VC Inactivity

I have a problem with most of the clubs I'm in.

I just went inactive for a fee day's, and when I came back, at least 30 vcs were lost on time.

This happens a lot. I am the only one voting for the move, which takes away the idea of vcz and puts a lot of stress on those who are doing the vcs.

Is there a way to get more people to join without bombarding them with notifs?

What’s vcs

Vote chess.

30 VC matches is a lot unless your team is very active and structured.

I'd say you the team is in more VC it can play. Probably play fewer games, have some admin or coord appointed to captain the games (recapping the discussed moves and reminding people to vote and discuss) can help.

Don you want quantity or quality?

Maybe make an announcement or forum to see who is actually interested in vcs. And make a VC captain who is in charge of the votes so the matches don't timeout.

That's my opinion, but I'm not an expert.

If you have an organization that approaches VC seriously, you will have written club VC rules or guidelines. You will need a culture of discussing every move before any votes are made. You will need a Vc leader that encourages people to be active and follow the rules.

If you don't have those things you will probably not have an active or winning vote chess program.

I can't improve on Ximoon's advice but perhaps I'd add a warning about the reputational risk of having so many games time-out. I've been running a small VC club for years and when we receive a challenge from a club that isn't familiar the first thing I do is check their most recent games.

If I see a number of time-outs then I decline the challenge out of hand. Clubs that take their VC seriously will refuse to play your club(s) if they see many time-outs.

So cut your games right down to a few (my club generally plays one at a time), try to encourage your better members to join and find a second person to help monitor games and ensure they don't time out!

* What is "vcz"?

When will vote chess be in the app? Web is so clunky comparatively in my opinion.

that gives me a idea in my club, thank you Rocky

The whole point of Vote Chess Games is that you discuss with each other and learn from the discussion. There is zero value in my opinion in joining VC games where either you're the only active member, or where there is no constructive discussion.

In my club the rule is that we only do 3-day VC games. The first two days are for analysis and discussion, and the last day we vote. Usually there is a consensus by then and we all vote for the move we agreed on.

Time-outs have always been the curse of vote chess. We have repeatedly requested reminders from the website but they just won't provide them. More than half of Vote Chess games end due to time-out.

I have created my own reminder system, but like NotNerdyN3rd if I take a break or forget then time-outs occur. It does take considerable effort on my part. But overall, there have been no timeouts in my clubs games when I keep up on things.

Vote chess is difficult on the App because of software and screen space issues. I don't recommend it.

The website simply does not prioritize Vote Chess.

"Vote chess is difficult on the App because of software and screen space issues. I don't recommend it." wormrose

Vote Chess is a great idea, and I've not seen anything like it on other chess servers. I do recommend it, because it is the best way online to learn with friends how to apply ideas on how to play chess and how to improve at chess in a "live" situation (as opposed to studying the games of others already finished). There's an old joke, "It's easy to sacrifice other players' pieces," referring to post mortem analysis of coulda shoulda moves by onlookers. In a live game where you have to move, sacrifices don't always work out. Passive play also doesn't always work out. Where can you learn how others balance risk and prudence? Well, that's what's good about vote chess.

I agree with wormrose that Chess.com doesn't prioritize vote chess, but that's only because VC hasn't become wildly popular (e.g., "What's vote chess?"). The more it catches on, the more attention will be paid to it by programmers. Right now, one has to do work to keep up with one's VC games, because notifications are spotty, and you might lose on time by taking a couple days to do something different on your schedule (travel? play in an OTB tournament?).

If all you want to do is play blitz, then don't bother with vote chess. If you want to improve strategic depth, historical understanding, and improve camaraderie in chess, the vote system is great.

Thank you for the ideas to all of you, but I would like to say that it wasn't in just 1 club. This is a problem in 90% of the clubs I'm in. I'm the only active member doing vcs. If I go offline, all the teams lose a lot of games.

Look for clubs who participate in VC leagues, they will be the more serious ones.

Then don't be in 148 clubs, especially if this is how they play. Pick a top 10 and forget the others.

@NM Impractical - I have been involved with Vote Chess for nearly 18 years at chess.com. It has actually been very popular at times in the past, but many who would have been loyal followers have been discouraged by the website's neglect.

It is a wonderful way for low-rated players to rub shoulders with stronger players, teachers, and coaches. It is a great learning tool that has fallen into ruin.

I doubt it can become popular again due to the many unproductive practices which have been allowed to creep in, such as one person Vote Chess teams, which is very predominant today.

Thank you for your insights, wormrose.

Bottom line: just play with a serious team, against a serious team, and you have zero issues.