Originally Posted by JacksonWShowalter
Upon returning to chess after a 15 year hiatus in 2004 I tried several server sites and here’s my impression of the ones I played on.
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Let me give my impressions on the CC sites I have played
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Red Hot Pawn. This was the first site I played on. Limited number of games for non-subscribers. If you’re a non-sub most members won’t bother playing you. You start out at a low rating (1200?) so I won something like 20 games in a row and was only rated mid-1500’s. OK if you are lower rated, I guess; no fun if you’re not. Forums can get real nasty. They are constantly on the lookout for engine users. I saw 1200’s get kicked off the site as well as a bunch of their top players. They claim to have an infallible method of catching them. I have mixed feelings about this site.
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Well, I have different impressions, but I am a subscriber. Forums are lively and OK. Admin is responsive. The page is well organized. I like very much the possibility of putting my games in different folders. Very nice team (clan) competition, many tournaments. They kick off engine users, which is rare for this type of sites, another question is how successful they are, but at least they try. For me the top site worth every penny I spent on it.
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Queenalice. Probably the best free site. I only played a few games there and had opponents from 1200-1800, so it wasn’t too bad. Not much goes on in the forums there either.
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I agree, simple but well-managed page. Ideal site to start from.
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Chesshere. Limited free games. They also offer real time blitz. GM Amir Bagheri (or someone claiming to be him, I won’t get into that) took over the site about a year ago and unless you subscribe, be prepared for a ton of annoying pop up adds. You have to play a hundred moves or something before you can post in the forums. Personally, I’d avoid the site.
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I agree, I used to play there until a year ago, when the major crash occurred: all games were lost, since they did not have proper back up. From this time the ownership has changed, the site become commercial, actually the most expensive of this type. Not worth trying.
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Chessworld (aka Letsplaychess). The only site I belong to these days. You start at 1400 officially but your first game will be against a welcoming opponent who will be rated close to your estimate of your ability and answer any questions. This means you can quickly establish a higher rating (if you win, of course) and play stronger opponents. The site has a ton of training features for members; limited features and game limits for non-subscribers. Plenty of individual matches and tournaments are always available. Forums are very friendly and helpful. They do have one GM and many players are Europeans known to each other and have verifiable FIDE ratings. I also know of at least one IM who plays there. This is my site of choice.
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I am also a subscriber and I like the site, but the forums are not so lively as in RHP, and the organization of the page is messy, moreover, non-subscribers are missing practically all features of the site. The positive side: a lot of teaching materials.
Some other sites:
Chess.com Relatively new but very dynamic. Lively forums, a lot of good players, very good teaching resources, I like very much tactics trainer there. Also live chess looks very promising, albeit it is still a beta version. Clearly the site worth visiting.
Gameknot I used to be subscriber there but after the announced a policy in which newcommers paid less than existing subscribers, I quit. Profesionally managed site, but the management is not very responsive. If you are not a subscriber, every minute they remind you about the subscription, this is annoying. Moreover, top players use engines, but nobody cares. I am not big fan of that site.