New to the club? Ask Questions here! Long time members please help me by helping the n00bs.

Common question, where are the videos? They are posted at the top of the main page, right above the video! Here is the link again, sorted by playlists. I recommend starting with the free video lessons playlist. Lesson one teaches you to teach yourself to be better at chess.  http://www.youtube.com/user/BobbyJFischer1943/playlists

Don't promote your club, other chess videos, or tournaments in this club! I hate banning people who don't read what's on the main club page! And hopefully you read this warning!

Have a question,? Ask it here! Someone will be along to assist. Before you start a topic in this forum, see if a related one already exists! We will have to close your topic and you will need to post it again, in the proper place!

Thanks NM Coach-Bill

Hello everyone in Coach Bill's club! 

I looked throughout the videos (I'm not sure how to search forums [I'm having trouble with forums in general--chess.com is working on finding the tech problem from their end].

My question is a REAL noob question. 

Could someone PLEASE explain the time controls in chess?  I really don't know where to start. I checked wikipedia and YouTube. 

Can anyone explain why sometimes if the game is 10 minutes,  for example, sometimes people get more time added to their clocks after a move? 

Thank you so much. 

Again, I'm a total noob. 

No worries, @DLB777

Here is a starter video: https://youtu.be/TnmyUrX4pnc

Thank you! Much appreciated. 

@ebogard, try sending a message to one of the club admins. You can find them listed on the club home page.

Hello!

Please forgive me if this sounds off topic to Coach- Bill's club,  but I have a big problem:

I reached out to chess.com's HELP  Dept twice and never heard back:  this is time sensitive! 

After joining Coach-Bill's Club,  I joined another one that was advertised as a fun place to talk and learn from other players. 

The club admin put me in a Blitz tournament and I asked kindly to please be taken ot off that tournament as I'd never played Blitz.

I asked not to be put into tournaments. 

Long story short,  I left that club because I was inundated with spam asking me to join this person's YouTube channel and help him/her reach 1,000 members (??).

Now... this person put me in a DAILY  tournament I never signed up for. First they had me in three games. I wrote to the club creator in the forums and asked nicely to be taken off this tournament I never even heard of, let alone signed up for (again,  I left that club). After asking twice,  with no reply, I found out yesterday Im now in FOUR games.

Im physically disabled and would never join a Daily Tournament because I can go days on end without being able to physically move. 

Today the time runs out in the first three games and I feel im going to be reported. 

I tried creating a Forum Question, but got a message that I did an illegal action (??). I'm not a luddite. I was a professional musician and photographer before my accident. I followed the instructions to a t.

Coach-Bill... please forgive me for asking this in your forum, but I don't know what else to do. I tried to message the people I am supposed to be playing against in this tournament I never signed up for, but they don't accept messages unless you're friends. 

This other club admin should be banned. He spends all his time trying to lure people into his club, only to spam all day about subbing to his YouTube channel. 

Yours is the only club I am involved with now...I actually learn so much from you and the other members. 

But I'll never join another club unless it's highly recommended by you, Coach-Bill, or someone I know. 

Could someone please help me? 

Thank you. 

(I specifically didn't name the club. You can message me for info. )

@DLB777  There are ways to trick you into joining clubs and events. Essentially, you are asked to click a link, and it has the word "join" at the end of the link. That puts you in. So, you will forfeit 4 games. Not a big deal, no penalties.

Many clubs have sprouted up during the COVID19 pandemic. Most will wither away and die from inactivity. I get deluged with messages to join some other club. That's aganst chess.com rules, and I report them all...Here is a recent exchange. I think I shut him up. Also, I banned him from my clubs before he had a chance to join them and spam some more:

NMCoach-Bill

 

1 day ago

https://support.chess.com/article/329-how-do-i-invite-someone-to-join-my-club

travisgro

 

13 hours ago

Can you join???

NMCoach-Bill

 

13 hours ago

I run the best coaching group on chess.com I am full time with it teaching countless members how to improve. What could I possibly benefit from if I joined your club? Your members belong in my club.

Ah! Thank you for letting me know I won't be banned for not playing in the tournament. 

And yes,  I get offers to join clubs all the time in my message inbox. I didn't know that was illegal.  I will report them all from now on. 

And yes... I'd say you did a great job of shutting that person down who was bothering you to join his club! 😉

Thank you for your help,  Coach Bill.

Have a wonderful day. 😊♟

Hi I'm new to the club. I saw the tips on correspondence chess video and took the advice to go on chessbase.com Now I'm confused! Surely looking at all the moves players have played in an opening is tantamount to cheating? In effect you aren't thinking up your own moves but instead you are copying other, stronger, players' moves? Or am I missing something here. I don't want to be branded a cheat by chess.com

This is perfectly fine. The top players in the world have a lot of these lines memorized for over the board events.. Why? One is so they don't get tricked in a line against a weaker GM or IM. We are not on their level, but if we use books, and databases, we do learn the openings. Books have always been allowed in correspondence chess. Databases are, in effect, books which are quicker to sort through, Using an engine to decide a move, or an endgame table base is not allowed.

Understood. Many thanks for the prompt reply. I use the books so I guess I'll use an electronic book (database) .

what do you do in the club?

Play in team matches as they open. See my forum topic on tips for correspondence play for video explanation. Watch my videos. Playlist link is on main notes page. Start with the free video lesson program.

Okay I have to ask, how do you past a PGN file into a forum? I've tried copy and paste and drag and drop but neither work.

Tom

Easy. First get the PGN. Then click the board icon on the top left of where you post a message and follow instructions.

Well that's what I tried, clicked the chess board, then load from PGN and it says to paste one or more PGN files here. However it won't let me drag and drop the file or copy and paste the file. I must be missing something.

Keep trying, try a different web browser perhaps.

Hi. I have trouble loading PGNs from other chess engines into the Analysis Board.

I wanted to mention that someone told me that, like Coach Bill said,  maybe it's your browser. 

I was told to try Firefox. 

(I currently use Chrome.)

I hope this helps you! 

Yeah it's weird, I use Firefox I was just trying to load a file from a game I played on this site. Not sure what the issue is.

You can always copy paste the raw text file of the pgn to the chess.c board editor.