The ICC offers the opportunity to play all kinds of chess, with all different levels of opponent, and at all possible chess speeds.
This page, and the accompanying one with links to ICC-based slow leagues, are designed to help you get started playing S...L...O...W... chess on the ICC. Many students and friends have complained that they cannot find slow games (especially using the "Seek" graph), so this is designed to show you ways to make finding opponents easy.
There are thousands of games played each day with slow time limits on the ICC - how slow depends on you or the tournament/league in which you are participating. Here are the primary ways you can initiate a slow game on the ICC:
Answer someone else's slow game seek on the Seek window for a slow game by left clicking on it. On the Seek window the slow games at the far right. All games to the right of the second dotted line are rated as ICC "standard" games.
Create your own slow game seek via the "Seek a Game" selection in the "Game" pull-down menu (in Blitzin)
Directly challenge a player to a slow game via the "Match" selection in the "Game" pull-down menu (in Blitzin)
In order schedule such games, using the ICC Seek graph is often not the most efficient. Instead:
Use the "+notify handle" to generate a list of players who will play you slow games. To see your list type "list notify" You can get these players from friends, prior games, and especially, tournament/league lists (see the list of players who are willing to play ICC slow games or hundreds of players in the "Fixed Rating" list linked at the bottom right of the Team 4545 league web page). Do "help notify" to learn how to use this command.
To see your notify list, use the "z" command to see who is online. If you "fi handle" it will tell you if the player with that handle is playing a game (match), idle, or observing a game. If they are not playing a game, then you can either "tell handle qqq" to ask them if they would like to play. If so, then use the "Game|Match" selection as above.
If the player you wish to play is not online, simply message them with a request to possibly set up a future game. Use the ICC command "mess xxx" where xxx is the text you would like to send to them.
Note that higher rated players might not wish to play rated games with you, so when chatting with them, give them the option to play the game non-rated (there is a checkbox in the Match selection for this option).
The same considerations apply to time limit and availability. A potentially perfect opponent may not be able to play right now, but may be able to schedule a game with you at a mutually convenient time in the near future. Or he/she might not have time for a 90 30 game but might have time for a 60 5 game, so be flexible. If you just ask someone to play a rated game now at a specific time limit then your chances for an agreement diminish.
If you do find a friendly opponent then after the game ask him/her to review it with you. After the game you should ask him to provide you with a list of friends who might also be able to play you slow games. Add these handles to your +notify list. With this kind of proactive approach, you will soon have all the slow game opponents to play almost any time day or night! If you can't find a human to play, there are several computers which play slow chess at varying strengths and speeds, but I would only use these as a last resort.
Join the league or tournament. Make sure to check out the accompanying Slow Chess Online information which includes links to several ICC-based slow tournaments and leagues such as the Team 4545 league). Note that many leagues have a 20 standard (slow game) requirement for eligibility to make sure your rating is fairly accurate and you know how to use the interface. You might even consider playing slightly faster standard games (then can be as fast as the speedy 15 0) just to get your initial twenty games in, and then you can play the slower limits of that league or tournament.
Shout out on the "slow" chess channels to ask if anyone wants a game. Channel 90 is slow time controls. Channel 345 is the Team 4545 league. For example "tell 90 Hi! I am interested in playing a slow game (30 5 or slower) with someone rated 1450-1700. Let me know if interested." or "Tell 90 I am creating a +notify list of players rated 1600-1900 interested in playing 60 10 games. Please 'mess Myhandle' if interested."
Good luck!
This page was generated by ICC member Phillytutor (NM Dan
Heisman), find his ICC instructional videos here. Use this show to ask any questions about this page