Q. I've just joined ChessWorld. What is a Welcomer?
A Welcomer is an experienced ChessWorld Member, who will offer to play a game with you and introduce you to ChessWorld.
If you have any questions about ChessWorld, or you are not sure how to use any of the features, just ask your Welcomer.
Many of your questions and concerns about using, and playing on, ChessWorld can be answered quite easily! If your Welcomer is unable to assist you, or you are not completely clear, you can always look through the FAQ pages.
If you are still unable to find what you are looking for you can contact the HelpDesk at any time.
Existing Members
Q. How can I become a Site Welcomer?
If you are a Full Member, you can place yourself on the Site Welcomer list by visiting My Stuff ... My Details and selecting the appropriate option. Take careful note of the comment on that page - you will get no more than ten Welcomer games in any twenty-four hour period, and, in the majority of cases, you will get fewer. You can turn the option off at any time.
If a Guest chooses you as their Welcomer you will also become their Referrer.
Remember that for every Guest Member who you welcome and who later joins as a Full Member, you will, subject to certain conditions, receive two free months Full Membership credited to your account! For the full details and conditions please refer to Q. I thought that I had earned some free months, but they have not been added. Why is that? below.
Q. What should I do to become a better Welcomer?
The most obvious point is that you should be willing to make the first moves in opening a conversation with your Guest. They may be unfamiliar with the ChessWorld messaging process and a few friendly words from you are likely to be appreciated. If your Guest responds then it is always possible to continue the exchange of messages, on any topic that may be of mutual interest. At the very least, always check that they understand the concept of Internet Chess, and encourage them to ask questions at any time. As a guide, think about your first days on ChessWorld. Was your Welcomer helpful and friendly? If so, you will already be aware of some good ideas. Was your Welcomer perhaps not really helpful? In that case, you will know from that experience just where the welcoming processes can be improved.
Make sure that you move at a reasonable speed in all games, but, of course, there is no need to play multiple moves in any one session. Your Guest may not be online at the same time as you, so be prepared to check back from time to time.
If you make the first few moves fairly quickly it will encourage your Guest to return to the site. However, take care to remind them that this is not a 'live' site and playing on ChessWorld is similar in concept to Correspondence Chess, where moves are made regularly, but games may take a long time, weeks or months, to complete. If your Guest is unfamiliar with the concept of playing Internet chess, encourage them to experiment, to take time to study moves and ideas. Encourage them to check their emails for details of your next move otherwise they may just sit and wait for 'something' to happen, and then be disappointed!
As ChessWorld is a truly International site you should be careful when sending messages to your opponent. The likelihood is that they will have a perfectly good understanding of English, but do remember that, for many of our Guests, English is not their native tongue. If you are able to converse with them in their own language that would be an ideal way to introduce them to the site.
Try to encourage your Guest to return to the site, not only to play moves in your game, of course, but also to explore the many features and possibilities that ChessWorld offers.
As you play more moves, and as the game progresses, suggest to your Guest that they could perhaps start a few unrated games, or they could join the ChessWorld Guest Pyramid. Explain that the Guest Pyramid offers them the chance to play against similar Members, and although the games are unrated, by winning games they can get promoted to a higher level in recognition of their achievement.
Try to be familiar with the contents of the Site Features page. You can see the details on this page by visiting
Help and Feedback ... Site Features. The initial page lists the site features, grouped into various contexts and it is possible to take a quick tour of any of those groups, or, if you prefer, to take the full Tour. Check these pages out carefully - you may even find some feature of interest to yourself! We regularly update these pages and add to them as and when new features are introduced.
Make sure that your Guest is aware of the Feature Tour but please make it clear that many of the advanced features are only available to Full Members.
Try to answer any questions that your Guest may ask. Often, of course, you will be able to answer them direct, but if you are unsure of the answers at any time, rather than ignore them, make a quick check through the Help and Feedback ... FAQ pages. Once you have found the answer, try to explain to them briefly and also remind them that they can use the FAQ pages themselves. These pages cover a wide range of topics and we appreciate that it would be quite time consuming for you to read and study every page. If, however, you do feel inclined to check in detail you will be rewarded with a wide range of information which may be of value to you as well as to your Guest.
Q. Are my Welcomer games rated?
Yes. Any games that you play as an official Welcomer will be rated. This is the way that ChessWorld gives our Guest Members the experience, and the challenge, of playing a rated game. Other than in the particular case of a Guest Welcoming Tournament, Guest Members can only play unrated games, so that the experience that they gain from you is an encouragement to consider some of the immediate benefits of becoming a Full Member.
Q. I thought that I had earned some free months, but they have not been added. Why is that?
Members are awarded a bonus of two Free Months for every Guest that they Welcome, or Refer, who subsequently pays their own subscription to become a Full Member.
There are specific restrictions regarding the award of Free Months.
The Member must be recorded on the homepage of the Guest player as the Referrer. If this is not currently the case, then it is possible for the Guest Member to request a change, subject to certain conditions,
as detailed in Q. Can I change my Referrer? in the Newbies FAQ.
The joining Member must have paid their own full annual subscription fee at the current rate as published from time to time by ChessWorld. If a joining Member chooses to subscribe for more than one year at the time of their initial subscription the extra years do not qualify for further Free Months.
Short term, (two month), Full Member status does not qualify for the award of Free Months. Guest Members may have been awarded short term Full Member status because another player whom they referred has become a fully paid Member.
Paying the subscription for another person, (the Sponsor this Player option), does not qualify for the award of the Free Months bonus.