ChessJam Online Chess

ChessJam 4.1 released

2010-12-31T22:14:00.002-05:00

ChessJam 4.1 is now available as a required update. If you use the web version or Facebook version, you don't need to do anything. If you use the desktop version of ChessJam, you will be prompted to complete a quick upgrade.

Changes in 4.1:

A once rare timeout bug has been recently exploited by a few users to become a real nuisance on ChessJam. The bug allowed someone to force a timeout of a game to avoid having the rating calculated for the winner and loser. This problem has now been fixed.
There have been several complaints about some players utilizing computer programs to help them win games on ChessJam. We have added "application switch detection" into the ChessJam application to help identify users that are switching from ChessJam to another app after every move. We realize that it's common to switch to other applications during a game so we ignore it unless the number of application switches is very close to the number of moves. For now, we're collecting the information only for analysis. During the next few days, we'll add automatic messages to the chat window to notify the opponent that the player is switching between moves.
Some players are registering with multiple usernames to help boost their rating on ChessJam. They play themselves to pump up their rating. We are starting to compare the IP address of both players to try and reduce this practice. There are valid cases where both players will be on the same network and can be sharing an IP address (for example, if someone plays someone in their own home, they will have the same address) so we'll only use this data when we see other patterns that suggest that someone is pumping up their rating.

We're working on some cool new features including new tournament types and even mobile device support, so stay tuned!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Faster load times for ChessJam worldwide (16 locations!)

2010-09-29T11:51:00.001-04:00

Earlier today, we made a change that will result in faster downloads of ChessJam, especially if you are located in Europe or Asia. Before today, when you downloaded ChessJam or loaded the web or Facebook version, the files were served from Tampa, Florida. Starting today, the files will be served by one of sixteen locations depending on your location. You will hopefully notice faster download times and application load times. Below is a list of server locations. The closest server to you will automatically be selected so you don't have to do anything different.
More improvements are already in progress. Stay tuned!

ChessJam 4.0.3 released

2010-09-14T23:13:00.003-04:00

ChessJam 4.0.3 is now released. Changes:

FIxed a problem that caused clocks to go negative in rare circumstances
Added a new less intrusive notification of tournaments, etc. New notifications will replace the popups starting tomorrow (Wednesday)
Games can now be posted to Facebook from web version of ChessJam
Multiple bug fixes

If you are running the desktop version of ChessJam, you will receive an upgrade notification next time you run it. If you run the web or Facebook version, you are already set.

Report any bugs to support@chessjam.com

ChessJam 4.0.2 released - bug fixes

2010-09-10T15:14:00.001-04:00

ChessJam 4.0.2 is now available. We fixed another premature timeout situation (hopefully the last!), fixed the sounds that got screwed up in the 4.0.0/4.0.1 release and fixed the HUD clocks.

We apologize for the back to back releases but we're on a serious bug hunt!

Thanks!

ChessJam 4.01 released

2010-09-09T23:19:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week we released ChessJam 4.0. Overall, it has been a great release for us. We've seen a lot of people take advantage of the new web version and Facebook versions of the game. We also saw a huge improvement in the number of failed games where a clock went bad, etc.

We've been monitoring like a hawk and found a few other bugs that needed fixing. This release takes care of the following:

Clocks now stay in sync even with players with a lot of network lag
Premature timeouts have been fixed
The weird time that sometimes shows up on clocks after a game has completed has been fixed
We rearranged the login buttons to help new people find their way. We apologize to our regular players that have learned to click the login button with their eyes closed. We'll all have to retrain a few times! ;-)
Server upgrades to improve performance

We'll continue to watch things. We have a lot of enhancements planned, but we are currently trying to get to flawless play for all players.

If you see any problems, please email us at support@chessjam.com

ChessJam 4.0! Now 3 ways to play online chess including in Facebook and your web browser!

2010-09-06T10:23:00.008-04:00

Today we released ChessJam 4.0! During the past few months, we've seen our growth accelerate and now we're starting to attract several grand masters! We think this latest release will put ChessJam up a few notches and spur even more growth.

ChessJam can now be played in three different ways:

You can now play ChessJam in your web browser! Simply go to http://chessjam.com/play and you're in!
You can also now play ChessJam within Facebook by going to http://apps.facebook.com/chessjam
The ChessJam desktop application is also improved. It's now smaller and faster!

Bug fixes and other improvements:

We have rewritten the way clocks are handled. They are now much more reliable and consistent. This should address the occasional premature timeouts that some players reported.
Multiple memory optimizations

Let us know if you find any problems with the new software. You can always email us at support@chessjam.com

ChessJam 3.5 Released!

2010-08-30T15:45:00.005-04:00

We just posted ChessJam 3.5 for download. Your existing version should auto-update.
Here's what new:

The application is now 53% smaller resulting in faster downloads, updates and faster startup time.
There should be fewer disconnects throughout the application now.
Network traffic has been reduced throughout the application.
Automatic draw detection added (finally!). If both players don't have the required pieces to checkmate, a draw is automatic. If a position arises in which neither player could possibly give checkmate by a series of legal moves, the game is an automatic draw. Combinations with insufficient material to checkmate are:
- king versus king
- king and bishop versus king
- king and knight versus king
- king and bishop versus king and bishop with the bishops on the same color.
Turbo tournaments now auto-start more consistently.
The end-game dialog is now clearer with a button for "Get a link to this game".
Numerous other bug fixes, performance tweaks and cosmetic improvements.

We're working on a major new release - stay tuned!

Turbo Tournament Rule Change

2010-07-31T08:10:00.003-04:00

Effective immediately, the following rules are now enforced in Turbo Tournaments:

If you are white, you have 90 seconds to make your first move or you will automatically forfeit the game. A warning will be sent to you 60 seconds prior to being booted.
If you start a Turbo Tournament game, you cannot abandon a game without losing rating points. All games in the Turbo Tournament room are rated games regardless of the number of moves made. If you click the resign or draw button, your rating will be impacted.

Turbo Tournaments have been a huge success and we hope these new rules will make them run smoother and keep things more fair.

Thanks for playing!

How we enabled "Login using Facebook" with ChessJam

2010-07-17T08:50:00.005-04:00

Last week, we rolled out an exciting new feature - the ability to login to ChessJam using your Facebook credentials, even if you have never registered for ChessJam! This capability is made possible by something called Facebook Connect, a fairly new API (application programming interface) from Facebook. This API makes it possible for applications to connect to Facebook in various ways authenticate, share data and more. We thought it was important to explain exactly what features we are using and why. These dialogs are only presented on your first login.

The login dialog:

When you first click "Login using Facebook" on the ChessJam login screen, you are prompted for your Facebook credentials. This dialog is presented by Facebook. Your Facebook email address and password are NOT collected by ChessJam. ChessJam does not have access to your email address nor your password. Once you enter your Facebook email address and password, Facebook confirms that they are OK and then tells ChessJam if you successfully logged in.

Facebook permissions dialog 1:

In addition to the login status, Facebook makes some of your data available to us, but only data that you have shared with everyone. We do not have access to any of your private data. Currently, we only use your name and country. No other details are used and we will never use any additional information without first asking you. Facebook has very strict rules about this, and we follow these rules to the letter!

Facebook permissions dialog 2:

If you click ALLOW, you will have the option of posting your game to your Facebook wall after each game you play. You can choose to do this on a game by game basis. Here is what it looks like on your wall:

Choosing a ChessJam user name:

After logging into Facebook and granting permissions, you will be prompted to select a user name and enter your country. The username is how others in ChessJam will see you. We use your country to build the country leader board.

If you previously created a ChessJam account without logging into Facebook, you can link it by clicking the "LINK" button on this dialog. You will then be prompted for your ChessJam username and password.

Once you have completed these steps, you can login to ChessJam in the future with one click!

If you later want to revoke permissions from ChessJam, you can go to the PROFILE page and click the Facebook icon. You can also login to Facebook using your web browser and go to your ACCOUNT menu, then APPLICATION SETTINGS. You will see a list of all applications you have granted permissions to, including ChessJam. You can simply delete ChessJam from this list by clicking the small "X" beside it.

We hope you enjoy this new feature!

Additional information about the Facebook connect APIs:

ChessJam 3.4 released!

2010-07-11T11:27:00.003-04:00

ChessJam 3.4 is now available for download. Your existing copy will auto-update to the 3.4 version.
Changes:

Facebook integration has been improved. You can now login to ChessJam using your Facebook credentials! After you go through the login process once, the subsequent logins will be one-click away. The Facebook login dialog is coming directly from Facebook. ChessJam does not capture nor store your Facebook credentials. You can also still login using your ChessJam credentials.
When you finish a game, you can share the game by either posting it on your Facebook wall, tweeting the results or you can click a button to get a link to the game that you can share with anyone.
When you sit at a table, you are now represented by a different chess piece that is based on your rating (it was always a pawn before). Here is how the pieces are assigned:
- below 1600 -- Pawn
- 1600-1799 -- Knight
- 1800-1999 -- Bishop
- 2000-2199 -- Rook
- 2200-2399 -- Queen
- 2400 or higher -- King
Bug fix: When a robot runs out of time, it now loses the game.
Various minor bug fixes and performance improvements

What's next? We're working on a web version of ChessJam that even allows you to play ChessJam inside of Facebook. The web version will have all of the same features and both web and desktop versions will continue to be updated in parallel.

ChessJam 3.3.0 Posted - NEW ROOMS!

2010-05-01T02:53:00.005-04:00

The picture below says most of what's new!
If you are running ChessJam on a Netbook, you'll be pleased to hear that 3.3 has full netbook support and will auto-reduce the resolution to fit as needed. AIR 2.0 is required for netbook resolution support and can be downloaded from http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/air2.html (download and install the runtime).

ChessJam 3.2.2 now available - Improved reliability

2010-04-19T23:18:00.004-04:00

We have had a few reports of games getting out of sync and have gone through the logs with a fine-tooth comb to learn how to improve reliability. We think you will find 3.2.2 more reliable with smoother graphics animations.

We also made some minor changes to the registration screen behavior.

More features are coming soon but we prioritize reliability over everything else. If you run into issues with games, please email us immediately with any details you can provide. Email to chessjam@gmail.com

Coming soon... new rooms, new tournaments and more!

ChessJam 3.2.1 now available - Chat commands and enhancements!

2010-04-14T02:22:00.004-04:00

We just posted ChessJam 3.2.1. Changes include:

New chat commands!

/block username - blocks chat msgs from a user for the duration of the game.
/unblock username - unblocks the user
/silent - silences the chat sounds
/help - get a list of current commands

The chat window is now taller
Blank chat messages are no longer possible
Fixed a bug that sometimes made chat messages invisible
Chat messages no longer have a blank line between them to allow more messages to be viewed at once
Auto-scrolling of messages improved
Additional memory improvements

New Big Dog Weekly Tournament starting tomorrow!

2010-04-09T18:29:00.005-04:00

Everyone seems to be enjoying the Turbo Tournaments so we have decided to try something new with a bit of a twist called the Big Dog Weekly Tournament.
Here's the scoop:

The 60 minute room is being replaced with the new Big Dog Tournament room. (We will be expanding to 12 rooms very soon and will bring back the 60 minute room).
The new Big Dog room will have an in-room leader board similar to the Survivor Sunday room.
The new tournament runs for a week from Sunday morning at 12:00am (0400Z) to Saturday night at 11:59pm (Sunday 0359Z).
The tournament is point-based. Here's how it works:
- Each time you win a game, you get a point
- If your opponent has a higher rating than you, you get bonus points (1 bonus point for every 100 higher rating)
- Example 1: If PlayerA (1500) defeats PlayerB (1850), PlayerA wins 4 points (1 for the win and 3 bonus points for the rating spread of 350)
- Example 2: If PlayerA (1310) defeats PlayerB (1950), PlayerA wins 7 points (1 for the win and 6 bonus points for the rating spread of 640)
- The loser's points remain the same. You never lose points.
You can play as many games as you want. Obviously we're encouraging people to play the "big dogs" on ChessJam.

New Turbo Tournaments for players rated below 1700

2010-04-07T09:26:00.001-04:00

Due to popular demand, we have added new Turbo Tournaments for players rated less than 1700.

Open Tournaments now run at 12AM/9AM/12PM/3PM/6PM/9PM EDT (0100Z/0400Z/1300Z/1600Z/1900Z/2200Z)

Below 1700 Tournaments run at 12AM/12PM/6PM EDT (0400Z/1600Z/2200Z)

Every other tournament is for players rated less than 1700 only!

ChessJam 3.2.0 now available

2010-04-05T22:16:00.004-04:00

For this release, we focused solely on improving the memory consumption and CPU utilization and we think you will notice the results! Memory consumption was cut in half! CPU utilization is equally improved.

Your existing ChessJam application should auto-update. If not, simply uninstall and re-install.

Online Chess Turbo Tournaments now every 8 hours!

2010-03-07T00:09:00.008-05:00

Last week, we announced Turbo Tournaments. The live online chess tournaments seem to be drawing a crowd! Starting today, we run them every 8 hours at 7AM, 3PM and 11PM EST (1200Z, 2000Z and 0400Z). The Tournament room has a countdown timer on it as a reminder.

Below is a screenshot from the 11PM tournament Saturday night. The entire thing played out in under an hour! The winner was "Undefined", our #1 player. Congrats!

ChessJam 3.0 - The scoop!

2010-02-28T01:27:00.003-05:00

Two days ago we released ChessJam 3.0 and subsequently 3.0.1. We are excited to share the full list of what's new and what's fixed:

What's new:

Turbo Tournaments! - Live perpetual 8-player bracket tournaments. You'll immediately notice that this room is unique. All of the details on Turbo Tournaments can be found here.
Crazy Games! - We've created a room for some unusual variations to the starting position of chess. The intent of this room is to stir things up a bit! All of the details on Crazy Games can be found here.
Improved Facebook integration with game replay! At the end of each game, you have the option to post your game on Facebook. In 3.0, this post includes a link to the game history so your friends can see how you handled every move of the game. Check out this sample game.

Here's what the game looks like posted to your facebook wall. Notice that a screenshot of the final position is included. The caption can be customized on a game by game basis.

The link takes the viewer to a webpage where the entire game can be replayed.
See your overall rank on the ChessJam leader boards! Now when you view the top 20 users or countries, you can see where you rank, even if you are not in the top 20.

Bug fixes and performance improvements:

Clock increments are now working correctly
Clocks now stay in sync better and are more reliable
Improved game start reliability
Overall game play is more reliable and has less lag

As you can see, we've added a lot of new features and worked hard to improve the quality of the gaming experience. We are already working on several new enhancements, many of which have been suggested by our users, so stay tuned!

Introducing Turbo Tournaments (Beta) - Live Online Chess Tournaments

2010-02-28T00:54:00.009-05:00

Today we launched Turbo Tournaments, a fully automatic 8-bracket bracket live tournament. Here's how it works:

The room is a traditional 8-player bracket:

You enter a tournament by sitting down at any round 1 table. Once someone joins you at the table, the game will start. The winners of the round 1 games are automatically seated at the round 2 table. The winners of the two round 2 games advance to the final round where an overall tournament winner is crowned!

Once a tournament is in progress, the room highlights the completed games as shown in this sample screen shot:

Notes:

You can only sit at a round 1 table. The system will auto-seat the round one winners at round 2 tables.
IMPORTANT: Once the system seats you at a round 2 or round 3 table, do NOT unseat yourself. If you do, you forfeit the game and your opponent advances.
If a draw is declared, the person with the most remaining time on the clock advances to the next round.
Anyone can observe any game in the tournament.
All tournament games are rated like any other game.
Once a tournament ends, the tables are cleared and a new one starts.
The winner of each tournament is recorded and will be displayed on the Turbo Tournament leader board.
Coming soon: Turbo Tournament wins will be included in your user stats.

We have labeled this as "beta" for the next few days. Although we have done a lot of testing, there may be scenarios that we have not thought of. If you run into any issues or have suggestions on how to improve Turbo Tournaments, please drop us a note on the ChessJam forums or email us.

Enjoy!

Introducing Crazy Games on ChessJam!

2010-02-28T00:10:00.003-05:00

Today we opened a new room on ChessJam called Crazy Games and as the name implies, this room has some crazy online chess variations. You'll find 14 tables, each with a unique starting position. Each table has a name that gives a hint as to what you can expect.

Crazy Tables:

Queens
5+5
Triple Knights
Pawnless
15 Pointer
Mirror Mirror
Mind the Gap
Double Double
Totem Pole

We've also included five tables with positions from the middle of some famous historical games. Each link below takes you to a page where you can see the entire game.

Games in this room do not impact your rating or stats so there is no risk in going crazy! Below are some screen shots to entice you to come play.

The Crazy Games Room:

Mind the Gap:

Triple Knights:

Fischer vs. Spassky 1972:

We plan to mix things up in this room often. If you have a crazy idea for a fun starting position, send us the FEN and proposed name either in the ChessJam forums or via email. There are a lot of online FEN editors. Our favorite one is at ChessVideos.tv.

ChessJam 3.0 Available!

2010-02-26T10:33:00.003-05:00

We just posted ChessJam 3.0. This release enables a lot of cool stuff that we are turning on this weekend.

Stay tuned for all of the details.

Your current version should auto-update to 3.0. If not, simply re-install from the home page at http://chessjam.com

UPDATE: 3.0.1 has been posted - we discovered some new bugs in 3.0 that we needed to nip in the bud.

ChessJam 2.7 released!

2010-02-10T18:20:00.004-05:00

We just rolled out ChessJam 2.7. Changes include:

Sounds now have 3 settings - Normal, Minimal and None. The button is near the top-right of the app. Minimal eliminates many sounds during game play.
There were some reports of games being out of sync with what was observed. This is now fixed.
Posting your game-end board position to facebook sometimes posted the board one move prior to the end. This is now fixed. (Facebook integration was introduced in 2.6 - see blog for details)
We have added features to support two new types of games - Turbo Tournaments and Crazy Games - these will be enabled very soon so stay tuned!

If you find any issues with this version, please notify us in the forums or via email at chessjam@gmail.com.

ChessJam 2.6 - Facebook Integration!

2010-02-04T14:54:00.005-05:00

We just released ChessJam 2.6. Here are the changes:

Fixed a bug that sometimes caused abandoned games to flag the remaining player as the loser.
Players can now only offer a draw when it is their turn and only once per turn.
Facebook support!

Facebook support?
When you finish playing a game, you now have the option to post the results along with a screenshot to your facebook wall. You choose this on a game by game basis.

To enable this, you first must go to your PROFILE and enable facebook support by clicking the facebook button. You will get this dialog:

Click the LOGIN button. You will then see a login dialog from Facebook:

NOTE: This dialog is directly from Facebook. ChessJam does not capture or store your facebook credentials. The login simply enables a session with Facebook specifically for wall posts that you designate.

At the end of game, the GAME OVER dialog now has a "SEND TO FACEBOOK" option!

Here is an example:

The screenshot is uploaded to a new album called ChessJam Photos. Here is the full-size photo:

We are already putting the final touches on version 3.0 that introduces a new tournament type as well as a few surprises and bug fixes.

Newsletter for January 29, 2010

2010-01-31T00:25:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it in your email, here is Friday's newsletter - http://chessjam.com/newsletter/2010-01-29.html

ChessJam 2.4.1 now available

2010-01-07T10:09:00.001-05:00

ChessJam 2.4.1 is now available. Your existing version should auto-update.

Changes:

Challenge dialog now has the rating and wins/losses/draws of the challenger
When deleting messages, you are no longer prompted "Are you sure"
Minor cosmetic improvements throughout
BUG: Abandoned games sometimes didn't award the win to the remaining player - now fixed
BUG: Observing games between a human and robot didn't work correctly - now fixed
BUG: Players sometimes saw double-moves and clock errors, especially when playing someone with a lot of network lag - now fixed
BUG: The buddy list in the courtyard didn't scroll correctly - now fixed
BUG: After logging out, an old informational dialog appeared - now fixed
Overall improved performance and game play

This is a required update. You will no longer be able to login using anything prior to version 2.4.1.

If you find bugs, please report them in the forums - thanks!

Survivor Sunday Tournament was a Success!

2010-01-04T07:49:00.005-05:00

Our first Survivor Sunday tournament was a success! During the 24 hour duration, there were 203 total games played by 100 participants.

The tournament came down to 3 players: xicuc, SlyBrain and jwilber. Jwilber was shut out after winning an impressive 12 games with only 1 loss. Later in the evening, there was a showdown between xicuc and SlyBrain that drew a good crowd of observers. It was an intense game! In the end, xicuc prevailed and took the #1 spot.

The full leader board is available in ChessJam on the STATS view.

Based on the popularity of this tournament, we will continue to do Survivor Sunday tournaments every Sunday!

We're already working on a totally different tournament (and other enhancements) so stay tuned for announcements.

Announcing "Survivor Sundays" Tournaments and version 2.4!

2009-12-31T18:43:00.015-05:00

On Sundays, the Stats page will also display a leader board for Survivor Sunday, an all day tournament that ChessJam is excited to start THIS WEEKEND! Every Sunday (GMT-5), we will open a room specifically for the tournament. Players are challenged to win as many games as possible during the day but if a player loses two games, he or she is blocked from playing in the Survivor room for the remainder of the day (you can still observe other tournament players and you can still play in normal rooms). You can track your progress directly in the room. Good luck!

Version 2.4!

Be sure to upgrade to the 2.4 release (just posted!). Your existing installation should upgrade itself. Version 2.4 includes new features to support the new Sunday Survivor tournament (and other soon-to-be-announced tournament types) as well as several bug fixes and minor enhancements:

Challenge notifications now remain longer and only require one click to accept/decline.
After a game, your opponent and any observers are notified when you leave the room.
New themes! We have some fun surprises in store. Go login now and you'll see what we're talking about (be sure you are using v2.4 or higher).
If you haven't looked at the STATS view lately, be sure to notice the new game history tab, rating chart, leader board for your country and other stats.

As many of you have noticed, we are seeing some VERY good chess players joining ChessJam lately. The leader board has been very dynamic and we have a few users quickly approaching a rating of 2000+. We are now auto-tweeting the top 5 users and top 5 countries each evening at 9PM EST (GMT-5). Follow us at http://twitter.com/chessjam.

Big milestone approaching:

We are quickly approaching 1,000,000 moves on ChessJam so watch the blog and twitter over the next few days. We'll be announcing who made the 1,000,000th move!

v2.3.2 and we're starting to get some good activity!

2009-12-24T08:09:00.003-05:00

The challenge with any new multi-player gaming application is finding enough players to make it fun. Until the application reaches a certain "critical mass", it's a bit boring! During the past few days, we've seen some good accelerated growth and now it's getting easier and easier to find someone to play! Yesterday we had over 700 games played.

We just added a few cosmetic enhancements throughout the application and fixed a few bugs and performance issues. Version 2.3.2 is now available.

Chessjam 2.3 Available!

2009-12-22T20:32:00.001-05:00

We just posted ChessJam 2.3. What's new:

New challenge court features
- The "Who's Here" window has been replaced with "Who's Online" that now shows everyone logged in instead of just who's in the courtyard. Icons indicate the player's current status such as "in a game", "in the courtyard" and "idle". As we get more traffic, we'll provide filters and other controls.
- You can now challenge online players even if they are not in the courtyard (see messaging system below)
New messaging system - you can now send messages to your buddies even if they are offline.
We also use this system to communicate challenges. When you are challenged you get a small toast notification (with audio alert) alerting you to the challenge. You can accept, decline or you can simply ignore the challenge and it will quietly go away.
New system broadcast messaging capabilities which will allow us to notify you of upcoming tournaments, events, downtimes and more.
Numerous bug fixes - we continue to improve the overall quality of the system. This release contains several bug fixes. If you discover other bugs, please go to the forums and report them so we can jump on it.

If you already have ChessJam installed, it will auto-update next time you run it.

Marketing and Traffic

For those of you that have been with us for a few weeks, you have probably noticed that we are starting to get some good traction and it's getting easier every day to find someone to challenge. We are doing some aggressive marketing to build a quality community. Rather than targeting the general public, we are doing more targeted marketing directly at good chess players. You can help by inviting your friends, family, co-workers, local chess club members, etc. The more good players we have, the more fun this gets.

What's next?

We have already started working on correspondence chess (games that last days and weeks where you move at your convenience).
More and more stats, leader boards, charts and a few fun surprises
Continued improvement of performance and overall game play

Stay tuned!

New improved rating system implemented!

2009-12-21T10:12:00.003-05:00

During the past few weeks, we have been analyzing game data and trying to determine the best rating system for ChessJam. Although there are a few standard algorithms out there, there is not a consistent way of implementing them. As you can probably tell from our recent leader board enhancements, we are all about making ChessJam competitive and fun so it's important that we implement a rating system that works well.

This morning, we recalculated everyone's rating based on our new system. The recalculation went through the entire game history of every player from day 1.

Here are a few facts:

Everyone's rating starts at 1500. Some other sites use 1200, some modify it based on age and other factors, others use 1500 or more. We decided to go with 1500.
During a player's first 20 games, their rating changes more dramatically from game to game (higher kfactor). The intent is to get them into the right range within the first 20 games. This algorithm replaces the averaging we were using before which was resulting in some confusion.
Rapid/Blitz/Bullet games get a slightly higher kfactor which results in the game counting slightly more than a longer game.

Everything is based on the ELO rating system.

If you go to the STATS view and click GAME HISTORY, you can see how your rating has changed since your first game. If you see anything odd, let us know in the forums.

Stay tuned for some major new features this week!

Visualizing 24 hours of ChessJammin'

2009-12-17T08:30:00.001-05:00

We are playing with some new data visualization for ChessJam that you will see in the app soon but we couldn't wait to give you a sneak peek.

Below is a heat map representing 24 hours of ChessJam user activity. The darker the red, the higher concentration of activity.

Stay tuned!

ChessJam Stats!

2009-12-14T15:36:00.002-05:00

In our recent 2.2 release, we added a new view called STATS that takes you to a collection of statistics including top ranked users, top countries, a list of all countries and game history.
Below are a few screenshots showing TOP USERS, TOP COUNTRIES and ALL COUNTRIES.

Every game you have played on ChessJam is listed in the game history report. You can click on the REVIEW link to review any previous game move by move.

The notation on the left side is Portable Game Notation (PGN) and can be copy/pasted if needed.

We are already working on additional stats including some cool data visualization so check back often!

World Chess News - Chess TV recommends trying ChessJam!

2009-12-14T09:48:00.002-05:00

World Chess news is a half-hour long TV-show about chess, aired weekly on local channels in Sweden and on the Internet. At approx 17:53 into the program, the reporter introduces ChessJam.com and says, "ChessJam has incredible graphics and a wonderful castle environment which is different for this type of chess site" - http://www.worldchessnews.com

ChessJam 2.2 Available

2009-12-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

We just released ChessJam 2.2. Your existing version will auto-update to the new release. Here's what's new:

New STATS view - now contains the global leader board. If you are a frequent player, you might be on it! We will be adding new stats to this page shortly including the ability to view your personal game history, review previous games move-by-move, and more.
Fixed a bug that caused issues when playing multiple games at once.
Minor bug fixes throughout.

ChessJam Banners now available

2009-12-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

If you like ChessJam, please spread the word! We've created a few banners to help at http://chessjam.com/badges/banners.html.

Thanks!

We need your feedback! Come to the forums.

2009-12-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

We are already working on the next version of ChessJam and we need your help. Please go to the forums at http://chessjam.com/forums and report any bugs that you have found and any suggestions that you have on making ChessJam better.

Thanks!

New ChessJam Website!

2009-12-04T08:45:00.001-05:00

We just launched a new ChessJam website - check it out at http://chessjam.com. We also launched the new ChessJam forums at http://chessjam.com/forums.

Development is underway for version 2.2 with a few cool surprises. Stay tuned!

ChessJam 2.1 is available! Now with multi-game support.

2009-11-21T12:39:00.014-05:00

We just release ChessJam 2.1. Here are the highlights:

Multi-game support - play up to 6 games at once! Be sure to check out the new heads-up display (screenshot below)
Multiple UI enhancements including the ability to enter the challenge court from within the castle
Multiple bug fixes including issues with the clock on fast-paced games
Improved game play with slow / latent network connections
Improved rating system
New 60 minute casual game room opened
Leaderboard, tournaments and more coming very soon!

ChessJam 2.0 Beta is available!

2009-11-03T08:11:00.005-05:00

We just posted ChessJam 2.0 beta. Here's what's new:

Challenge court - allows you to see who is in the tower and challenge them to a game.
Challenge court chat - chat with everyone in the challenge court.
Buddy list - track which buddies are online (viewable in court yard).
Improved CPU utilization - we made some changes to cut CPU utilization to 50% of prior versions.
A few graphics enhancements. Check out the new castle screen!

We've decided to leave this in a "beta" state until we get some real-world testing. We'll be monitoring things closely for the next few days and will launch the official 2.0 soon.

To update, simply run your existing version of ChessJam. You will be prompted to update.

Please report any bugs to chessjam at gmail

What's next?

Multiple games at once
PGN download
Replay previous games and manage game history
Improved ratings and introduction of rated / non-rated game choice
More towers, rooms, etc.

Big Changes at ChessJam - app now free!

2009-10-24T13:34:00.003-04:00

We received some fantastic feedback on the overall gaming experience of ChessJam but we realize that for ChessJam to reach it's ultimate goal as the best place to play online chess, we need to build a community of quality players. Therefore, we are making the following changes effective immediately:

To increase distribution, we are no longer charging for the ChessJam application. If you are a trial user of ChessJam, your application should automatically update to version 1.8 which is a fully functional version with no trial. We will eventually start charging a small fee for blocks of time but for now, we are focused on getting as many quality players as possible into the castle!
To help us minimize spam and other behavior that negatively impacts our users, we are now requiring valid email addresses at registration. After creating a profile, a verification email is automatically sent to the user. This email contains a link that verifies their account.

>>> REQUIRED STEPS FOR EXISTING USERS: <<<
An email has been sent to the email address that you used at registration that contains a link to verify your email address. You will not be able to login to ChessJam until you verify. If you have not received a verification email or if you registered using the wrong email address, simply email us at chessjam@gmail.com and we'll get you going.

Some accounts have already been pre-verified so if you have not received an email, try logging in with your existing account.

ChessJam now tracks player ratings!
We have implemented ratings in ChessJam and have applied the ratings to all users. We implemented the ELO rating system using the standard FIDE K-factors.

Your rating and other stats are not impacted by playing robots. The robot's rating will change but yours will not.
Ratings are only computed for human-vs-human games.
You can see your rating in the profile screen
All new users start with a 1200 rating
You will now see ratings beside user names in the application
We will create a set of rooms for non-rated games soon

Big things are coming!
We are working on a "Challenge Court" where users can gather to challenge each other to a game. We think you'll like our unique approach. We are also working on tournaments, multi-game support, correspondance play, game exports as PGN and other features. Stay tuned!

Where to get ChessJam
Go to http://ChessJam.com and click "INSTALL". ChessJam runs on Windows, MacOS and Linux.

Sunday Night ChessJam!
Several of us will be hanging out in the castle Sunday night from 9PM to midnight EDT. Join us!

ChessJam 1.7.1 released

2009-10-21T18:21:00.000-04:00

We had a few reports from people with slow network latency that some moves were shown twice when playing robots. This problem has been fixed in version 1.7.1. Your existing version will auto-update.

You'll also notice some new robot icons in the rooms.

We also opened a new room for pre-arranged games. If you and a friend want to play, it's a place to meet.

More coming very soon!

Robots added to ChessJam

2009-10-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

We just added multiple robots to ChessJam. Come check them out! Greg blogged about them here.

ChessJam - a bit of history

2009-10-15T11:36:00.002-04:00

From Greg's Ramblings

For the past eight months, I've been working with two friends, Todd Williams and Sean Carey, on a little side project called ChessJam. This project started in February, 2009 when Sean and I decided to play a game of online chess with each other to finally resolve who was the better player. We explored several online chess sites and to our surprise, we found all of them disappointing. This led to a discussion about what we could potentially build ourselves. We knew that UI design would be key, so we rounded out our team with Todd, artist, UI designer and ninja Flex developer. All three of us have demanding day jobs so the journey has been a bit slow, but we are finally ready to show the world what we've built.

ChessJam is a desktop application that you can use to play live chess with other people via the Internet. You will quickly notice that ChessJam is a bit different than the other online chess sites. Our goal from day one was to create a user interface that is both functional and fun.

Features

Rich graphics and sound
Simple interface - pick a tower, pick a room, sit at a table and play on a 3D or 2D board
Multiple game parameters available (60 minutes, 30 minutes, 10 minutes and speed chess. More coming soon)
Full disconnect/reconnect capabilities
Tracking of wins, losses and draws
Player to player chat
Watch any game in progress
Much more coming soon!

The Technology

The front end of ChessJam was built with Flex and deployed as an AIR application so it will run on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The back end is ColdFusion and LiveCycle Data Services. I am already working on a new blog post titled, "The making of ChessJam" where I will share why we chose this particular combination of technologies and the challenges we faced. You might be surprised so stay tuned!

How We Monetize ChessJam

We knew from the start that we would need to charge something for ChessJam to offset the operating cost, but that's only half the reason. If you have tried any of the free online chess sites, you know that they are filled with many people that really aren't there to play chess. From my personal experience, I was only able to play a decent game about one out of four attempts! Many users leave in-progress games without warning (especially when they start losing!). Other users tried to get me to click a link to see their webcam and other garbage. It was not the fun atmosphere that I had hoped for! By charging a small fee, we hope to eliminate a lot of this noise.

The ChessJam application is free for 14 days. After the 14 day trial, there is a one-time $15 charge for the application. There are no recurring fees. Basically, you pay $15 and you can play chess using ChessJam forever.

October Promotion

We realize that it's very important to grow a good community of users, so to encourage people to use ChessJam during these early days, we are going to give away a free copy of ChessJam to the 20 people that play the most games between now and October 31, 2009.

Personal Challenge

I want to have a little fun with this one. I will give away a free copy of ChessJam to any user who can beat me in a single game of chess. I am available during the following timeslots:

Saturday, October 17, 2009 9AM EDT
Saturday, October 17, 2009 11AM EDT
Sunday, October 18, 2009 9PM EDT
Monday, October 19, 2009 10PM EDT
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 10PM EDT
Thursday, October 22, 2009 10PM EDT
Friday, October 23, 2009 10PM EDT
Saturday, October 24 9AM EDT
Saturday, October 25 11AM EDT

Dates and times are subject to change based on my work/travel schedule. In other words, be flexible and work with me.

If you are interested in challenging me to a game of chess, email chessjam@gmail.com with one or two preferred dates. I'll update this blog post as the timeslots are assigned.

If you beat me, you get a free copy of the app. If I beat you, you have to pay triple for it and blog about how great it is! (just kidding :-) )

Links

Video demo (view in HD on Youtube for best viewing)

ChessJam 1.6 released

2009-10-14T18:20:00.000-04:00

We fixed a major bug that was preventing some games from starting correctly. We also improved the ability to detect if the other user abandoned the game.

Version 1.6 is a required update. All previous versions will no longer be able to login to ChessJam.

Our marketing blitz starts tomorrow so we should start seeing some real traffic in the game!

The trial period has now been extended to 14 days. If you have problems during the trial, please email us at chessjam at gmail.com.

ChessJam is live!

2009-10-10T16:37:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, October 6th, 2009, ChessJam 1.0 was launched in the Adobe AIR Marketplace. The application has a 3 day trial and cost $15. There are no subscription fees.

We are already working on new features and other language support. Stay tuned!

You can follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ChessJam