🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello, fellow chess players!  This message is to announce that my
WebChess server (http://www.delorie.com/game-room/chess/) is now
running on a much faster (250%) R4600/133SC CPU, a slightly faster
modem (17%), and is running new and improved software.

Background: WebChess is a modified gnuchess, combined with a web
interface program, which allows you to play chess against my computer
with nothing more than a web browser.  According to the mail I get,
the computer wins about 50% of the time.

Some of the new stuff:          -------------------------------------

 Finally, the computer plays white when it goes first!  I got a lot of
 complaints about this one, and now it plays by the rules.
 
 The end of the game is properly detected, and you get a big message
 congratulating you (or the computer) on winning.
 
 Clock times work more accurately now!  It will actually use the time
 you let it to think harder about its move.
 
 Time is now measured in CPU seconds instead of real seconds - game
 rating at a given time should be consistent, regardless of CPU load.
 This means that sometimes it takes more wall clock time than you
 allow, but it also means that if I'm using the computer for something
 else the game won't suddenly get easy.
 
 The server has a slightly better graphic design, and soon I'll be
 adding more chess icon sets - especially for the chromatically
 challenged browsers out there (mono and 16-color sets).

Now for the request part.       -------------------------------------

With all the new changes and the new CPU, the strength of the game
should be fairly proportional to the time you give it, with less
"other factors" determining the strength.  I get a lot of mail asking
about the USCF rating of the game, but I can't give a good answer,
since USCF ratings are not *that* objective.

So, I'd like to ask all of you who have experience rating chess
players to please play against WebChess at various time settings, and
send me a note saying what rating you think it plays at for that time
setting.  I'll keep a list and use the median response to calibrate
the time settings to USCF ratings.  If the ratings are accurate
enough, novice players can get a better feel for how well *they* rate
by playing against WebChess.

I'd also like to get an idea of how much you'd be willing to pay for a
game against such an opponent, how much for an undo, and how much for
a hint.  After all, it costs money to run this server, and I'd like to
have WebChess pay for some of it.  If people are willing to pay a
token amount to help defray costs (perhaps in advance, perhaps via
ecash) in return for a more challenging game (I plan on continuing to
make easier games free), I can keep improving the server.

Thanks!

DJ
dj@delorie.com
http://www.delorie.com/