CHESS960

***** chess960 *****

Command:  chess960
     or:  960

This is a different rating category and way to find an opponent.
You just do the command "chess960" and the system will automatically
pair you with an opponent, usually someone near your rating and
someone you haven't played in the last few games.  You may have
to wait a bit before it makes the pairing and starts the game,
depending on how many other appropriate opponents are joining the
playing pool.

The games are 3 1, and are always rated in the chess960 category,
not in the wild category.  This is the only way to start a game in
the chess960 rating category.  The hope is that by not allowing
people to hand-pick their opponents, not only will the ratings be
more accurate, but also there won't be nonsense like having people
avoid playing you when you're underrated.

Once the game starts, you should finish it.  Disconnections are
treated as losses.  (Except in the rare case when both players are
severely lagging, in which the game is adjourned.)  Of course, we
realize that this means that players with unreliable network
connections will tend to have lower ratings.  But this rule eliminates
a whole set of possible abuses and disputes.

Computers and computer-assisted players are not allowed to play.
Please do not get assistance from chess engines, databases, or
from other players while playing.  

You won't be able to play a chess960 game if your average lag for your
current login session is more than 1000 milliseconds.  You can see your
average lag by typing "ping".

The requirement for having an active chess960 rating (once you have
established a rating by playing 20 games) is 8 games in the last
week.  

Noplay and censor lists and formula are ignored by the chess960
pairing system.

If two players waiting to be paired have an adjourned game (of any
type), the pairing system will resume that game.

You can leave the pool of players waiting to be paired by typing
"match" or "unseek".

chess960 play is normally only available on the main server,
chessclub.com.

---++ How to play Chess960 on the ICC

Chess960 is a name for Bobby Fischer's new and improved 
version of "Randomized Chess".
Chess960 uses algebraic notation exclusively
At the start of every game of a Chess960 game, both players 
Pawns are set up exactly as they are
at the start of every game of Classical Chess.
In Chess960 just before the start of every game, both players 
pieces on their respective back rows receive an identical 
random shuffle decided by the ICC server, which is
programmed to set up the pieces in any combination, with the 
provisos that one Rook has to be to the left and one Rook 
has to be to the right of the King, and one Bishop has to be 
on a lightcolored square and one Bishop has to be on a 
dark-colored square. White and Black have identical positions. 
From behind their respective Pawns the opponents pieces are facing 
each other directly, symmetrically. Thus for example, 
if the server places White's back row pieces in the following 
position: Ra1, Bb1, Kc1, Nd1, Be1, Nf1, Rg1, Qh1, it will 
place Black's back row Pieces in the following position, Ra8, Bb8, 
Kc8, Nd8, Be8, Nf8, Rg8, Qh8, etc.

Castling is basically the same as in regular chess, except the
king and rook may start on different squares from regular chess.
The king and rook end up on the same squares as in regular chess,
for example, c1 and d1, or g1 and f1 for White.  All the other
usual castling rules apply (you cannot castle out of or into check,
squares the king passes over or onto cannot be attacked by the opponent
or occupied by pieces, squares the rook passes over or onto cannot be
occupied, and you can't have moved the king or rook previously).

A strange example of castling is that if your king and rook start 
out on b1 and a1, you can castle "queenside" resulting in the king
moving to c1 and the rook to d1!  But you can't make the move just
by moving your king from b1 to c1, because that will be interpretted
as a king move.

If your king is moving fewer than two squares when it castles, you 
can make the move by typing "OO" (or "oo" or "O-O") for kingside 
castling or "OOO" (or "ooo" or"O-O-O") for queenside castling. If 
you are using BlitzIn 2.6+ or Dasher 1.1.2+ you can also castle by 
dragging the king on top of the rook you are castling with. These 
methods work for any castling situation. If your king is moving two 
squares or more, you can just move the king and it will be understood 
that you intend to castle.

See also: one-minute, three-minute, five-minute, fifteen-minute, forty-five-minute, seeking, ratings