I sent them 3 iPod Touch devices with full instructions for testing per their requirements. It took them 4 months to send them to the anonymous evaluation committee
The decision letter gave the following reasons:
1. “ There are applications for the iPad Touch that can turn your device into a fully functional communication device including a cell phone and text messaging”
They did not acknowledge that my application will not allow communications while the device (iPod Touch) is being used for scorekeeping.
2. “We were able to leave the application, access other applications on the device, return to the score pad at the point we left off in the score without recording the result or disabling the program.”
Chess Score Tournament Edition will make the game abandoned if you leave the app during a game. Once this happens you can no longer enter moves for that game. The game is locked out.
3. “The device is extremely difficult to set up by the player and requires intervention by the TD, both before and after the game. No TD has time to do this.
I believe they are referring to an optional suggestion I made for the last day of a big money tournament. I was just pointing out to them that if the TD really wanted to, the user could set up Apple’s Guided Access and the TD could control the password for it. Just a suggestion.
4. “The “I will not cheat” for is unacceptable and (imho) just silly. A cheater will ignore the fact that he signed it.
This was in reference to my suggestion that a “Electronic Scoresheet Registration and Player Agreement” be used. This is a sheet that the player would fill out letting the TD know that he is using an electronic scoresheet. It provides a checklist for the player (Do Not disturb on, guided access on so you don’t exit the scoresheet, sound off…) What a TD does at a tournament is up to the TD. I just thought it would be a good idea if the players let the TD know exactly what they were using.
5. “Verification of the settings by the TD is cumbersome…”
This was more to #3. Again, it is optional.
Then they added “Other comments:
The screen and board are small. (then the user can use an iPad)
There is no obvious title or unique logo on the screen during recording to be able to tell at a glance that the application is being used.
(I’m all for this, but it was not part of the specs)
They also commented that one of the devices locked up. This was most likely due to the battery dying after 4 months in storage. I had no problem with any of the devices after they were returned and I charged them.
All in all I found the decision letter very adversarial and unprofessional. The half truths in #s 1&2 and name calling in #4 for example. Keep in mind that this is a group who keeps their identity a secret, then calls people “silly”.
Here is part of my reply:
There are chess players want an affordable electronic scoresheet that gives them an accurate score of the game that can be imported into their games database without having to manually enter all of the moves.
By allowing a player to use Chess Score Pad Tournament Edition the TD knows that the player’s device will be on the playing table in Airplane Mode, in plain sight and cannot be used for phone calls, text messages, or chess engine applications. Not allowing honest players to use their iPad, iPod or iPhone as an electronic scoresheet will not stop the dishonest player from using them to cheat.
I would have liked to proceed to discuss the pros and cons of the reply by the committee but after reading that they feel my proposal is “silly” ("Having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment”) I decided that this would not be a good use of my time.
May i ask if the USCF gave a reason they denied your application? I'm not a programmer or very computer savvy, so I can't see a significant difference between an ipod touch running your program and, for example, a pocket pc running enotate. What I mean is a pocket pc, like an ipod touch, can also have wifi, bluetooth, and hundreds of chess apps that can analyze a game; yet somehow enotate is approved while yours is not. Again, I'm not computer savvy, so there must be inherent differences between iOS and Windows Mobile 5,6? By the way, I bought enotote for $50, but of course I would rather have your program.