Worst Feature of Chess.com: Vacation!

Worst feature of chess.com:  having the vacation kick in automatically for premium members when they are about to time out.

I think someone already mentioned that, but I would be placated if they simply removed that portion of the vacation settings.  

Sure, people have legitimate reasons to use vacation time.  They probably don't need it to automatically kick in when they are about to time out of a game though.

I suppose this is one of those topics that will just keep getting debated and redebated in the forums in thread after repeat thread.  If you don't like vacation time play live chess.  Quit whining.

I disagree.  What if I unexpectedly lose access for a few days?  Heck, I'm in a 1day/move tourney, I'm supposed to resign all matches in that tourney if I'm sick, or otherwise aren't online for ONE DAY?

Not at all the same.  A MUCH closer example would be asking the Tourney Director ahead of time if, between matches 3 and 4, you could take a washroom break.

Ok, maybe vacation time is annoying, but it's important because we all need a break sometime. In fact, a few months ago, I planned to take a 2 week break when I didn't have any games, and it worked. I didn't set myself on vacation because I didn't have any games. (Note: I was that addicted to chess.com that I still logged in every 2 days ) No vacation time used, no annoying my opponents. 

I rest my case.

ih8sens........

You are not abusing your vacation time, if you have if it is yours to use as your wish and your opponents just need to deal with it. Everyone should just look for games/tournaments with people playing around the speed that they wish to play. Not allowing vacation time in certain tournaments sounds like a good idea to help with this, and if the vacationers don't like it, then there are always tons of other tournaments to sign up for!

Would your example be the same as having an option either to allow vacation or not prior to the tourney? My main point?

Another carefully thought through comment by staggerlee that really helps the community.

It is valid to debate things more than once since new people are always joining and don't realise it has been thrashed through before. Yes, there may be a forum search feature, but it isn't the same as live debate.

Turn-based chess would still be turn-based chess if the vacation facility was altered in some way. There is a large gulf between turn-based chess, even if it had no vacation facility at all, and live chess.

Surely having an option in the tournament setup page to limit vacation time for the tournament can't be much more difficult than having an option for minimum average move time or number of games timed-out? Then, like these other restricted tournaments, the player can decide if it suits their lifestyle/playing style or not.

New people may join, but is anything new being added to the discussion?  In this case, no.

Without vacation time, I couldn't play here, and would cancel my membership.  My life schedule is not beholden to your impatience.  Deal with it.

Thanks for reminding me why I don't usually post in these forums.

Spiffe, please read my previous posts before you comment. You will then notice that I think vacation time is a good idea but needs to have some restrictions added. I also need to use vacation time myself, but do so only when necessary and not to prolong my games unnecessarily or to allow myself longer to think about my moves.

Before you accuse the posters in this thread of impatience, perhaps you should look at the tone of your own post?

Although nothing new may be added to the discussion, none of the suggestions have yet been added, so it seems that there is yet reason to discuss further.

Perhaps a system where there is a time between uses of vacation that is dependent on how long the previous vacation was and also perhaps how often you used it in the past year or certain designated time.  For example, if you use say, 1 day of vacation, you can't use vacation again for a week, but if you use a week of vacation, then you can use it again in 2 days or something.  Couple that with if you use vacation every month, maybe now it's 2 weeks between uses, but if you used it once in the last year, mayeb you only have to wait 3 days, since you don't seem ot be abusing it and maybe needed a day off and then had some life issue come up.  It still doesn't prevent the cheating, but at least in theory the game would have to end one way or ther other since they would time out.

Neither.  My point is that any tourney that doesn't allow Vacation (if there was such an option) will have a VERY high timeout percentage, or be 7+ days/move, which likely drags it on MUCH longer than Vacation would have.  People have lives.

Here is another aspect!

Isn't chess something to play on vacation? So why stop playing chess on vacation :) Be online always, in business life and in vacation life :) And isn't it something with no big deal among all other life related stuff, why not simply lose all active games by time? Why is it so important to not to lose by time and to win the game? It's just a game, isn't it? Why don't you make a favour to your opponent by simply losing by time instead of forcing him to wait for months when you go on vacation?

I have requested to include a vacation allow/deny setting option for tournaments and friendship games. I hope they think about this. But I dont think they will change the current abuse-open situation as they are selling all abuse-open features of Chess.com with money. Isn't it?

I think that tournaments should have a no-vacation option. there are many tourneys to satisfy those for and against vacations.

I also favor an end to the automatic vacation. I hate seeing players with active games while their game with me is sitting on vacation over and over again.

It is an important feature. Some of us get quite busy at times and even if we find time to make some moves online, they wouldnt be the best coz of the stress level/ distractions etc. As a medical student I occasionally find myself too engrossed in studies and during exam times the vacation feature helps a lot. That way I can pause all my games so that I can  make the best moves later when I am free... or  there are several times in a year where I travel from place to place and that's another time it helps. 

Stress and other physological things are parts of chess game I think. You should not only think good but also handle your stress well in chess.

These things are not good reasons to use vacation option I think.

Actually using vacation option for these reasons is a good example of abusing. Anyone can turn on vacation due to feeling stressed when there is only few minutes remaining to lose by time. This is not fair!

For some people it's impossible to travel and be online at same time, so I think vacation is a very good feature, since it's used correctly, just when u need.

vacation is a good feature.. i wish i know how to get and use it.