Content deleted Content added
bold, other changes |
the jin and babaschess screenshots accomplish exactly the same thing, which means the non-free babaschess fails WP:NFCC |
||
Line 9:
|current_status=online
}}
The '''Free Internet Chess Server''' ('''FICS''') is a volunteer-run [[online chess]] platform. When the original [[Internet Chess Server]] (ICS) was commercialized and rebranded as the [[Internet Chess Club]] (ICC) in 1995, a group of users and developers came together to fork the code and host an alternative committed to [[Free-culture movement|free access]], and a rivalry between the two servers persisted for years. FICS users download one of several graphical client programs, connect to the server via [[telnet]], and can play chess or [[Chess variant|variants]] at a range of time controls. Games played on FICS are stored in a database, which has been used to train chess engines and to support academic studies. Though based in the US, the user base is international. In addition to the games themselves, there are [[Chat room|chat rooms]], pairing systems, analysis tools, and [[Chess rating system|ratings]]. A relay system displays high-profile tournament games for users to see. As of 2024, FICS is still operational, though has declined in popularity with the rise of web-based chess sites.
Line 31 ⟶ 30:
== Usage ==
[[File:
FICS is accessible via [[telnet]] and was text-only by default. Before graphical interfaces, users would see a board created by [[ASCII]] characters, with the lines of the board created by [[Hyphen|hyphens]] and [[Vertical bar|pipes]], and pieces represented by letters.<ref name="Doggers-2024" /> Whereas ICC has dedicated, proprietary graphical interfaces, several have been developed for FICS, with none having official status. The earliest were XICS and [[XBoard]], with subsequent programs including [[XBoard|WinBoard]], BabasChess, Jin, Thief, Raptor, eboard, [[PyChess]], and JavaBoard.<ref name="Fernández Slezak-2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Fernández Slezak |first1=Diego |last2=Etchemendy |first2=Pablo |last3=Sigman |first3=Mariano |date=2010 |title=Rapid chess: A massive-scale experiment |url=https://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/152631 |journal=High-Performance Computing Symposium (HPC 2010) |language=en}}</ref> Though built with pre-web technology, which typically requires a dedicated client, there are also web-based interfaces. Users can play using an anonymous guest account or register for an account with a username. Registered users can play games rated using the [[Glicko rating system]], with separate ratings based on time control and chess variant.<ref>{{Cite web |author=vek/glickman |title=Vek-splanation of the Glicko Ratings System |url=http://www.freechess.org/Help/HelpFiles/glicko.html |access-date=10 May 2010}}</ref>
| |||