Frequently Asked Questions
In response to some of the more common questions placed by people new to the site, here is a brief FAQ. We advise reading the entire article before starting up.
Which piece is the King and which is the Queen?
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Put simply, this is the King:
and this is the Queen: 
On the previews, this is the King: 
and this is the Queen: 
Although the difference between these two pieces is the hardest to tell, typically the King has a cross on its crown while the queen does not. If you have questions on the identities of any other pieces, you can check the chess piece tutorial or you can just hover your mouse over a piece and wait for the alt text to appear (pictured).
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How do I Castle?
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To castle, first remember that your King and Rook must not have moved yet and your King would not be put in check by moving into the transitional square or final square. If all that checks out, all you have to do is select your King and click two spaces away from it in the direction of the Rook.
So in a white kingside castle, the square is g1, in a white queenside castle it is c1, in a black kingside it is g8, and in a black queenside it is c8.
For those of you who are curious, castling is selected this way because in professional tournaments the King always moves before the Rook, and can be notated as, for example, Kg1 for a white kingside castle.
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Why did my game forfeit?
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If you don't take your turn in seven days, you automatically forfeit. This is to keep people from abandoning games they are about to lose, preventing the game from ending. Don't worry if you forget, though, you will get an email notification the day before you automatically forfeit to give yourself a chance to move.
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How are games scored?
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Games are scored according to the ELO rating system. Basically the number reflects each players abilities, with the < 2100 range fluctuating the fastest and higher brackets moving slower as players find their true rank. For more information see the Wikipedia article about it.
If you don't want a game to be scored, you can turn the option off in the game creation menu.
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Why can't I post on the forums?
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We disallow all new users from posting on the forums for three days in order to discourage spamming. After that point you can post as much as you want, as long as you obey the Terms of Service.
Be sure to check the forums regularly, otherwise you might miss out on site update information, grassroots tournaments, etc.
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Stuff you might miss otherwise
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- RSS Feed: Find out when its your turn without even having to visit the site with this active bookmark.
- Friend Invites: Streamline the sign up process by inviting your friends through their email accounts.
- Messaging: You can send other members emails through the site. It's great for reminding people about games.
- Settings: Options for game sounds, emails, site color themes, profile information, and forum avatars and sigs.
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