Review of chess.com and other chess servers

Hi guys,

I have made a little review of chess.com and other popular chess servers.

Here it is: 

http://www.infobarrel.com/Where_to_play_chess_online_the_best_websites

 Hope you enjoy it.

Chess.com is the best!!

chess.com is rigged!

Your review states that chess.com lack variants, but you can play chess 960 here.

This thread will definitely get locked soon.

I disagree. Never attribute to malice what is more easily explained by ... most of us know how that saying ends. Chess.com outgrew its web delivery paradigm some time ago, but they're not doing too badly all things considered.

How does that saying end? And what is a "web delivery paradigm"?

The worst site ever found!

my live chess on chess.com has not worked in weeks. cant get through to chess.com but they are still billing me . avoid this site

chess.com does not have  a real phone number.

chess.com is the best internet chess site by far it makes gameknot look like game not, james.

For me, premiumchess.net is the best one. They just launch a new chess website which i found very fascinating and different compare to chess.com. Their website looks really catchy and not classic. 

what an inbreeded website. some little biach invents the rules and directs everybody to be nice. way to go small putin's friend

This is the worst chess website ever created on earth.

THE COMPUTERS ARE PROGRAMED TO　ＷＩＮ　ａｔ　ａｎｙ　ｃｏｓｔ　ｉ　ｐｌａｙｅｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｅａｓｙ　ｆｏｒｍ　ａｎｄ　ｉｔ　ａｃｔｅｄ　ａｓ　ｔｈｏｕｇｈ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｉｍｐｏｓｓｉｂｌｅ　ｃｏｍｐｕｔｅｒ　ｉｔ＇ｓ　ａ　ｓｈａｍ．　

You need to organize a protest!

Maybe he just lacks chess skills.

I used to like chess.com a lot. 

I had to stay in hospital for about half a year.  There I found ample of free time to play chess again -- something which I had not done at all in the last 15 years or so.  Eventually I surfed into chess.com.

I liked the video lessons, the tactics trainer, the chess mentor, the opening database, and, of course, its community.  Live chess and chess engines helped to improve my game a lot.  I recommended the site to a couple of my friends and shared chess.com's Facebook posts. 

I thought that someone had really invested a lot of time, love and effort into the site, and, to give something back, eventually signed up for an annual diamond membership, costing about $100.00.  That way I would also get unlimited access to the videos and the chess mentor, chess.com promised. 

Everything was fine, when, after a few months, I suddenly could not log in anymore.  I contacted support and a lady told me in one line that my account had been locked.  She linked to some rules which, besides some other dos and don'ts, stated that the use of computer programs during live games would not be allowed. 

I thought that this must be the problem, because I really did use engines at times to analyze crucial positions (checking whether there is possibly a better move than the variant I am playing), as well as opening databases (to improve my opening skills, which are hardly existant). This really helped to improve my game. 

Meanwhile I get the impression that it is pretty much self-evident to regular online players that one must not use such tools during live games, but to me, back then, it wasn't.  

I had not played chess at all for about 15 years, least of all online.  I thought that since it cannot be controlled anyway whether a player looks up a move in an opening book or types it into a computer, it would be rather irrelevant.  Done by everyone at times, to the advantage of everyone's strength and play, and no harm done.  Certainly, I could have read the rules -- mea culpa -- but then again, who really does?  

Anyway, so I replied to support that I, indeed, did make use of engines and of opening book at times.  I explained that it helped to improve my game and that I was not aware that it is such a big deal.  I offered that they are welcome to reset my rating scores, which would have no relevance to me anyway.  

But since I had paid for 12 months in advance, I would appreciate it if my account could be unlocked, so that I have access to the videos and the chess mentor again (services which are a part of the treaty between me and chess.com). 

I did not receive a reply.  Over the next weeks, I wrote two, three times again, and still have not received a reply.  My account is still locked.  A substitute account was not offered.  Nor did I receive a refund for the services for which I paid for months in advance but which I cannot use. 

I do not think that these proceedings by chess.com are okay, to say the least.  Nor are they necessary.  As far as I am concerned, simply pointing me to the rules would have sufficed.  Maybe this is read by one of the chess.com elders and we can still find a solution.