Why I Don't Pay
for
Internet Chess

(or Why I'm Not a
Member of ICC)

by
Edward D. Collins

 

Despite the fact that I'm a member of both FICS, Chess.net, and several other free internet chess servers, often times I can be found playing unrated games as a guest on ICC, the Internet Chess Club. And on occasion, I'll find myself playing an unrated game against not just another guest but against a regular member there.

During such times, more than once my opponent, either during or after the game, will try to "recruit" me and tell me what a wonderful deal it is for being a member. Others simply ask me why I don't chose to pay for this service. In either case I find myself taking time out to express my reasons.

Well, it happened again today... twice... so I decided to create this web page so in the future I can simply direct others to this URL.

In a nutshell, I simply don't feel ICC has anything worth paying for. It offers nothing of value to me. And I know of no one who willingly pays for a service of any kind unless they feel the cost is worthwhile.

 

But Ed, haven't you read the "register" help file on ICC? This file lists several advantages in being a member!

I most certainly have. Why don't you ask me about these so called quirks and member benefits and I'll respond in kind.

 

Members can play rated games there. Don't you enjoy playing games that are rated?

I most certainly do. However, I gauge my progress via rated games on all of the other free servers mentioned above. I don't see why I should pay money just so so I can add ICC to this list.

 

On ICC, you're allowed to observe Grandmaster games! Unregistered players can't do that!

Sure I can! If I so choose I can see this blitz Grandmaster game of yours as soon as it's over via the server's own examine mode.

Note that I can watch a live game between two masters and at my level, (1700) I'll get just as much (if not more) out of watching a couple of strong masters play than I would watching a couple of GM's. (A toddler would get more out of watching a fellow toddler attempt to walk than he/she would watching Carl Lewis run.)

As it is, watching a "meaningless" Grandmaster blitz game does not interest me too much. I have the ability to watch an "analyzed" Grandmaster game here at home through my many chess books and chess magazines. In fact, I have so many games here at home I wouldn't have time to look at all of them if I tried.

 

ICC often broadcasts live events!

FICS does this too... often the very same event. For example, FICS is currently relaying live the moves of the 1999 Hoogovens tournament, just like ICC is. And FICS relayed live the moves of the '97 Deep-Blue Kasparov rematch, as well. There are many other examples. In fact, FICS has relayed events ICC did not cover at all!

 

Guests aren't allowed to play in "Tomato" tournaments.

FICS has "Mamer" tourneys which, for all practical purposes, is the exact same thing.

 

On ICC you can play against the computers, like BulletC, WimpD, etc.!

<Laugh> If you enjoy paying to play against computers, you're invited to come over to my house any time you wish; I have several computer programs I'd be happy to charge you to play against. I'll even keep track of your wins and losses and figure out your rating for you. Seriously though, all of the other servers also have numerous computer accounts one can play rated games against too.

 

Members can watch MrSpock's lectures 24 hours a day!

I've seen many of them. ICC allows the same e-mail address to have a free one-week trial period once every four months. I take advantage of this and usually sign up and therefore, for one week, I'm a member. (Whoopee!!!!) During that week I can catch up on all of MrSpock's lectures if I so choose.

 

Members have a permanent name people will recognize. How about that! When you sign on as a guest, no one will recognize you.

Actually, I can get around this quite easily.

The dozen or so members of ICC I chat with on a regular basis I add to my notify list. When they log on after me, they are notified that I'm connected to the server.

"Your arrival was notified by ---> guestxxx."

And I'm too, notified that they have logged on. There ya go! Then they can then finger this guest and after doing so will see, via my finger notes, that it's me. (Note: I use WinBoard to connect. WinBoard has the ability to load a "login script" which adds these members to my notify list and sets up my finger notes for me automatically. (Another reason why WinBoard is actually much more powerful than BlitzIn.)

 

Hey! One of the items in the "register" help file is:

"finger notes and variables you don't have to set every time you login."

Are you saying you found a way around this?

Yes. As I mentioned above WinBoard, my favorite interface, is much more powerful than BlitzIn is. One of the many features of WinBoard is I can create an automated login script to set preferred choices and variables each and every time I log on. As a member of ICC, you typed your finger notes once... and so did I. I just did it in a text file and saved it to my hard drive while you did it on the server. It amounts to the same thing.

 

I take it you know guests can't create aliases. Surely you can appreciate the power of an alias!

Again, you must have BlitzIn in mind. WinBoard, unlike BlitzIn, has the power to create its own "ICS menu box." With this I can create "shortcuts" for often used commands. And note that with BlitzIn, you have to type your alias. I can execute my alias with my mouse.

 

Well, the next item on my list was "members have lists that don't go away, like notify, gnotify, censor, alias, etc." I can see how your login script gets around this too.

Now you're catching on!

 

But members have a 20 game history of their games! And unregistered plays can have their games e-ailed to them.  Each time you log off, your games are lost!

No. I also have a history and record of my games... it's on my hard drive! WinBoard saves, every game I play or observe, to a single PGN file. I can save any game to this file that I wish to examine as well.

 

Hmmmnnn... interesting. I take it having a personal library of your favorite games is about the same thing for you then, huh?

Of course. I can easily, save my "favorite" games to a different file.

 

So you have no reason to have your games e-mailed to you then!

I've never quite understood why anyone wishes to have their games e-mailed to them. That seems like an extra step to me, since you then have the task of taking that game from your e-mail program and saving it to a file. A quality chess interface will save your games to your hard drive for you automatically.

 

Guests aren't allowed to shout or s-shout. You can't get around that!

Oh, please. Do you log into ICC to chit-chat or are you there to play chess?

 

Members get discounts on chess products!  Read the "marketplace" help file.

If you're a paying member of ICC simply because you wish to receive a discount on a chess product, you're gonna have to purchase an awful lot of these products before you come out ahead!

 

ICC offers bughouse, and other wild variants. And they recently implemented Fischer-Random chess! But you won't be able to use your beloved WinBoard if you wish to play Fischer-Random. According the their News Item #1125, you need BlitzIn 1.80 or higher to play this.

<Laugh> FICS offers Bughouse and other wild variants too, including the latest one, Crazyhouse (a one-player Bughouse variant) which ICC does not yet have. MEWIS, the Mid-East Wild Internet Server, actually specializes in wild variants. And note that FICS has had Fischer-Random since the fall of '96, over two years earlier than ICC implemented it. And no, like many of ICC's news items and help files, their information is not quite correct... in this case I don't need BlitzIn at all to play Fischer-Random on ICC, although I'm sure they would like you to believe that. WinBoard, and other interfaces, can handle a Fischer-Random game just fine.

 

Members can send and receive messages to friends who are not logged in.

If they really are a friend I've got their e-mail address and I can send them a message via e-mail.

 

But Ed, weren't you a member of ICC once?

Of course, several years ago. Like most people, I found out about ICC first, before I realized there were other chess servers out there too. I know of several others who discovered ICC first as well. It is my contention most people do, simply because they have more money to spend on advertising.

 

But why do so many members, after their membership expires, renew? By then, many of these players would have then heard about the other chess servers.

Many members do renew but a lot do not. You have to realize after using BlitzIn exclusively for six months, many players are going to be hesitant about wanting to take the time to download and familiarize themselves with a new interface, one that will connect to the other servers. (BlitzIn only connects to ICC.) You'd be surprised of the number of people who are still uncomfortable in downloading and unzipping programs. And, of course, after six months, a player on ICC often has built up quite a number of rated games which shows up in their "finger" stats. Leaving ICC would mean leaving these figures behind, something I can relate to. I too, enjoy seeing that I've played more than 4,500 rated games on FICS. Finally, most players often develop friendships with others on ICC, and incorrectly assume they will lose these friends if they suddenly choose to not renew their membership. Finally, members of ICC are slowly "brainwashed" into believing FICS is inferior. It's not.

 

Is ICC worried about FICS and Chess.net and the other servers?

Of course they are. First and foremost, ICC is a business. It is in their best interests to try to stay one step ahead of their "competition."

  • Why else does ICC have a policy about not allowing registered members 
    to talk about the other chess servers in channels?

Zek(*)(2): Please take discussion about other chess servers to tells.

  • Why else do most of my questions I submit to the help channel about the 
    other servers, either not show up on the screen so other guests can read 
    them but instead bring about a
    personal reply...

tell 1 Is there any chance ICC will implement Crazyhouse, like FICS has, in the near future? It's fun!

Petrel tells you: Anything's possible. if you like the idea, why not send an e-mail to icc@chessclub.com with the suggestion.

... or go unanswered completely?

  • Why else was the BlitzIn interface written so it would only connect to their server?
  • Why else am I not allowed to register for a free trial with WinBoard as my handle?

The answers are obvious. They would rather have you believe no other chess server exists. Believe me, if anything, ICC is no dummy.

If FICS, Chess.net and the other free servers did not exist, then I would definitely pay to become a member of ICC. As it is, the other servers do exist and thus ICC offers nothing of value to me.