/15/92.  The information on Latex
was updated from version 1.1 to 1.2, and the host name for FTP'ing
gnuchess was corrected.  Please address suggestions for the FAQ list
to [e-mail].

The United States Chess Federation
----------------------------------

The USCF is the "official" national chess organization in 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_ magazine includes listings of the USCF-rated tournaments to be
held in the next few months.  The listing is sorted by state.  It
periodically publishes the addresses of all the state chess organizations.
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.  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 for paying double the regular
membership rate for 10 years running.

Call 800-388-5464 or 914-562-8350 or write:
U.S. Chess Federation
186 Route 9W
New Windsor, NY  12553-7698

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).

American Chess Foundation: President Fan Adams; Exec. Dir. Allan Kaufman
P.O. Box 302; Flushing NY 11358; 718-353-1456

FIDE
----

FIDE (pronounced "fee-day") is an acronym for Federation Internationale
des Echecs.  It is an international chess organization that organizes
tournaments (e.g., Olympiad), grants titles, and controls the World
Championship Cycle (well, at least for now - see below).  Address:

Federation Internationale Des Echecs (FIDE)
Abendweg 1; P.O. Box 2841; CH-6002 Lucerne Switzerland
041 41 513378,9 (voice) 041 41 515846 (fax)

FIDE grants three over-the-board titles: FIDE Master (FM), International
Master (IM), and Grandmaster (GM).  FM can be obtained by keeping your
FIDE rating over 2300 for 25 games.  IM and GM 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 FIDE tournament.  The required
score is a function of the number of rounds and the strength of the
opposition.  There are about 35 GMs, 60 IMs, and 100 FMs living in the
U.S., not all of whom are active players.

FIDE also grants two women's titles - Woman International Master (WIM) and
Woman Grandmaster (WGM).  Women are also eligible for the other titles.

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, and is sort of jointly
controlling the world championship cycle.  The situation will probably
change in the future.  For address see "Chess Publications" section.

Chess Ratings
-------------

Different countries have different rating systems.  The most common
system in use is called the Elo system, named after its inventor, Arpad
Elo.  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 that have been "pure Elo" forever.

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.

How Ratings are Calculated: USCF Rating, Simplified
---------------------------------------------------

**For first 20 games, (provisional rating) use the following system:**

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 unrateds play other unrateds, this requires
several iterations of the above.)

**After 20 games (established rating), use the following system:**

Players rated under 2100 can win/lose a maximum of 32 points per game
Players rated 2100-2399 can win/lose a maximum of 24 points per game
Players rated 2400 and up can win/lose a maximum of 16 points per game

(This maximum is called the K factor.  In a 1/4 K tournament, divide
the above numbers by 4.)

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 = Opponents_Rating - Players_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.

Chess 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 that are
not listed in _Chess Life_.  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 should 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 separate section on Swiss pairings).  "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 left of the "/" is the number of moves, and the number right
of the "/" 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 that 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 that 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 that 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 that the rounds will begin.  (10) Where to
send an advance entry fee, and/or who to contact for more information.

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.)

Recommended Books for Novices/Intermediates
-------------------------------------------

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 4, 5, 9, and 10), a tactics
book, and an endgame book.

1.  _Comprehensive Chess Course_ 2nd edition (ISBN 0961720700) by GM
    Lev Alburt and Roman Pelts.  (Avail. as 2 separate vols. from
    Chess Digest.)  Expensive.  Chess neophytes (i.e., NOT most
    rec.games.chess readers) will find vol. I useful; otherwise, try
    volume II.  Good teaching material for an intro-to-chess class.

2.  _Square One_ by Bruce Pandolfini.  For the earliest of novices and
    children.

3.  _Your Move_ by Yakov Neishtadt.  A good tactics book with 350 positions
    for you to try with solutions and explanations.

4.  _My System_ by Aron Nimzovich (ISBN 0-679-14025-5).  Excellent
    instruction for intermediates.

5.  _The Game of Chess_ by Tarrasch.  As per _My System_ above.

6.  _Essential Chess Endings Explained Move by Move_ by Silman
    (ISBN 0-87568-172-7).  Very clear explanations of basic endings.  For
    novices and intermediates.

7.  _Pandolfini's Endgame Course_ (ISBN 0-671656880).  Another good endgame
    book for novices and intermediates.

8.  _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. Some easy, some hard.  Great for improving tactical ability.

9.  _How to Reassess Your Chess_ by Jeremy Silman.  Explains how to formulate
    a plan.  An excellent improvement program for the intermediate player.

10. _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.

11. _Simple Chess Tactics_ by Gillam (ISBN 0-7134-6513-1).  A first tactics
    book for novices.

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 above 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.

Recommended Openings and Opening Books for Novices and Early Intermediates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember that 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 that
White has a clear plan (and will encounter some tactics, too).

Recommended books for White Opening (pick one).

_Winning with 1.e4_ by GM Andy Soltis.  Covers all (reasonable) Black
responses with good lines that tend to avoid the well-trodden paths.

_Winning with the Colle System_ 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 that they
can produce 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_ 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 that 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 Q.G.A.

   Or, as your B. choice, use the "closed" opening defenses from either
   II or III.

II. _A Complete Black Repertoire_ 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.

Chess Publications
------------------

_Chess Life_ magazine and/or _School Mates_ magazine - see USCF section

_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 per game) tournaments and has a separate
rating system.

_Chess_ magazine from Pergamon in the U.K.  Pergamon Chess, London Road,
Wheatley, Oxford, England OX9 1YR.  $44.95/year in U.S.

_Chess Chow_ by Chess Chow Publications, 115 West 75 St., Suite 2B,
New York, NY 10023.  Edited by GM Joel Benjamin.  6 issues/year;
$21/yr, $39/2 yrs (U.S.); $25/yr, $45/2 yrs (Canada/Mexico); $45/yr,
$85/2 yrs (air mail Europe).

_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 in U.S., $18 Canada, $19 Europe, $20 Australia.

_The Computer Chess Gazette_, Box 2841, Laguna Hills, CA 92654.
714-770-8532.  Focuses on computer chess.

_Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_ published quarterly by I.C.D. Corp.,
21 Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746.  Phone [phone].
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 bi-weekly by International Chess
Enterprises, Inc.  Subscriptions in the U.S. are $45/year, $80/two years.
Subscription address: I.C.E., Inc., P.O. Box 19457, Seattle, WA, 98109.
Phone [phone] (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 U.S. per 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 Maastrict, 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.  203-367-1555.
FAX [phone].  Internet [e-mail] (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).

Chess-Playing Computers and Software
------------------------------------

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.  The
differences are basically how strong the machine (or software) plays, and
the other features that it has to offer (e.g., for dedicated machines:
size of board, wood/plastic, autosensory or "push the pieces," etc.).

If purchasing a chess computer or software, it is best to buy something
that plays at least 300 points above your rating.  Here are the estimated
USCF ratings for some of the more popular dedicated chess computers
(source: _Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_, 3rd Quarter, 1990).

    Computer                 Speed             Approx. USCF rating

Mephisto Portorose 68030     36 MHz                  2405
Fidelity Elite 9 68030       32 MHz                  2335
Mephisto Almeria 68020       12 MHz                  2286
Fidelity Elite 6/Mach 4      20 MHz                  2285
Fidelity Elite 5             16 MHz                  2239
Novag Super Expert/Forte C    6 MHz                  2239 (discontinued)
Mephisto Polgar 10           10 MHz                  2237
Fidelity Elite 2/Mach 3      16 MHz                  2211
Mephisto Polgar 5             5 MHz                  2173
Saitek Galileo Maestro D     10 MHz                  2118
Fidelity Des. Display 2100    6 MHz                  2071
Fidelity Chesster             5 MHz                  2055
Saitek Stratos              5.6 MHz                  2031
Novag Super VIP (handheld)   10 MHz                  1945
Mephisto Marco Polo ""        8 MHz                  1880

Some recommendations: If you want a dedicated computer > 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).

The strength of chess-playing software will be highly dependent on the
hardware that it runs on.  Here is a method to approximate the strength
differences for the same software running on different hardware (source:
_Computer Chess Reports Quarterly_).

Processor                        Chess MIPs

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 MIPs (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 "Chess MIP" 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 "Chess MIPs" and +185 points).

The strongest commercially available chess software is generally agreed
to be M-Chess (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 M-Chess approaching the senior master threshold.
Zarkov interfaces to the "Bookup" database - see below.

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.  Chessmaster and Sargon are available for
the Macintosh.

Recommendation on chess-playing software: Buy one of the top three
programs, especially if you have something less than a 33MHz 80386.  Only
consider Colossus Chess or Chessmaster 2100 if you are bone poor or you
have a superfast PC and don't ever intend to play above 1800 USCF.  Note
that all the above programs are for IBM-compatibles and won't run on
Macintoshes.

There are also 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 who are now working (some of them,
anyway) for IBM.  The current version of Deep Thought has beaten several
Grandmasters and many International Masters.  It has a USCF rating of
about 2520.  Another Carnegie Mellon product, Hitech, was developed by
former World Correspondence Champion Dr. Hans Berliner and sports a USCF
rating just over 2400.

Chess 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 review of these programs was written by
Eric Schiller and appeared in the September 1990 issue of _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 [phone].  Internet
[e-mail] (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, 2153 Highway 35, Sea Girt,
NJ 08750.  908-974-9085.  FAX: [phone].  USCF prices: 3.0 $279,
ACCESS $37.95.

Bookup from Chess Laboratories, P.O. Box 3541, S. Pasadena, CA 91031.
818-799-7567.  Version 7 for IBM costs $99 and version 1.3 for the
Macintosh costs $59.

Where to Get Chess Books and Equipment
--------------------------------------

USCF - books, boards, pieces, clocks, computers, software
       see USCF section

Chess Digest, Inc., P.O. Box 59029, Dallas, TX 75229.  800-462-3548.
FAX [phone].  Massive selection of books; also boards, pieces, and
clocks.  Limited computers and software.  Large (!) catalog available.

Chess House, P.O. Box 12424, Kansas City, Kansas 66112. 800-348-4749.
913-299-3976.  FAX [phone].  Books, boards, pieces, clocks,
computers.  Catalog available.

Chessco, P.O. Box 8, Davenport, Iowa 52805-0008.  319-323-7117.
Associated with Thinker's Press publishers.  Books, boards, clocks.
Catalog available.

I.C.D. Corp., 21 Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746.
800-645-4710 (outside U.S. 516-424-3300).  Chess computers and software.
Associated with Computer Chess Reports Quarterly.

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 (within Michigan 313-664-2133).  Computers, software, and
clocks.

PBM International Corp. Inc., 11 Church Street, Montclair, New Jersey,
07042.  800-726-4685.  FAX [phone].  Computers, software, and
clocks.  Catalog available.

American Chess Equipment (DeWayne Barber), 524 S. Avenida Faro Anaheim,
CA 92807.  714-998-5508 Good source for sets and boards in quantity.

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.

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.

Lindsay Chess Supplies, Box 2381, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 313-995-8738 Books,
sets, clocks. Possibly cheapest source for Informants. Catalog available.

Other Chess Organizations - Postal and Electronic
-------------------------------------------------

International Correspondence Chess Federation
c/o Max Zavanelli, ICCF-US Secretary, 729 South Prospect
Park Ridge, IL  60068

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 90, 20501 Abo, Finland
E-mail Internet: [e-mail]

Correspondence Chess League of America
c/o Dick Vandenburg, 2316 Regan Ave., Boise, ID 83702

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 Center (see below).

Transcendental Chess, c/o Maxwell Lawrence, 1655A Flatbush Ave.,
No. 1502, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11210.  Postal chess organization.

USA Today Sports Center, Four Seasons Executive Center, Building 9,
Terrace Way, Greensboro, NC 27403.  800-826-9688.  An electronic
bulletin board system that provides both on-line and "postal" type chess
games, some of which are associated with American Postal Chess Tournaments.

Rob Roy's chess BBS: [phone] (data), 755-9749 (voice).  He
allegedly has a list of other chess BBSes.

Charles Rostedt's chess BBS, [phone] (data), 634-8477 (voice).

U.S., State, and Local Chess Organizations
------------------------------------------

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_.

E-Mail Games, ICS, Mailing Lists, USENET reader
-----------------------------------------------

Rod Buchner ([e-mail]) 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.

Michael Moore ([e-mail]) is the coordinator/developer of
the Internet Chess Server (ICS), which allows interactive chess games
for those with Internet telnet capability.  Use telnet ("telnet
lark.utah.edu 5000") to connect.  Anyone can log on and play chess,
but if they wish to have their games recorded and develop a rating,
they must register by sending mail to "[e-mail]" with the
login name & password they would like.  There are currently about 130
registered players (6 masters, 10 experts) with a wide range of
strengths among the players.
    Features of ICS include:
o  Game score recording, with the time taken for each move.
o  "Automail" sends you your game's moves upon completion.  You can
   also use "mail" to send the list of moves for any game.
o  USCF 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."

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.  (And vice versa.)
The address to send messages to be posted to rec.games.chess is:
                  [e-mail]
The mailing list administration address is:
                  [e-mail]
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 megaproblems with bounced 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 send to
subscribers via e-mail.  To subscribe to the chess-l newsgroup, send the
message "subscribe chess-l <your real name>" to "[e-mail]."

For those on 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) which is run by the University of North Carolina. The
Internet address for EBBS is "samba.acs.unc.edu" or "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 mail privileges are
also available to verified users.  All access to this system is free at
this time.

Available From the Net: gnuchess, XBoard, (La)TeX, and notation
---------------------------------------------------------------

                       ** gnuchess **


gnuchess is a public domain chess-playing software program.

To get gnuchess:

For UUCP (if you have the so-called HoneyDanBer UUCP), one may place a
line in /usr/lib/uucp/Systems, as follows:
osu-cis Any ACU ##00 1-614-292-31## "" \r\c Name? osu-cis nected \c GO \
                \d\r\d\r\d\r in:--in:--in: Uanon
(all on one line)
In the above line, replace '##' by '96', '24', or '12' for 9600,
2400 or 1200 bps.

Then retrieve gnuchess version 3.1 by running:
uucp osu-cis!~/gnu/chess/gnuchess-3.1.tar.Z your-directory
(It should be 278,221 bytes long)

Alternatively:

If you are on the Internet, 'ftp tut.cis.ohio-state.edu', login as
'anonymous' (no password), and 'get pub/gnu/chess/gnuchess-3.1.tar.Z'
should work.

If you have uunet service, you can ask them to ftp freely-available files
and mail them to you.

                      ** XBoard **

xboard is an x11 interface for gnu chess.

Archive-name: gnu/chess/xboard/1991-01-26
Archive: export.lcs.mit.edu:/contrib/xboard.tar.Z [18.30.0.212]
Original-posting-by: [e-mail] (dan sears)
Original-subject: xboard 1.1
Reposted-by: [e-mail] (Edward Vielmetti)

xboard 1.1 has been posted to comp.sources.x and, for those with ftp
access, it is available on export.lcs.mit.edu and other X11 contrib
archive sites.

Here is the README file for xboard 1.1.

XBoard version 1.1

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. It manages a digital chess clock for each player and
resets the clocks if time control is achieved within a given number of
moves.  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 xboard.1 describes the features of
xboard.

XBOARD was written by Dan Sears and Chris Sears.  XBOARD borrows its
colors, icon and piece bitmaps from xchess which was written and
copyrighted by Wayne Christopher.

CAVEATS

XBOARD depends on the R4 Xt Intrinsics and R4 Athena Widget Set.  R3
won't do.

GNU Chess is available via anonymous FTP from, among other sites,
gatekeeper.

    gatekeeper.dec.com    16.1.0.2    pub/GNU/gnuchess-3.1.tar.Z

It must be compiled with the -DCHESSTOOL option.

                    ** (La)TeX and other chess fonts **

Question: How can I write chess texts using international figurine
notation?   And how can I include diagrams in my text?

Answer:

There are basically three ways of composing chess texts in figurine
notation and that include diagrams:

a) using a wordprocessor and a chess font. For instance, for the Apple
Macintosh there are at least 3 different sets of fonts usable in
connection with standard wordprocessors like Microsoft Word, MacWrite,
Nisus or WriteNow. Most of these fonts are proprietary so they can be
obtained only buying them. The fonts are used for both the figurines and
the diagrams.  A PostScript font, including a variety of figurines,
diagrams and Informant symbols, has been posted to the Net by Andy
Walker, [e-mail].

b) using a chess-specific writing application. For instance, on the Apple
Macintosh the program ChessWriter offer an interface including a
chessboard and a text window. Moves made on the chessboard are
automatically transformed in characters in the text window. ChessWriter
is proprietary.

c) using TeX/LaTeX with the chess macros and fonts by Piet Tutelaers. 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.

To use the chess LaTeX package you must:

c0) get the chess LaTeX package (version 1.2) by [e-mail]
(Piet Tutelaers).  It is accessible by ftp on the ftp-server
`sol.cs.ruu.nl' (131.211.80.5) of the Department of Computer Science of
the Utrecht University, the Netherlands.  Such a server can also answer
E-mail requests (both methods are explained below under "getting
chess files").

c1) be able to use Metafont to generate chess fonts starting from the
programs contained in the package;

c2) be able to install the LaTeX macros in your TeX system;

c3) learn the macro language to format chess texts.

Activities c0, c2 and c3 are very easy; activity c1 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 also not as difficult as some people say.
The results are worth the effort.

            * getting chess files *

NOTE: In the following I have assumed your mail address is [e-mail].

NOTE: *** SUBSTITUTE YOUR OWN ADDRESS FOR [e-mail].  PLEASE USE VALID
          INTERNET ADDRESSES. DO NOT USE ADDRESSES WITH ! and @ MIXED.
          BITNETTERS USE [e-mail] ***

by FTP: (please restrict access to weekends or evening/night (i.e. between
about 20.00 and 0900 UTC).

    ftp archive.cs.ruu.nl [131.211.80.5]
    user name: anonymous or ftp
    password: your own email address (e.g. [e-mail])
      Don't forget to set binary mode if the file is a tar/arc/zoo archive,
      compressed or in any other way contains binary data.
    get TEX/chess12.README
    get TEX/chess12.tar.Z  (or TEX/chess12.zoo)

by mail-server:

send the following message to
[e-mail] (or uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!ruuinf!mail-server):

    begin
    path [e-mail] (PLEASE SUBSTITUTE *YOUR* ADDRESS)
    send TEX/chess12.README
    send TEX/chess12.tar.Z  (or TEX/chess12.zoo)
    end

The path command can be deleted if we receive a valid from address in your
message. If this is the first time you use our mail server, we suggest you
first issue the request:
    send HELP

                            **notation**

"Notation" is a program written by Henry Thomas ([e-mail]).
Here is an abstract:

** DESCRIPTION

"Notation" is a chess preprocessor. It reads chess games, either in full
algebraic or shortened notation (ie 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 (European) for piece identification. The program
understands French, English, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Polish, etc.
The program also handles variations and symbolized comments.

** COMPATIBILITY

This program is ok on UNIX (Sun Sparc Station and Sun-3). It uses standard
C, and functions declarations are done in both K&R-C and ANSI-C.  It won't
be difficult to compile on a IBM-PC with MSC.

** SOURCES

They are posted to comp.sources.misc. You can also get them from
[e-mail] by mail. They are available via anonymous ftp on
wuarchive.wustl.edu, (user:anonymous, password:<your address>)
"pub/Notation.tar.Z" is the path (one person has reported problems
retrieving this file).  European users try garbo.uwasa.fi.

Disclaimer
----------

Some answers given above 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, nor commercials for the manufacturer.  Where cost
information is stated this is based on "street" information, and are in
no way binding on the seller.  The answers contained in this series
pertain to discussions on the rec.games.chess net, and are by no means
exhaustive.

Copyright
---------

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 can be made
freely, as long as it is distributed at no charge, and the disclaimer and
the copyright notice are included.
---
 * PCB/UseNet Gateway from Sparkware #3


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From: [e-mail] (William R. Shauck)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess,news.answers
Subject: rec.games.chess Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 02/15/92
Keywords: chess FAQ semimonthly answers
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Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1992 10:16:05 GMT
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