How you can help!

Your help for making the Chess Variant Pages bigger and better is highly appreciated. Indeed, the Chess Variant Pages wouldn't be as they are today without all the input of many, many people.

You can help by writing texts (e.g., describing chess variants, giving chess variant news, reviewing products like chess variant computer games, etc.), sending the moves of games played, email if you see an error, sending demo, shareware, or even full versions of chess variant programs you wrote, sending commercial chess variants for review, etc. We reserve the right to refuse to use any text, for these or other (including religious) reasons.

Below, you see some guidelines for texts you sent us. Especially we ask that you apply them for new experimental chess variants you have invented, and for longer texts.

Guidelines

Descriptions of chess variants

See other descriptions for examples. Preferably, your description contains, besides the rules, also some background information (as far as you are aware of it), e.g., when was it invented, by who, who are playing the game, or where did you learn about the game. Also, tactical tips, sample games, etc. are welcome.

Proofreading

If possible, lengthy documents should be spell checked and proof read for any obvious typos, misspellings or grammatical errors. Certainly in the case where English is not the writer's native language, some latitude will be exercised. But since most word processors now include spell checkers, there is little excuse for not submitting a document that has at least been spell checked.

Diagrams

If your document includes diagrams please try to make the diagrams look nice. Putting the extra time and effort into creating a pleasing diagram will do much to attract positive attention and promote your ideas. If you cannot make a diagram with a computer, include one in `ascii'-style. Consider to use the FFEN-2-HTML conversion tool.

Graphics

If your document includes graphics, please send the files containing them in either GIF (CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format) or JPEG format. GIF is preferred. The resolution should be 72 dpi, and number of colors should be as small as possible. Each graphic diagram should be submitted in a separate file. Make sure your files are not too large: many people will not wait until a picture of size 100K is loaded.

If the total size of html-file and graphics is too large, we may request a version of smaller size.

Additional guidelines

Texts written relating to a particular variant should be restricted to discussion of the variant or how it relates to other variants. Unsupported claims, tactless comments, and incendiary language should be edited out.

Blatantly sexist or racist language should also be removed. Boastful language may be acceptable in some cases, but when overdone should be either removed or toned down. In addition, there are other rules we impose, also because this is a website for an audience of all ages, including the avoidance of glorification of violence, drug or alcohol abuse.

Also, we may not link or remove links to websites that deviate from these guidelines in a strong way, e.g., we do not want to carry links to sites that contain besides information on chess variants also pornographic images.

Text document format

Please submit your documents in one of the following formats:

Html-file. This is preferred. If you really want to help us (and speed up the publication of your file), follow the technical guidelines for the html-code.
Text file (with blank lines between paragraphs). We prefer to receive html-files, but if your text has no graphics, we prefer this above Word or Wordperfect.
WordPerfect file (with no embedded graphics).
MS Word file (with no embedded graphics).

Please use zip-format

If more than one file is required for a submission, please combine them into one ZIP archive file. Utilities for creating ZIP files are available as shareware. Here are some links to such programs.

Questions?

If you have problems following the guidelines, please email us (see the feedback page on how to contact us). As maintaining these webpages is a lot of work to us, we appreciate your help in preparing your materials.

How to contact us

Our addresses can be found on a different page. Please look there.

Written by Hans Bodlaender and David Howe.

WWW page created: September 16, 1996. Last modified: October 30, 2002.

For author and/or inventor information on this item see: this item's information page.
Created on: September 16, 1996. Last modified on: October 30, 2002.