F R E Q U E N T L Y   A S K E D   Q U E S T I O N S
                     Compiled by David Zechiel


Contents:

   1. What is the best chess software for me?
   2. How can I play a game of chess on this echo?
   3. How are chess tournaments and matches scored?
   4. What is the national chess organization in the U.S.?
   5. What does "en passant" mean?
   6. What is "algebraic" chess notation?
   7. How are games of chess drawn?
   8. What is a "patzer"?

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1. WHAT IS THE BEST CHESS SOFTWARE FOR ME?

   The truth is, if you have to ask, then Chessmaster 4000 should be all
the chess software that you will need for some time.  It has a good user
interface,  many  different  playing levels and it has a tutor mode that
will  help  get the novice up to speed AND it is resonably priced.  This
software runs under Windows.

2. HOW CAN I PLAY A GAME OF CHESS ON THIS ECHO?

   Either  post  a message stating your approximate playing strength (if
you don't know how good you are, you are a "novice") and ask for a game,
or  answer  one  of  the  many posts each week from others looking for a
game.   Traditionally  you  play two games at once, playing one as white
and one as black.  Use any chess notation that you agree upon, algebraic
is  recommended  if  both  participants speak the same language.  Try to
post  at  least  once  a week and bear in mind that the drop out rate on
this echo is very high.

3. HOW ARE CHESS TOURNAMENTS AND MATCHES SCORED?

   The  result  of a chess game is scored as 1 for a win, 1/2 for a draw
and  0  for a loss.  Most tournaments total these points and award first
prize  to the person with the most points, or in the case of a tie, they
share  the top prizes.  For instance, let's say that out of 12 games you
score  6 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss (usually abbreviated as +6 -1 =5) this
would  give  you  8.5  points.   Let's also say that this tournament had
prizes  of  $5,000.00  for 1st, $3,000.00 for 2nd, $1,000.00 for 3rd and
$500.00  for  4th.   If nobody scored more than 8.5 and one other person
also  scored 8.5, then the first two prizes ($5,000 and $3,000) would be
shared  by  combining them ($8,000) and dividing by 2, so you would both
get  $4,000.00.   If there are trophies to distribute, they use a system
of  tie-breaks  to  try  to  determine  which  player  faced the tougher
competition.

   The  scoring  in  match play is the same, except when one player gets
more than half of the available points the match is ended.  When Fischer
won  the  21st  game of his 24 game match with Spassky in 1972 that gave
him  12.5  points to Spassky's 8.5 points.  Since Spassky couldn't catch
up  even if he won the rest of the games, the match was over and Fischer
was declared the winner.

4. WHAT IS THE NATIONAL CHESS ORGANIZATION IN THE U.S.?

  The  United Stated Chess Federation (USCF) represents the interests of
U.S.   players  outside  of  their  country  as well as organizing chess
nationally.    Members   of  the  USCF  may  play  in  nationally  rated
tournaments,  purchase  chess  books  and  equipment  from  the  USCF at
discount  and  they receive the monthly "Chess Life", the official organ
of the USCF.  Membership comes in several flavors depending on your age,
etc.  The USCF can be reached at:

   United States Chess Federation
   186 Route 9W
   New Windsor, NY  12553

   800-388-5464

5. WHAT DOES "EN PASSANT" MEAN?

  "En  passant"  (pronounced  "on puh-sahn") is French
for "in passing".
In  the  game of chess it is used to describe the capture of a pawn that
just  moved  two  squares by an enemy pawn that attacked the square that
was  passed  over.  Some history:  as the game was played over 500 years
ago,  each  pawn could only advance one square at any time.  In order to
speed the game up, it was decided that any pawn could advance one OR two
squares  on it's initial move.  This had the side effect of now allowing
a  pawn to pass by an enemy pawn that could have captured it if the pawn
had  only  advanced  one  square.  Consequently a new rule was made that
allowed  a  pawn to capture an enemy pawn that passed over a square that
it  attacked as if the pawn had only moved one square.  This capture may
only be made on the move directly following the two square pawn advance.
Since  the  "en  passant"  capture  must  be  made  on the next move, it
prevents a "zwischenzug" from being played.

6. WHAT IS "ALGEBRAIC" CHESS NOTATION?

  When you play a game of chess, you frequently wish to have a record of
the  game so that you may study it at a later date looking for your good
moves  and  your  mistakes.   There  have  been  several chess notations
developed  over  the  years,  but the most popular and the most standard
world-wide  is  "algebraic".   It is so named because the squares of the
board  are  each  designated by a letter-number combination that reminds
one  of  algebra.  If you are sitting on the white side of the board the
files  are  lettered  a-h and the ranks are numbered 1-8.  It looks like
this:

      a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 f8 g8 h8
      a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 f7 g7 h7
      a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 f6 g6 h6
      a5 b5 c5 d5 e5 f5 g5 h5
      a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h4
      a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h3
      a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 h2
      a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h1

  White's  king  starts  on  e1,  Black's queen starts on d8.  Moves are
recorded by first stating the move number (remember that a complete move
consists  of  a  "half-move"  by  white  and a
"half-move" by black).  A
half-move is composed of the piece that will move (always upper case [K,
Q,  B, N, R] to distinguish from the squares which are always lower case
[this  is  omitted  in  the  case  of  a pawn move]) and the destination
square.   So  the  first  few  moves of the Najdorf Sicilian Defence are
listed as:

      1. e4   c5
      2. Nf3  d6
      3. d4   cxd4
      4. Nxd4 Nf6
      5. Nc3  a6

  It  is  customary  to show a capture with an 'x' between the piece and
the  destination  square,  but  it isn't required.  Also, if there is an
ambiguity, a letter or a number is placed after the piece to distinguish
which  is  moving.   So if rooks on both a1 and f1 could move to e1, you
would  use  the  letter of the file to eliminate the ambiguity, eg Rfe1.
If  knights  were on both b1 and b5, you would write the move as N5c3 to
show that the knight on b5 was the one moving.

  Some  players  show  a check with a '+' sign and checkmate with two of
'em ('++').  Promotion is shown with an equal sign or slash (eg dxe8=Q++
means  a  pawn  on  d7  captured  on  e8,  promoted  to a queen and it's
checkmate!)  Castling  on the king's side of the board is shown with O-O
and one the queen's side of the board by O-O-O.

  The easiest way to learn algebraic notation is to print out one of the
many  games  that are posted on this echo and play over the game on your
own  chessboard.   You  will  be able to write your own games down in no
time at all.

7. HOW ARE GAMES OF CHESS DRAWN?

  There are several ways that a game of chess may be drawn:

  a) by agreement.
  b) by three fold repetition of position.
  c) by the 50 move rule.
  d) by stalemate.

  The  first, "by agreement" is by far the most common of all draws, and
in  fact,  is usually taken when it looks like (b), (c) or (d) will come
about.  You make a move, ask "Do you want a draw?" and punch your clock.
Your  opponent  says,  "Yeah",  and  extends his or her hand.  It's that
easy.

  The  second,  "three fold repetition of position" is somtimes confused
with  repetition  of moves.  It is not necessary for the three identical
positions  to  be  arrived at in sequence.  Identical positions may have
occured  on moves 21, 27 and 39 and a draw is allowed.  What makes up an
"identical"  position is interesting.  All squares must contain the same
kind  of  piece  of  the  same color, but not necessarily the same exact
piece  (the  king  and queen rooks may have exchanged places).  The same
player  must  be  on  the  move  (if  it  was white to move in the first
position,  it  must  be white to move in positions two and three).  And,
the  pieces  must  have the same abilities, eg, if black could castle in
the  first  position,  he  must  still  be  able to castle in the latter
positions, or they aren't "identical".

  The  third  "the  50  move  rule"  is  in place to keep two kings from
marching around the board forever.  If after 50 moves there have been no
captures  and no pawn moves, then either player may claim a draw.  There
are  exceptions  to this rule, but only for certain rare positions, such
as  king  and two knights against king and pawn, which has been shown in
some situations to take more than 50 moves to effect checkmate.

  Lastly  there  is  the  rare  and  beautiful  "stalemate".   The  term
stalemate  has  been  taken by the non-chess world to be synonymous with
draw.   In  fact,  it  applies  to  perhaps the rarest form of a draw, a
position  in  which a player has no legal move and is not in check.  The
special  rule  that  makes  this  game  drawn  adds  a  very interesting
dimension  to  the game.  A player who has a stong winning position must
always  be  on  the lookout for moves by his opponent that will turn the
win  into a sudden draw by brining about a stalemate.  It seems that you
may  have  seen  many  games  that ended in stalemate, but in fact, most
games that would end in stalemate, still end by agreement because of the
threat of stalemate.

8. WHAT IS A "PATZER"?

  I  have  been  playing  chess seriously since 1969 and have heard this
term  used  many times.  The word "patzer" has many subtle meanings, but
basically  it  means someone who activley plays chess, but that YOU (the
person using the term) can beat fairly easily.  Fischer once referred to
"those  Russian  patzers",  meaning  Russian grandmasters.  Only Fischer
could (barely) get away with that comment.  Patzer always has a negative
connotation  and  can  be used as a self depreciating term.  In his book
"Chess  Catechism",  Larry  Evans  gives  the  following  definition for
patzer:   "An  affectionate  term  applied  to  anyone  you can beat; an
insulting epithet when used by certain wiseacres to describe you."  That
about sums it up.


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