Internet Chess Server: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:10, 25 June 2006

Revision as of 23:29, 4 July 2006

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The ICS protocol is a simple, [[text-based]] variant of the [[TELNET]] protocol. It is sparsely [[Documentation|documented]] and not standardized, although a few [[Reference implementation (computing)|reference implementations]] and several [[Client (computing)|clients]] exist.

In theory, an ICS can be accessed from any TELNET client. That said, almost all [[User (computing)|users]] choose to play using a graphical client, commonly called an interface. Currently, the most popular interface is [[XBoard]] (and its [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] counterpart, WinBoard). In recent years, however, it has lost ground to newer interfaces like [[BabasChess]] and [[Thief (chess)|Thief]].

In addition to standalone clients, many servers also offer [[Java Platform|Java]] interfaces that can be used directly from a [[Web browser]]. These are popular with [[Newbie|new users]] and users of public computers.