InstantChess.com

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An instantchess session.

InstantChess.com is an Internet chess site that is very popular among everyday chess players. Its user-friendly style of play and non-hardcore membership appeal to players who may not ever approach master level, but simply enjoy the game of chess. Headquartered in Moscow, it has a truly international membership where people from all over the word play and chat at the same time. There is also a club forum and blog where members may discuss popular topics such as politics, religion, travel, humor, and sometimes even chess.

InstantChess.com is not free. Registration is required, and after the first 25 games a fee is charged. [1] The forum (which requires an additional charge) is so popular that some members prefer the lively debates and discussions more than actually playing chess. For more advanced players there are a variey of unique and useful features that InstantChess.com has pioneered, but most are considered add-ins and require small additional fees. InstantChess.com actively seeks school chess clubs and offers free memberships to all middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.

[edit] Instantchess features

Instantchess features includes chat system and "takeback" move options common in most chess programs. However, the friendly GUI also shows the current opening system being played, the moves played (which can be tranversed to the start of the game) and at the end of game, a chess engine that analyzes a current position and shows the percentage of winning for white and black.

[edit] Controversy

As is not uncommon with many pay-for-service, not all subscribers are happy with the service they have received. The Internet College Chess League has posted a negative review of the site including allegations of violations of privacy. [2] Other blogs contain similarly unhappy experiences. [3]