Yes, I am the developer.
Since you have the app, there is a "Contact" button to send me an email from the app. That would be a good way to report the typos or suggestions to improve the documentation.
Your suggestions on the app would be welcome here also, then others could comment.
Since you hade the app, positive feedback on the App Store is always appreciated!
Good idea. I use an iPad so I have to wait to get home, then repeat the mailing of each game. I have started the app that I will submit to the USCF for certification but I will look at ways to implement this.
I keep a spreadsheet summary of my games and database of the PGN of each game so I know the games I am missing.
The mail interface brings up a mail composer so I would have to think about sending all games that have not been sent.
Thanks
I received this email. I am posting it here to make the reply public. Just an FYI for other users.
Question: Will it be possible to move the ranks (1,2,3 ...) and files (a,b,c...) to the side of the board?
Reply:
I spent more time than I thought I would on the coordinates display. One big issue for the iPhone is the size of the squares, especially in the landscape mode. Apple recommends a minimum square size of 44 x 44 pixels (for "tappable" buttons) and for the portrait mode the pixels are only 40 x 40. In the landscape pixels are 37 x 37. So it would be difficult to take even more space from the square size to display the coordinates.
For a long time in testing the app before it was released I did not have any coordinates displayed on the board because I thought they were unnecessary for this application. The application takes care of calculating the coordinates for you. But I found without coordinates displayed there are many end game situations where can't be sure which side the board is black or white. So I made the coordinates display an option. You can set the coordinates display by just double tapping the board with two fingers to turn the display on and off.
If the coordinates were at the side and bottom of the board, the squares would need to be smaller, and they are already too small. Also, there would be no option to not display the coordinates since it would leave a blank area around a small board.
So as much as I would like to move the coordinates off of the board, there just are not enough pixels on the iPhone and I had to make that trade-off.
Another issue from an email:
Comments:
Do you have other chessboard color to choose from?
If you can create a chessboard color similar to (another app), your app will be so good!The green color is too dark a contrast to the black pieces. I hope you should notice that
My thoughts:
ok dude, its $6.99! Thats WAY too expensive. Free - $0.99 is a good price
I really don't make much on this so I'm not even thinking about reducing the price.
The Tournament Edition App I just submitted is priced even higher. I'm about to send $600 worth of iPods to the USCF to get it certified for the iPod. Then I'll need to send them 3 iPads for the iPad certification!
Also, eNotate (the only certified scoresheet that runs on a general purpose device) costs $50.
I have submitted "Chess Score Pad Tournament Edition" to the app store and expect it to be approved around September 19th or later due do the release of iOS 6.
Once I'm sure there are no "show stoppers" I will load it up onto 3 iPod Touch devices and ship it to the USCF for certification. If they certify it for the iPod, I will follow up with sending them 3 iPads for certification.
Chess Score Pad Tournament Edition has been submitted to the USCF for certification as an electronic scoresheet. I will keep this site updated on the progress.
Roger,
Your app seems very interesting to me. I haven't bought it yet but I have some suggestions that would make it even more attractive to my eyes.
1) Although Tournament Edition will only be USCF approved (at least until FIDE realizes that smartphones and tablets are the way to go), it could still be approved for non FIDE tournaments all over the world if the TD approves its use. Being USCF approved will make it easier to get his approval. So, having it ported to other languages is still a good idea.
2) Instead of 2 different apps (one for non official use and one for official Tournaments), I think it would be better to have a single app (with an in-app purchase to get the official Tournament mode). In this way, people who have bought the normal version can upgrade to the Tournament version paying only for the upgrade and not for the whole price of both versions. That's a good way to keep your loyal customers happy. Another reason why I would like to have the features of both versions in the same app is that in informal games I'd like to remain connected to internet, be able to send the games to my opponent as soon as the game ends (using wifi or 3G) and have my moves checked against chess rules.
3) Following with previous point, when in Tournament Mode you could use a different color scheme and a clearly readable screen title "Chess Score Pad - Tournament Mode" to make it clear which mode you are on. Color scheme should be different than default color schemes for most common chess engines and I agree with you that in Tournament Mode the color scheme should not be customizable. Legends or icons stating that WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth are OFF is also desirable. You should register the general aspect of the main screen in Tournament Mode (Fonts, color scheme, Legends, etc) so that no one else could make a similar looking app without the USCF certification and use it to cheat.
3) To keep playing room as quiet as possible, while in Tournament Mode, the device volume and the alarms should be silent (and this sould be enforced). This includes "no vibrating alarmas" as well.
4) Although the graphical move input is the special attractive of this app, I believe that some users (or some opponents or some TDs) may prefer the standard text input scoresheet. Maybe they are too traditional or they may associate the board display with a chess engine and be more reluctant to accept it. So, having an alternative text mode scoresheet could make your app even more universally accepted. Same comments apply to the Tournament Mode: different color scheme, legends, mute, no connectivity).
5) It should not be possible to leave the app while in Tournament Mode without a clear indication that this happened. Game being recorded should be finished.
6) If emailing games to the opponents or TD while in Tournament Mode (with no connectivity), emails should be queued for later automatic transmission when connectivity is re-enabled. A solution needs to be found in case that the TD needs you to deliver the scoresheet at the end of each game or before leaving the Tournament place.
7) If "iOS 6 guided access" is a must to enforce all the controls in Tournament Mode, then it should not be possible to enter this mode if the user is using an older iOS version. But the ap should run in older iOS versions in the standard mode.
8) Price and competition: there are several new apps for writing down chess moves, including several using the same graphical drag and drop interface. None of then are USCF approved yet but at least one has already submitted the application for approval. All of them are cheaper than both of your versions (between 2 and 5 USD). I think that if you want to position your app as the de facto standard for chess score sheets on iOS, you should review your pricing strategy. Maybe lowering the entry price to 1,99 USD and charging an additional amount of 5,99 USD as an in-app purchase of the Tournament Mode option could increase your sales and overall profit while discouraging your competition.
9) A nice addition to the informal (standard) mode (at least for the iPad) would be the combination in the same screen of the scoresheet and a game clock. In this way, when playing with friends you can record your moves and have time control at the same time with a single device.
10) Draw offers and time for each move (automatic recording based on when the move is input in the app) should be able to be recorded.
11) Maybe you would like to read the comments from Moab21 in this post: http://blog.chess.com/SonofPearl/score-sheet-iphone-app
If you want a beta tester, I volunteer.
Good luck with the certification.
I'm still trying to define which app to adopt for this purpose. Maybe I'll adopt your app if I see some of these ideas in future versions.
Best regards,
Fernando (DarkJedi Ninja)
How long will uscf take to certify the app
re: DarkJediNinja
1) Chess Score Pad was ported to six other languages. I never really saw an increase in non-US sales to justify doing the same for the tournament edition. I was really surprised by this.
2) I made them separate applications because I felt there’s enough differences in between them. The USCF does not allow an electronic scoresheet to advise the user of illegal moves. So I did not want the option to be available in the app. I’m was just trying to error on the side of caution.
2 follow up) Yes. Look at the documentation on iPod User Guide, "Electronic Scoresheet Registration and Player Agreement” and "Device Settings For Tournament Play”. This approach has the player registering the device with the TD and allows the TD to lock the device.
3) This is covered in "Device Settings For Tournament Play”.
4) I would have to get a lot of requests for a text input to consider that. When I play, I have found the graphical input much easier. I feel it really helps my keep my thoughts focused on the game.
5) Yes. You cannot exit the move entry screen until the results are recorded. This locks the game from moves being entered or edited.
6) I believe this is the standard behavior of iOS. If the TD wants a scoresheet after every round, they will need a wi-fi network, an email account to send to and a printer. Otherwise the player will need to create a paper scoresheet. Creating a paper scoresheet isn’t so bad once you have an accurate scoresheet to copy from.
7) For iOS 5.1, if you exit the app while a game is active the game will be marked abandoned and locked. The only device that can run iOS 5.1 but not 6 is the iPad 1. The free upgrade to iOS 6 is available to all other devices.
8) If approved, the alternatives to to Chess Score Pad Tournament Edition will cost much more.
9) If that case, why not use the iPad as the board, and not the time clock.
10) This is already a feature.
11) Yes, I own this app and have used it.
Thanks for your input. Sorry to take so long to reply.
How long will uscf take to certify the app
They have acknowledged that they have received the package of test devices. They have not given me a time estimate. I will post updates as soon as I get any more news.
On February 12 the USCF informed me that the test devices have been sent to the evaluation committee.
This is good news since they could have rejected the idea of using iOS devices without sending them to the evaluation committee.
I am working on the following updates:
The USCF evaluation committee has denied my application for certification!
Why exactly does this not work on older ipod touches (2nd generation)? It's not like it require a lot of horsepower or something. Very frustrating. This is what made me switch to Android. Of course, it's not available at all for Android. I'm sure something will come along.
I wrote it for the current iOS at the time, iOS 5.1
2nd generation iPods do not support iOS 5. It is a lot more work to support older iOS versions and it is a smaller market.
I'm sure that's by design by Apple. The very reason I switched to Android. Thanks anyway.
This forum post is for Chess Score Pad, an electronic chess scoresheet. It is a universal application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Complete information can be found at chessscorepad.com.
This application is not certified by the USCF for use in a tournament. Not being certified does not prohibit the tournament director for allowing it to be used to keep score of your game. I know it has been used in USCF rated tournaments that are typically small prize amounts and short time controls. I use it in my weekly G/30 quads.
I have started a new application that I will submit to the USCF for certification. I am making a new app since it will need to be more restrictive and it would not be good to drastically change an existing app. For example, the new app will not have an option to have the app check for illegal moves since this is prohibited by the USCF.
I hope that this forum will provide valuable feedback from other OTB chess players so we can have a certified iOS scoresheet. A good electronic scoresheet is easy to use and more accurate that using a paper scoresheet. So I believe that a lot more people will make use of their iOS devices as scoresheets if they are certified.
I think that one big obstacle to certifying an iOS based electronic scoresheet is the concern that people will use the device to cheat. I am not a tournament director an I appreciate the hard work they do so we can have our tournaments, so I son’t want to make their jobs any more difficult. But I believe that if someone have a small computer (iPhone, Android or any of the many devices that can be used to analyze a game) and intend to cheat, they are more likely to conceal the small computer. Banning electronic scoresheets does not stop cheaters from bringing a device and concealing it. If players are using the small computers as scoresheets, the computers are out on the table. I will expand on this in a later post.
Thanks,
Roger Carey
I am posting this per the “A note to all chess developers” post. “One of the ideas of this group is to help developer to promote their app, find beta tester, get feedback and everything that can help to chess on ipod touch and iphone.”