How can we make Vote Chess more interesting to attract more participation?

That's it!

That's my question.

How can we make Vote Chess more interesting to attract more players and participation?

Thematic or crazy position with multiple horses, Queens etc.

My belief is that improvement of chess.com's vote chess infrastructure would help. The site doesn't do enough to support vote chess.  The recent addition of a quick link to vote chess on the home page is a good initiative on chess.com's part and kudos to them for that. 

• Home settings should allow display of a list of vote chess games on the home page the way it allows a list of daily games on the home page.

• I'd like to see vote chess under Play, rather than under More.  That will make it easier to find and mainstream it.

• Last I knew vote chess wasn't usable on the app.   Put vote chess in the app.

• Allow admins to set team discussion/voting windows.  This would be useful to eliminate the constant teeth gnashing and intra-team conflicts which come about over "early voting" in clubs that implement structure to their vote chess games.  

• Allow more alerts to be set.  We get an alert when it is our team's move, and we can choose to get an alert when someone posts a comment in the team discussion.  But how about an alert at clock intervals, such as 24 hours to go?

• Perhaps allow the team's move to be made earlier than the time increment, under special circumstances.  One such circumstance might be when many votes for a move have been cast, and it becomes mathematically impossible for another move to win.  This could be particularly useful when a move is forced.  Forced moves draw little discussion and attention to the game flags during the typical three day window. 

Maybe try appealing to players that have never even played a single one before. They don't know if they like it or not yet. 

I don’t think you need to make it more appealing.  Just make it organised and people will participate.   Get a good vote chess captain. Promote the games especially with new people who join the club.  

I have never had any problems.  

Some people don’t like vote chess and some do.  Just encourage it.   Every club should have a vote chess match.   Good for chatting and bonding and learning.   Even small clubs.  I have vote chess matches in clubs of around 50 members and it works fine.  

@eulers_knot said

• Home settings should allow display of a list of vote chess games on the home page the way it allows a list of daily games on the home page.

You can actually put the links into the “group header”

Are you talking about the quick links, or something else?

Yes that big fat quick link button 

^^^Yeah, I know about the quick link.  But I would prefer a list like the list of the current daily games.  I don't use the big fat quick link buttons.  That's just an extra step.  I would like my VC games listed on the home page...

I don’t know what you mean then?!  On the group home page you have a grid showing them all...

Ahh, well it appears you are on a mobile device.  Does vote chess work there now?

I am talking about my own home page, on the web client.

I'd like something like this, only for all the vote chess games I am presently in, and I would like it on my home page., not the group home page.  Chess.com gave us the ability to customize our personal home pages, but left off the ability to add the vote chess equivalent of this:

It works on the web browser but not on the app. I can’t stand the app as it has soooo many limitations on it. I don’t have a computer so it’s all done on my mobile. 
As for what you are seeing I’d like the same.

One complaint I get a lot from participants in VC is that their suggestions and/or questions are met with mockery and ridicule. In my clubs I do not tolorate that. In the club guidelines I have included;

"If you see a foolish move or blunder being suggested by another team member please be courteous, respectful and constructive in your appraisal of the move. Let us judge the moves - not the people who suggest them.

No.  I’ve never seen that in any club I’ve been involved with and I would leave a club if that happened to me.  

I wouldn’t leave the group but I would address it and bring admin in if needed.

Yes.  That better.  I was assuming they knew.  Maybe they didn’t.  Usually vote chess has an admin in them who supervises.  

In teams where I’m admin / SA I do join the vc games but in some teams it’s not always that way.

There are a couple of ways to improve Vote Chess. One is up to the admins: police your own teams! If you find that someone is routinely making recommendations that leave even the best players speechless by their accuracy and certainty, disinvite them from your VC games. Engine use is very common and is killing Vote Chess. 

Also, maintain team discipline. You may lose some players, but you will attract more serious players by enforcing the basic rules for your team.

And the other way Vote Chess could be made more attractive is if the site were to give notifications, not only when it's our move, but also when we reach the 24 hour mark. 

Nobody has the BIG vote chess link in their homepage to let them know when it’s time to vote ? Press that at least 3 times a day and you are guaranteed not to timeout in your vote chess games.

Well, we could go all OCD.   But better would be some sorely needed vote chess coding improvements...