OpenChess

Compulsory rules:

1. Chatting on a chess server has the same legal status as any verbal or written communication between individuals. Insults have legal consequences, in particular, severe insults and incitement may result in criminal prosecution. Every player can be unambiguously identified through his IP address which is stored by the server. Apart from legal consequences, insults of any kind will be punished by complete bans without further notice, the duration of which is subject to the severe ness of the offence.

2. Here, like everywhere else, it is forbidden to trade commercial programs or engines or to use traded or bootlegged software or engines. Contraventions will be punished, at least by a complete permanent banning of all access accounts and other legal action may be taken against the offender as deemed appropriate. Excluded are, of course, freeware or shareware programs as well as the Nalimov Tablebases which are not subject to any copyright.

3. Boosting an Elo rating by losing intentionally (padding) is forbidden, regardless whether the loss occurs against your own access accounts, friends or relatives. As soon as such boosting is noticed by a ChessBase employee, all accounts of the involved players will be immediately banned. If in doubt, please play friendly games which are not Elo rated.

4. Manipulating your own system (e.g. lag) is unfair and leads to banning. Please schedule lengthy uploads or downloads to a time other than when you are playing.

Harvey Williamson wrote:Engines with unknown authors have never been allowed so that deals with most of them. As for he rest of your question here is not the place to discuss it.

AdminX wrote:

Albert Silver wrote:

AdminX wrote:

bhandelman wrote:Why do you mention Chessbase in your subject line? I don't see them mentioned in your post from the other forum.

I think it is because Harvey Williamson is a Chessbase /Playchess Sysop. Since Harvey has no "online chess platform".

I don't get the monopoly part either. CB controls their online server Playchess, big deal. So a monopoly of what? Their own product?

Unfortunately for Harvey, they don't see Chessbase, they see Harvey speaking for Chessbase and enforcing policy that is not clear as to how clones are defined. After all, the its a Clone because Playchess says its a Clone does not work for allot of their members. As in the quote of Harvey's posted above, does Vas, Fabian, or Bob define what is or is not a clone. Is there a board that decides it, or a public list posted somewhere on a Chessbase website. Even here on CCC there is no agreement. I don't agree with their (Chessbase) engine room policy, so I just choose to watch /play engine games on FICS, too many Rybka vs Rybka games on Playchess for me.

I guess the same can be said of you. They don't see Albert Silver independent writer, they see Albert Silver writer for Chessbase. No insult intended.

Ted Summers wrote:I post this here because it seems very related to this topic. Please feel free to remove it if you disagree.

Ted Summers wrote:http://talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37807

that the non-quote reasonably characterizes Harvey's views on the matter,

Jeremy Bernstein wrote:It looks like Harvey doesn't feel like talking about these issues. Maybe he'll turn up yet.

Kevin Frayer wrote:

Jeremy Bernstein wrote:It looks like Harvey doesn't feel like talking about these issues. Maybe he'll turn up yet.

I'm sure Harvey feels the right place to have this discussion is over at the Hiarc forum where he has complete editorial control. lol