Here is a set of guidelines that we should all try to

play by. I think that if we all follow these, our

group will be greatly improved.

1. Participate:

Be involved. Look at the conversation your team

mates are having about the move before voting.

Help discuss the move. Please don’t just look at

the board, vote, and leave. Vote chess is a team

game. So let’s play it as a team, and we’ll all learn

from each other in the process!

2. Make suggestions:

Don’t feel shy to give your opinion. Everyone

has good ideas. We recently won a game with a

move suggested by a 1300 player. So if you see a move you think would be

good, or think a move someone else suggested

wouldn’t be good, please tell us. We love having

good friendly debates about moves. Also when

you suggest or refute a move, please give your

reasons or post a line that supports your move.

Doing this will make others more likely to

consider your move and will help us all think

through the move more thoroughly.

3. Make the voting situation known:

When you vote and find that others have also

voted, please let us know the vote tally. I don’t

mean you should post the tally every time

someone votes, but if there’s a significant amount

of votes already made we need to

know. Recently, we have had times where

we come to an agreement on which move is

best and then find that there are already several

votes for another move. Although surprises are

fun sometimes, this is not the kind of surprise we

like. So please let us know if something like

that is going on.

4. Be aware of the time:

Since we play fast games on this group it is

important to be aware of the time we have for a

move. If we have 1 day per move, you don't

need to vote in the first few hours. Let the move

be discussed before you vote so that we can

make sure we find the best move. If it is a 6 hour

game, make your suggestion and, if possible,

give it 30 minutes or an hour for a rebuttal before

you vote. In a 1 hour or 2 hour game, you may

need to vote and leave, but if you do, please tell

us why you voted for the move you did so that

we can also consider it. In a 10 minute game,

all moves are discussed. If a move is being

debated, please wait until only 2 or 3 minutes are

left.

5. Join the games:

Join the vote chess games! That’s what we’re

here for! We understand that you won’t be

able to vote on every move, but it is intimidating

for the other team to see we have 20-30-40

players signed up. You only need to play when

you have the time, and when you do, join the

discussion and have fun!

6. Openings:

Please don’t suggest wild opening moves

because it can cost us the game. We play book

openings fairly deep. We are serious about the

openings and follow lines in the book that favor

us. We use the Game Explorer extensively as well

as databases from other websites. We frequently

post multiple lines so that players can choose

which path we take, but we avoid the lines that

are historically bad for our side. We have played

many different openings and variations, so if you

have an opening you want to try, feel free

suggest it.

And finally…

Have fun, be passionate, and improve both your

own chess skills and your team’s

games. The debate is one of the best parts of

vote chess, but it needs input from everyone.

Don’t be afraid to stand up for your opinion in a

game. All our active members know I will fight

for a move I think is right until it is proved wrong

or I run out of time. I will also argue against a

move I think is not best. I’m not a attacking

anyone, I’m just being passionate about the

game. I credit playing a lot of vote chess

with 2000+ players as being the biggest reason I

improved from 1500 to 1700 in rating. And

remember, if there are two parties with opposing

views, only one will get its way. So if the move

you think is best is not the one that wins, be a

good sport and let it pass by. None of us get our

way all the time.

To our top players: Keep doing what you do. We

have great leaders here. You explain your moves

well and understand that it is a democracy. The

move the highest rated player suggests does not

always win the vote.

To our middle players: You are the backbone of

this group. Most players fall into this range. Think

for yourselves and don’t follow the pack blindly,

you might see something a higher rated player

doesn’t. Treat each move as if it were your

own game and suggest your ideas.

To our lower rated players: Don’t be afraid to

participate. Suggest your ideas because you

will learn whatever the outcome is. Many times a

player makes the right move for the wrong

reason. Suggest your move with your reasoning,

and you will learn a lot from the discussion.

To everyone: Let's all unite together and improve

this team and move up in the Vote Chess

Leaderboard. Keep up the good work, and fill up

the discussion every turn!! See you at the games

GLOBETROTTERS & EXPATS

Super Admins

Admins