Bill,
A couple of things to know: Here we have both ONLINE chess and LIVE chess. LIVE chess - as played by most players there - consists are very short sudden death time limit games, usually 5 to 10 minutes per side. Any limitation in being able to make moves using a mouse would be a serious liability in the shortest of these games. Indeed, players with no disability issues often are limited by natural motor skill movement in very fast LIVE chess games.
Of course, LIVE chess here allows you to play with much longer time controls, such as 120 60 (120 minutes per side plus 60 seconds added back to your clock after you move). This would probably work for you, but problems with the current beta version of LIVE make it problematic for some to play long games without suffering a disconnection that results in a loss.
A new version of LIVE is due to arrive shortly which addresses the disconnection issue. Perhaps at its arrival, LIVE CHESS 2 will be usable for you.
The other chess mode offered here is ONLINE. It is a form of correspondence chess, as most play it: you play games usually with 12 to 72 hours time between required moves. If you log off, the game is STILL in progress. IF you fail to make your next move before the time is up, you forfeit and lose. This mode might well for you, as the time it takes to make a move physically is very small compared to the time limit between moves.
With any of these modes, make sure you know what the time controls mean before you agree to a match or offer one, lest you be disappointed in the outcome. There's too much fun to be had here to end up with a bad experience.
Best wishes on your chess here at chess.com.
Will you explain the time limit in chess.com? Before starting playing I e-mailed you, saying it takes me considerable time making the moves because of crippled hands and although deciding on my moves fairly quickly, it take me considerable time executing them. Asked you if that would create a problem for me playing. Your answer was I shouldn’t have any problems especially if I play “live” chess. My 1st match was called a trial or test match. Unknown to me we were given 3 days to complete the match. My opponent was a very slow player., In early evening, thinking the game was over, I turned the computer off. The following day the game would pop up periodically and I made additional moves. On the third morning I was notified it had been forfeited to my opponent because of the time limit which I understood more or lees. However my next 2 games were in “live” chess and both were forfeited following about 7-9 moves because of the time limit which was never explained to me, Each time my opponent would complete a move a clock would appear. From, what I can figure out as soon as my total move time reaches 5 minutes, the games are forfeited regardless of how any moves had been made. I don’t think this is fair to people like me who enjoy playing but have problems making moves as quickly as normal people.
Thank you,
Bill Stevens crazybill74
billstevens4@verizon.net