Using the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS)

[kingsquasher]

are you there jrobi?

[pipebrother]

Thanks for posting this video, at first I couldn't play any chess games on FICS until I realized that you have to download Babas, but after downloading that, I played a few games on FICS and my rating is already over 2,000 and I'm not even a great chess player. How is that possible? I enjoy watching all of your videos and you definitely appear to be a better chess player than I am just by listening to your strategies. What is your rating on FICS?

[MrPazPax]

hello, where are you what happenedc with the chess videos and stuff?

[milannik]

Is this server still work? i cannot connect to the server

[jrobichess]

@milannik The Free Internet Chess Server is still working, yes. Thanks for checking out the vid!

[Fluffisnoterm]

Hey Jobi,

I agree with your recommendation of Babaschess. I tried INemesis first, but it was just too cumbersome and confusing, so I followed the ratings and downloaded Babaschess. I love the interface for a multitude of reason: its graphics are high-quality, starting form its icon, it has loads of buttons and functions but still doesn't look cluttered up and you have an engine (Crafty) to ananlyze your games instantly after you play them.

[snke77]

Thanks for this video Jay, I just downloaded this and love it!!!

[mgosnell2007]

I know I am a little behind the times but I just found this video and started using FICS the other day. Once you save the PGN you can also open it with Chessmaster X which is the only chess program I have. Love the vids jrobi...keep em coming.

[beldon2boulogne]

free c'est de la merde ces des voleurs ces des conard

[ichigo2008bleach]

Guys, I need help, I was playing FICS using the babaschess interface just fine....but then I tried to log in today and it said console [not connected]? There's nobody on? Help please.

[pfalcon7777]

nice! you're using babas too? we should have a game some day..=)

[HolyHolcomb]

How do you port a comment?

[HolyHolcomb]

Hello jrobichess, I downloaded the Babas Interface and played my first internet chess game! Thank you for the information, your videos are very helpful. How do I increase the size of the little 3 inch x 3 inch chess board they make available to play on?

[musikkimies]

Thank you for posting this.

[Gerrieboy11]

how do you create those green squares?

[xxxIronLeexxx]

I like playchess(dotcom) myself, it's free if you play as a guest forever (unrated only games), you have to pay for rated. But if you also download chessbase light it has a database of thousands of GM games plus it saves ALL of your games automatically. The graphics interface is also the best I've seen, with allot of options for boards and pieces, and allot of other options. I'm not sure if FICS does any of that or what.

[Yonnu1992]

Thanks jrobi I've just registered.Your vids are so cool.Keep it up.

[eschrick7]

Thanks Jrobi! you rock

[Myleanne14]

This looks cool, i will get a look at this client soon.  Your vids are cool.

[Nola213]

Never got around to thanking you for this video Jrobi. I've been useing Babas for about 6-8 months. I only play a game or two a night. I'm not a Blitz player. I like 20-30 minute games.

But yea this is a great client, and I love all the interface changes you can make, because I'm VERY picky how I like the board and pieces to look, and Babas gives you literally hundres of combinations. 5 or so different piece types, and it's Always easy to find a game.

So thnx again Jrobi!

[shiryu008]

is it possible to watch live tournaments? like tal mermorial, linares...etc.? How?

[jrobichess]

I believe so but I have never tried - I just go there to play.

[Fluffisnoterm]

@shiryu008

You can "watch" the matches because there is an account representing every GM and the bots replay the game of the GMs in real time.

[pacmandem]

@shiryu008 I think you can only do that on ICC

[RochesterFICS]

very nice!

[DmonkeyD1994]

what version of java do you need for this?

[jrobichess]

No java - just the client that you download from their site in the graphical interface section.

[DmonkeyD1994]

aight how do i login through the client?

[jrobichess]

With the user name and password you get when you register - when you first install the client it will ask you for that information.

[DmonkeyD1994]

yea its not letting me install it when i save it to desktop for some reason

its probly something with my computer-_-

yea instead of downloading its asks if i want to save the file

[peterpixo]

can't register there.. some error is shown on website :(

[XSquiresX]

How do you get the A-H 1-8 notation to come up on the board?

[LinkFreak01]

hey jrobi sorry to bother again but nobody has replied my question and i still dont know how to talk to people in the normal main console, :s

[LinkFreak01]

I got a question, i want to know how to talk in the main console, especificly in the normal setup (well, i mean, not the one with the graphic interface or whatever wich you have to download, i mean the one set by default) , i want to know how to talk in the main console so i can interact with the others guest and subscribers and of course the player wich iam facing)..... THANKS

[NimW]

are cheaters common? I read the comments and it would be really discoureging

[jrobichess]

People who try to cheat are common on all chess servers. Some servers automatically announce when cheaters are found. On the servers that announce such things, it happens regularly. This indicates that it's a problem everywhere. However, there are plenty of people who don't cheat, and it really boils down to getting games for practice. A lot of people don't have others to play over-the-board on a regular basis (myself included) and playing/practicing online helps get around that hurdle.

[WYCIWYG]

Thanks for the videos.

I usually play at ChessRally. Though there are not many people, it's the best Chess Software ever. The moves and sound effects make very realistic. I have played in lots of online chess sites/softwares, but most of the time a piece just goes to the wrong square. So that's why I like ChessRally. However, there is one person I can't beat and I don't know if he's cheating. His moves are nothing like a human being. I hate those who cheat...

[erikRairden]

What program do you use to show the arrows and highlight squares?

[jrobichess]

A variety of chess viewers will do that. This particular vid is on the babas chess client from freechess(dot)org. Thanks for checking out the vid!

[ancientplayer]

Hey jrobi

I just started to play chess and I just wanted to say thank you cuz your videos really help a lot! I still gotta learn quite a lot though ^^ I always get stucked in the middle game and dont know what to do all of the sudden even though my position is most of the time really good... anyway

thanks a lot ;)

[nemo1620]

Like you, I was also lost once the opening ended. Try reading Jeremy Silman's "The Amateur's Mind". It teaches how to analyze a middle-game position in terms of "imbalances" (differences between the two players' positions). The book stresses positional play, rather than tactics. Nevertheless, I found this method very useful in formulating plans during the middle game.

[jrobichess]

If you're just starting out I recommend "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" and "Chess" by Lazlo Polgar. I have the reviews and ISBN numbers on my site which you can access from my main YouTube channel. Thanks for checking out the vid!

[fofiko]

FICS and ICC are full of cheats that use engines to play for them, The anti-cheat measures ppl have mentioned are laughable and dont work at all. Chess engines today are very sophisticated and can be customized to give you a list of "best moves" or imitate human-style chess and make a few mistakes here and there. There is absolutely no way to combat this and the result is that these sites are infested with scumbag cheats.

[jrobichess]

They beat not playing at all regardless, though.

[vineetgovindagupta]

It's actually sort of retarded to compcheat on a free server... I mean what the hell. If you just want to feel the sheer thrill of crushing someone, no big deal, challenge a 5 year old. FICS is a great place to play chess, just go online and enjoy yourself. Find people with constructive minds and play to learn.

[irvpat]

Jrobichess: you always go out the way to help so thank you and all the best.

[jrobichess]

Thanks irvpat!

[harshvgaus]

timestamp cheating, running the clock down, using chess software it all happens and i have done the second one if my opponent says something out of spite.

i don't mind being beaten, but if he insults me in some way it is time to payback.

[thebuttkiller]

if people did cheat, then probably they have no freaken life. i dont know why people would cheat, its stupid. By the way i dont mind if it does not have good anti cheaters programs. this is a non-profitable site anyways.

[KnightJourney]

Internet Chess is a cheaters paradise 8 out of 10 times the opponent is some guy using a buddy bot or a chess engine it's a huge,huge waste of time and the only motive behind why they do it is to ruin the game for other People. Trust me don't bother with it.

[chinesesamurai12]

How is the basic web interface confusing? I always use it.

p.s. My username is ilknight.

[AntiBullS]

if u do not have cheater control , it is useless , all u r gonna have a a whole lot of sandbagging cheats You must have rule : In order to play rated game 2 minutes or longer player must obtain lighting rating first .

[toddfreitag]

FICS administrators do have access to a wide array of anti-cheating tools. If you suspect any of your opponents, you can report them to the admins, and they will investigate.

[AnthonyTheSage]

Babaschess is great for beginners. But, once you get to know your way around FICS, I'd recommend switching to THIEF, especially if you connect through a router. I started with Babaschess, but I kept getting disconnected in the middle of games, and my lag times were terrible. So I tried Thief, I'll never go back. Thief uses very little system resources, and its 100 times faster and just as customizable. Peace J-Roc, Power to the Chess Gods.

[spazpants]

I have the babbass graphical inter phase downloaded, but when I sign in it doesn't work...it just uses the normal inter phase.

[dmed312]

I downloaded it, just clicked my way till it was done. Started a game, and lost cause the board was too small, and I couldn't figure out how to change anything. They really should have less crazy useless crap windows all around the board. I didn't know what the hell was going on, and just threw away my first two games. Wasn't a pleasant experience for a first time. Yeah, its free I understand, but it could be just a bit more user friendly... just a bit.

[familyguy1231]

thanks! :) hope i see on fics

[familyguy1231]

i have a question..... in standard matches my rating is 1500p what does the p mean?

[jrobichess]

Hi Familyguy - it stands for "provisional". I am not sure how many games it takes to get out of the provisional rating, but basically if I remember correctly everyone starts out at a certain point, and then the ratings are normalized after X amount of matches.

[Mossflower1994]

It's 3 standard and 5 lightning

[familyguy1231]

lets have a match sometime im called DeathFromAking

[CalebGammon]

Ok I'll try that.

Thanks jrobi.

Btw - checked out your website and blog, awesome! I'll be going on there frequently now. Thanks! =]

[jrobichess]

Sounds great! Let me know how it works with the admins when you contact them - I have heard they will work with people who only have hotmail type emails to get them set up but I have not had full confirmation yet.

[CalebGammon]

I use a hotmail email account and I can't get a payed email account.

Any free email sites you would reccommend so I can play?

[jrobichess]

I think you can contact the admins through their web site and explain your situation and get set up that way.

[TheBirdsGoTweet]

Wow thank you. I just got my FICS account today and downloaded Babas. I was wondering on how to use this program. You just answered some of my questions Jrobi =)

Thanks

[jrobichess]

Awesome Birds! Enjoy the server!

[sax31]

Hey

Ummmmmm.....

I was wondering how do you change your password from the one that they give you to something you want

Thanks

Adi

[jrobichess]

You bet - I think if you type password in the main console (like the word password) it will tell you the line you need to type to change it.

[CaptainBlack1]

Well thank you for the help, I think the whole program'll be easyir for me to record my games than me doing it live...Keep an eye out for my videos comming soon...Cheers!

[jrobichess]

Sounds great CaptainBlack - I will definitely check them out when you post them. Thanks for the comment!

[RaistlinJ]

Ill try it out, cheers

[jrobichess]

Sounds good Raistlin - let me know what you think about it.  Thanks for checking out the video!

[RaistlinJ]

Ill try it out, cheers

[DorothyFan1]

I don't understand why people bother playing on ICC when you can play on FICS for free. I mean..hello?! ICC costs anywhere from what? 60 bucks to use for a year? You can't compete with free...Babachess is a great GUI to use while playing on FICS. Watch out for adjudicated games though. If you play and someone else disconnects...you're left holding the bag on games that were interrupted. Too many of those on your account...you won't be able to play many games on FICS.

[jrobichess]

Totally agree Dorothy! And people definitely need to make sure they take care of their adjourned games. Thanks for the comment and checking out the video!

[andsanp]

thanks jrobi! i really appreciate it. is there a way to put you as a friend there to alert me when you are online for a game?

[jrobichess]

Yes there is:

+notify user Add "user" to notify list

-notify user Remove "user" from notify list

=notify Display your notify list

I think there are some shortcuts in babas from that, but if you type that in your main console it will do the same thing. Basically lets you know when they are online to the FICS server.

[MajorNerdd]

There's a few things... there is a seek button at the top and fics wont excect free emails in registration like gmail hotmail those types of things...

[jrobichess]

Yes, they are very picky about emails and accounts, which is a good thing.