Opening 1.e4 is a really good idea. 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.
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.
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. Many people know versions
of the Sicilian fairly deep and this may cost you many games. 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:
_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.
_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.
_A Complete Black Repertoire_ (ISBN 0-87568-163-8) by IM Jeremy Silman.
Based around the French and Queen's Gambit Declined.
_A Black Defensive System for the Rest of Your Chess Career_ by GM
Andy Soltis. Based around the Caro-Kann and Slav.
================================================================
Following is a "Scholastic Chess Syllabus" developed by Ken Sloan. It is
intended as a shopping list for parents who don't know the literature.
There are many other good books - this is simply one collection.
================================================================
Scholastic Chess Syllabus of Ken Sloan
0) Pawn&Queen and In Between, Volume 1, Number 1.
Available from USCF. In quantity 10, it comes with a
Teacher's Guide.
This is the book that I give to everyone who walks in the
door. I consider it an excellent starting point. In spite
of the title, there will be no "Number 2". It's a good guide to
large-group lecture-style teaching - but I prefer to have "good
readers" go through it by themselves (or with their parents) and
then use it as the basis for questions.
1) Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, by Fischer, Margulies,& Mosenfelder
ISBN 0-553-25735-8, paperback from Bantam.
Kids love this book. No notation. Every page contains a single
problem. The answer (and the next problem) is overleaf. After
reading the right-hand pages, you turn the book over and go through
it again, reading the left-hand (upside-down) pages. Concentrates on
MATE! No board required. I give this book as a prize
2) Play Winning Chess, by Seirawan (with Silman)
ISBN 1-55615-271-X, paperback by Tempus Books of Microsoft Press.
Explanation of basic strategic concepts (space, time, etc.)
Combining this book with Winning Chess Tactics (see below) gives
a consistent, enjoyable 2-book sequence. Highly recommended.
3) Winning Chess Tactics, by Seirawan and Silman.
ISBN 1-55615-474-7, paperback by Tempus Books of Microsoft Press.
Explanation of basic tactics, examples, and tests. Biographies of
famous "tactical" players, from Anderssen to Kasparov, along with
representative games.
4) Let's Play Chess: A Step-By-Step Guide for all First-Time Players,
by Pandolfini. ISBN 0-671-61983-7, paperback from Fireside
(Simon & Schuster).
For the text-oriented kid. Every paragraph has a point, and a
number. Can easily be skipped - but has lots of useful ideas, in
pithy prose.
5) Square One: A Chess Drill Book for Children and Their Parents,
by Pandolfini. ISBN 0-671-65689-9, paperback from Fireside (Simon &
Schuster).
Workbook format. The paragraphs are still numbered. Lots of
diagrams, lots of questions to answer.
6) Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps (202 Openings Designed to Instruct
Players of All Levels). ISBN 0-671-65690, paperback from Fireside
(Simon & Schuster).
One opening (actually, one line) per page - showing an instructive
shot, and a bit of analysis of the ideas. Useful as a source of
202 short lessons - but also a good book for a low-beginner to read
through in search of opening ideas - there are 202 to choose from!
7) Weapons of Chess: an Omnibus of Chess Strategy, by Pandolfini.
ISBN 0-671-65972-3, paperback from Fireside (Simon & Schuster).
A collection of short ruminations on every topic you can think of.
almost always with a diagram, and a lesson attached. No board
necessary, even for low-beginners. An "idea" book.
8) Pandolfini's Endgame Course, by Pandolfini.
ISBN 0-671-65688-0, paperback from Fireside (Simon & Schuster).
Highly recommended. Short lessons on the endgame, beginning with
KQRk and ending (238 endgames later) with KNPkb. KBNk is handled
in Endgames 16 through 24, one small step at a time. Beginners
will need a board the first time (or two) through the book. When the
material is well understood, the player should be able to read
through each lesson without benefit of a board.
9) Chessercizes: New Winning Techniques for Players of All Levels, by
Pandolfini. ISBN 0-671-70184-3, paperback from Fireside (Simon &
Schuster) .
Not exactly "problems"; not exactly "lessons". Written in the modern
Pandolfini style - one idea/example per page. Easy to take in short
segments, or as fodder for lessons.
10) Chess for Tigers, 2nd edition, by Simon Webb.
ISBN 0-08-037788-2, paperback from Permagon Press
General advice on varied topics, with a lesson woven into every
chapter.
Finally, my recommendations on opening books. Students who learn from
Pandolfini will "naturally" play double K-pawn openings. I see no
reason to interfere with this for quite some time. Eventually, they
want somethings more meaty. My approach is to first introduce the Evans
Gambit - and then the Ruy Lopez.
I haven't found anything really good on a repertoire for Black -
especially in response to something other than 1. e4. Suggestions
are welcome!
11) Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights Defense, by Tim Harding.
ISBN 0-87568-194-8, paperback from Chess Digest.
An excellent presentation of opening ideas which will appeal to the
young player. Beginners need to be cautioned to simply follow the
"bold type" - on later passes they can come back for another level of
detail, and then another, etc. Emphasis on complete games.
12) How to Play the Ruy Lopez, by Shaun Taulbut.
ISBN 07134 4873 3, paperback from Batsford.
Good presentation of essential opening material. Can be read
at several levels - starting with simply the text introductions
to each chapter and "just the bold type" for the main line. Details
can be picked up in later passes through the book, and in analysis
of games actually played. This book can be used for ideas on how to
meet the Ruy Lopez *as Black*, while still aiming for the Evans
Gambit with White.
By now - we're probably well out of the "kids books" area. I believe
that any 6th grader (and most 4th graders) can read all of the above
books. I suspect that these books will take any beginner to at least
USCF 1400. By that time, the student will be ready for the "adult"
literature, and the choice of books becomes much more personalized,
depending on choice of openings, style, etc.
end Ken Sloan's book list for children
================================================================
Other books that may be recomended and in the same general category
(Children and Beginning Students of Chess) are:
1) Chess Tactics For Students, by John A. Bain, ISBN
0-9639614-0-3,available from John Bain, P.O. Box 398, Philomath, OR
97370. $14.95 Students or Teachers Edition. 20% discount with orders of
10 or more student editions Free Teachers edition with order of 15.
Introduction to tactics. Clear, large format book with excellent
typeface. Step by step explanation of problem solving. "fill in the
blank" response area in text. Start with problem, use hints if
necessary, then check answers. Good for young and beginning players who
need practise in tactics. Excellent for group or individual use.
Important and often neglected area of study between learning the moves
and learning the openings. The problems frequently are related with
the subsequent problem starting one or two moves earlier. This allows the
individual to see how a sequence of tactical moves could be created from
an earlier existing postition.
From same author: Chess Rules for Students. $2.50 each, 10 for $20.00. Clear
easy to read. Good for elementary, middle grade students. Both of these bookds
are more clear and easier to understand than any book most of us started with.
For more information contact John Bain at the adress above or
bainj@csos.orst.edu.
-----
Subject: [15] I'm really good. How do I get better? (Class A/B and Up.)
No one may actually need this section because you may have already figured
out what to do at your current elevated status of chess playing. In case
you are looking, aimlessly for things to do to improve. I will recommend
a few good sources of material. At the higher levels, tactical ability is
a given. Opening theory will become increasingly important. So will the
occasional surprise, something outside of your usual repertoire. Note
Kasparov and his recent Evan's gambits. It is important
to develop a sense of both what positional improvements are possible and what
dynamics underly a given position. Methods of choosing and analyzing
"candidate moves" is increasingly important - and has at no level really not
been important. The use of computer database software to study recent games
will be useful. At a high level, you will be able to study the games of your
opponent. The assistance of high level chess program to analyze lines that
either you or your opponent plays can also be helpful and serve as a double
check on your own analysis. You should analyze not only the games you lose,
but also those you win. Be sure that you know the errors you made in the
games that you have won.
When looking at games for ideas, in addition to looking at the Informants and
NIC yearbooks you may also consider looking at high level correspondance chess
games. These contain themes that have been worked out with considerable time
and effort.
Some books that will be useful on a higher level of chess play include:
Think Like a Grandmaster, GM Kotov. 200 pages. $24.95
Difficult reading. Concepts easily understandable. But you need a bit
of a gift to apply. But then you are "really good" and want to be better.
Grandmaster Achievement. GM Polugayevsky. 223 pages. $24.95
Chess Master...at any Age. NM Wetzell. 300 pages. Easy reading. Wetzell
obtained his Master title at age 50. There may be hope!
Training For the Tournament Player. IM Dvoretsky and GM Yusupov. Learn
how to determine your strengths and weaknesses and improve.
Mastering the Endgame, Vol 1. GM Shereshevsky and Slutsky. Endings from the
open and semi-open games. Sicilian, Caro-Kann, French, Ruy. $24.95
Mastering the Endgame, Vol 2. GM Shereshevsky and Slutsky. Endings from the
QG and closed openings. English, etc. $24.95
Batsford Chess Endings, by GM Speelman, Im Tisdall, Im Wade. Single volume
endings encyclopedia. You should have your endings under control after this
one.
Dynamic Chess Strategy. Mihai Suba. Pergamon Chess. 144 pages. Offbeat
humerous book describing Suba's philosophy toward strategy. Over 800 games of
GM Suba may be found in Chess Assistant's Gigantic 350,000+ database of games.
Suba loves the hedgehog. NM Allan Savage recommends this book as a
"classic to be".
Subject: [16] Publications
_Ajedrez Universal_, Luis Hoyos-Millan, P.O. Box 10020, Staten Island, NY
10301.
_American Chess Journal_, P.O. Box 2967, Harvard Square Station, Cambridge,
MA 02238. Phone 617-876-5759; fax 617-491-9570; e-mail cfc@isr.harvard.edu.
Edited by Christopher Chabris, Timothy Hanke, and GM Patrick Wolff. 128
pp./issue, book format, 3 issues/year. Single copy $12 to U.S.,
$14 to Canada/Mexico, $16 elsewhere; 3-issue subscription $30, $36, $42;
6-issue subscription $54, $66, $78. Emphasizes good writing, in-depth
analysis, history, and reviews.
_APCT News Bulletin_, c/o Helen Warren, P.O. Box 70, Western Springs, IL
60558. Correspondence chess.
_BDG World_, 303 Cleveland St., P.O. Box 66, Headland, AL 36345.
_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_, Chess & Bridge, Ltd., 369 Euston Road, London, England NW1 3AR.
Phone (+44) 071 388 2404. General manager is IM Malcolm Pein. 12
issues/year; subscription rates are: UK L23.95/yr, L45/2 yrs; Europe
L29.95/yr, L56.95/2 yrs; USA/Canada (2nd class airmail) $49.95/yr, $95/2 yrs.
_Chess Circuit_ PO Box 1962, London NW4 4NF
Edited by Adam Raoof
6 Issues/yr
UK L12.00/yr
Europe L14.00/yr
US or CAN L17.00/yr
e-mail adam@circuit.demon.co.uk
Mag for the active tournament player.
_Chess Chow_, Chess Chow Publications, P.O. Box 3348, Church St. Station, New
York, NY 10008. 212-432-6546. Edited by GM Joel Benjamin. 6 issues/year;
$25/yr, $45/2 yrs; Foreign rates: $40/yr & $75/2 yrs. 48 pp., many guest GM
and IM contributors, emphasis on instruction and entertainment. (More info:
e-mail mginsbur@rnd.stern.nyu.edu).
_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_ published quarterly by ICD Corp., 21 Walt Whitman
Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746. Phone 800-645-4710. Subscriptions are
$12/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 about $30/year. Follows computer chess worldwide. ICCA,
c/o Don Beal, Department of Computing Science, Queen Mary and Westfield
College, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England. ICCA Europe, c/o Prof. Dr. H.
J. van den Herik, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maasticht, The Netherlands
Email ICCA is icca@cs.rulimburg.nl (Membership/subscription
is Hfl. 60).
_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;
e-mail 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).
_Scacchi e Scienze Applicate
articles/surveies in Italian and/or English.
WRITE for sample Issue TO:
Romano Belucci
Castello 5449
I-30122 Venezia - ITALY
near $10
_Sinfonie Scacchistiche
[Chess problems]
articles/surveies in Italian and/or English
WRITE for Sample Issue TO:
Massimo LaRosa
Via carpenino, 8
I-19121 La Spezia - ITALY
near L.30.000/50.000 (Italian)
_Scacco
WRITE for Sample Issue TO:
Salvatore Gallitto
Corso Diaz, 3
I-12084 Mondovi (Cuneo) - ITALY
near L.55.000/90.000 (Italian)
_L'Italia Scacchistica
WRITE for Sample Issue TO:
Adolivio Capece
Via Lamarmora, 40
I-20122 Milano - ITALY
near L.80.000/120.000 (Italian)
------------------------------
Subject: [17] 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.
Australian Chess Enterprises, 4/69 Garfield Road East, Riverstone, NSW 2765
Australia, ph: 61-2-838-1529 fax: 61-2-838-1614. Chess supplies, software,
promotions and publications.
Dale Brandreadth, P.O. Box 151, Yorkland, DE 19736. 302-239-4608. Used chess
books.
Caissa's Press, P.O. Box 609091, Cleveland, OH, 44109-0091. Buys and sells
used (and some new) books; send $1 for current list.
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. 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.
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_ (see [15]) Highly recommended on RGC.
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.
National Chess and Games, P.O. Box 17278, Anaheim, CA 92817. 714-282-8483.
PBM International Corp. Inc., 11 Church Street, Montclair, NJ 07042.
800-726-4685; fax 201-783-0580. Computers, software, and clocks. Catalog
available.
Jon C. Rather, P.O. Box 273, Kensington, MD 20895. 301-942-0515. Used chess
books.
Sound Chess, Inc., P.O. Box 7504, Boulder, CO 80306. Audio tapes (cassettes),
video tapes (VHS), books and software. Send $1 for catalog.
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.
USCF - books, boards, sets, clocks, computers, software (see [2]).
coming soon to this space: enhanced version of where to get computer based
chess software and supplies.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [18] E-Mail Games, ICS, Mailing Lists, Gopher, Usenet reader
The Internet Chess Servers (formerly ICS) is a true internet chess highlight!
ICS was originally developed by Michael Moore (mmoore@dsd.es.com). There
are now 2 primary servers in the United States, ICC and FICS. ICC and FICS
allow interactive chess games for those with Internet telnet capability. Use
telnet (e.g., "telnet chess.lm.com 5000" or telnet ics.onenet.net 5000)
to connect. All may log on and play chess, but if you wish to have your
games recorded and develop a rating, register on the system you use (see
help on the system for more information). There are several IC Servers
running:
ICC (Internet Chess Club)
To play on the ICC,USA, all you need to do is type:
telnet chess.lm.com 5000
You will be asked for a name. Type in any name you want.
You will then be logged in as an "unregistered" player.
If you want a "registered" account, type "help registration"
and follow the directions carefully. The ICS in March of 1995 is changing its
name to ICC. A fee will be charged for membership of approximately $49 per
year. Students will be half price and unregistered users can play for free.
SOME FACTS ABOUT ICC:
There are over 7,000 accounts on ICC, from all over the world.
There are often over 150 people logged in. Sometimes more than 200.
Players range in skill from Grandmaster down to beginner, so
you can always find someone at your level.
This is "live" chess, not e-mail chess! It only takes a second
or two to transmit your move to your opponent (unless there is
bad lag on the internet).
It's a fun, club-like atmosphere, with people talking about
chess, kibitzing during games, shouting greetings to each
other, discussing sports, arguing politics, etc.
A new program called timestamp became available in the Spring of 1995, which
limits or eliminates lag. It is available only to registered members of
the ICC.
Numerous live events are viewable by all visitors, both registered and
non-registered guests. These events inlude live grandmaster vs. grandmaster
chess, live grandmaster vs. computer chess, live GM vs. others. Live lectures
also take place here.
You can:
- play chess 24 hours a day.
- play games using any time control you and your opponent
agree to, ranging from one minute for the whole game to
5 hours.
- get ratings for blitz and slow chess. Each game is rated
right after it is played. You can play unrated also.
- watch Grandmasters and International Masters playing blitz.
- play over and sutdy the past 14 games of any ICS player.
- obtain "graphical interfaces", that allow you to make moves
with a mouse on a board on your screen. These are available
for DOS, Mac, and Unix machines. do "help interface".
- talk to people from all over the world, with the many
commands for communicating: tell, shout, kibitz, whisper.
- search a 7000+ game database of GM, IM and Master games.
For more information, just log in into ICC, and look around.
"help" and "info" give you a list of all the files of
information that you can read. You can also talk to an
administrator if you have any questions or problems.
Administrators can be found by typing "who" and looking for
a "*" by their name.
- participate or observe simultaneous matches, including blitz simuls.
FICS (Free Internet Chess Server) - A new location for FICS appeared at
ics.onenet.net 5000 in March of 1995. This was begun in response to the
institution of charges at ICC (formerly ICS). The free spirit of the
internet lives on here. Contribute in a positive way to that spirit by
volunteering to help with code enhancements or in whatever way you can.
New features include simultaneous game feature, a new rating system,
and has even stimulated the development of more than one FAQ dedicated to a
discussion of FICS vs. ICC. Events similar to those seen on ICC will also be
seen here. I suggest visiting both the ICC and FICS to get a feel for the
atmosphere, chess played and guests and then deciding whether you want to
hang out on one server or the other or visit both. Help files here may also be mailed to your e-mail address once you are
registered. If you would like to contribute time and effort to the free server
contact an administrator once registered. Much of the description above for ICC
also holds true for FICS.
Lectures online are starting, but grandmaster events are limited at this time.
The software is regularly impoving. The competition between the two main
servers has led to the implementation of features such as the glicko rating
system and simultaneous matches.
At FICS you can:
- play chess 24 hours a day.
- play games using any time control you and your opponent
agree to, ranging from one minute for the whole game to
5 hours.
- get ratings for blitz and slow chess. Each game is rated
right after it is played. You can play unrated also.
- watch a variety of other players playing blitz.
- obtain "graphical interfaces", that allow you to make moves
with a mouse on a board on your screen. These are available
for DOS, Mac, and Unix machines. do "help interface".
- talk to people from all over the world, with the many
commands for communicating: tell, shout, kibitz, whisper.
- participate or observe simultaneous matches, including blitz simuls.
- other features and events are expected!
ICS-addresses:
Euro- Server: anemone.daimi.aau.dk 5000 (130.225.18.58 5000)
US- Server: chess.lm.com 5000 (164.58.253.10 5000)
U.S. FICS: ics.onenet.net 5000
Dutch-Server: dds.hacktic.nl 5000 (193.78.33.69 5000)
Aussie-Server: lux.latrobe.edu.au 5000 (131.172.4.3 5000)
ICS-backup servers (unsaved games)
telnet iris4.metiu.ucsb.edu 5000
telnet coot.lcs.mit.edu 5000
Ftp server : ftp chess.onenet.net 5000 (164.58.253.10 5000)
To see a sample ftp session, do: help ftp
Graphical Interfaces for Internet Chess Servers
------------------------------------
There are several graphical interfaces available for the ICS.
All are available via anonymous ftp from the chess ftp site, in
the directory pub/chess. I recommend starting with ZIICS for DOS and
SLIC for windows. Many of these programs are available at caissa.onnet.net.
NAME Operating System Author
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GIICS DOS with modem LLama
NGIICS DOS with TCP/IP LLama
ZIICS DOS with modem Zek
JIICS DOS with modem (requires VGA/mouse) Peluri
Monarc DOS with modem Kevster
Raja Elephant MS Windows and modem (also known as "WICS") fischer
Gilchess MS Windows and modem Azorduldu
SLICS MS Windows 3.1 - TCP/IP dfong
PMICS OS/2 PM and modem (get pmics091.exe,
in pub/chess/DOS/OLD-STUFF) woof
XBoard Unix with X windows and TCP/IP (or modem) mann
XICS Unix with X windows and TCP/IP observer
cics Unix with ordinary terminal (e.g. vt100) observer
NeXTICS NeXT with modem or TCP/IP red
MacICS Mac douglas
MacICS-TCP Mac with TCP/IP eew
E-ICS Mac douglas
Aics Amiga fischer
Programmers: Please do "help programmers" for suggestions about how to
parse the output from this server.
Email Chess
IECG
IECG is currently run by Franz Hemmer - franz@hemsoft.ping.dk.
Ratings are posted in rec.games.chess. Three speeds are supported, move a day,
move a day except weekends and 10 moves per month. For pairing send your NAME,
E-MAIL ADDRESS, and LEVEL-OF-PLAY (Novice,Intermediate, or Expert) or approximate
rating to (franz@hemsoft.ping.dk).
You will be matched to play 2 games simultaneously. This is another true internet
chess highlight!
At the end of 1993, Lisa Powell, started the IECG. A notice calling for more players was placed in
rec.games.chess. The idea has proved popular, as indicated by the rapid
growth to almost 900 players world-wide. She left the IECG in October, 1994
and ultimately started the IECC, another e-mail chess organization.
If you would like to join, then please fill out the following and
send it to Franz Hemmer