Chess Live
to World Chess Live Move
Frequently Asked Questions
On the evening of Monday, May 28th at 11pm, server time, Chess Live will be turned off to allow for data transfer. By the evening of Tuesday, May 29th, World Chess Live will be fully operational and ready for Chess Live members to move in.
As we will be transferring information for all Chess Live members at once, it will not be possible for some to move earlier than others.
Once World Chess Live is operational, just go to the old Chess Live web site or directly to www.worldchesslive.com/c-l. From there, you’ll be directed through a brief signup process to confirm your member information and agree to the move. Finally, you’ll need to download and install the new WCL software and then just login.
Most members will. In some cases, though, your player name will already be taken and you’ll need to select a new one. Names are reserved in advance for WCL staff and titled players. After that, names will be temporarily held for current Chess Live (and World Chess Network) members, with priority given based on membership level. In rare cases, a name may be duplicated between two services and will be given to the first person who claims it. (Note that the ICC service has its own set of user names. Except as noted above, ICC names will not be reserved on WCL and vice versa.)
Your Blitz, Lightning (now called Bullet), Standard, and other corresponding ratings will be moved unchanged to WCL.
All remaining Royal time as of the move date will be converted to the same amount of time on the new WCL service. As there is no equivalent to Basic membership on WCL, Basic members will receive half of their remaining paid time as a full membership on WCL. In addition, as a token of our appreciation for your commitment to the Chess Live community and in recognition of the extra effort required to learn the new software, we are offering additional FREE time to all members who make the move to WCL. Royal members paid on an annual plan will get three FREE months of additional membership on WCL. Royal members on a monthly or quarterly plan and Basic members (including registered USCF members with free Basic accounts) will get two months FREE. In addition, there will be an ongoing program for USCF Youth and Scholastic members (see below).
No, WCL uses a different payment system from Chess Live, so your old credit card information will not be carried over. If you had an auto-renewing membership agreement on Chess Live, it will be cancelled automatically. When you go through the web pages to move to WCL, you will be shown your new expiration date, including your additional free time. Prior to that date, you will be reminded to select a new membership plan.
WCL has only one level of membership, which corresponds to Chess Live Royal membership. The regular annual cost is the same, $49.95. A monthly membership option is also available for $4.99 per month. A student membership, with proof of age or college enrollment, is available for only $24.95 per year. There is also a Family Plan.
An adult (“primary”) member may buy memberships for other family members living in the same household for just $9.99 per year or $.99 per month, depending upon the primary member’s own payment schedule. Each family member gets his or her own user name with full membership privileges, except that all of the accounts in the family are tied together for certain purposes.
World Chess Live hopes to continue Chess Live’s traditional relationship with the U.S. Chess Federation, but no agreement has yet been reached. In the interim, we plan to continue to offer USCF Quick-rated tournaments and, as mentioned above, are offering two months FREE time for any USCF members currently enjoying a free account on Chess Live. In addition, as an ongoing program with no specific expiration date, we are offering a one-time three-month FREE trial to USCF Youth and Scholastic members. Other offers, discounts, or USCF-rated tournaments may be announced in the future, subject to our discussions with the USCF.
The agreement that you approved in joining Chess Live does not permit refunds of any type. We have added extra time to your existing paid memberships and will do our best to ensure you enjoy the services of WCL and the many other benefits of the ICC family.
The interface program downloaded onto your computer to access World Chess Live is called Dasher. For the Dasher FAQ, go to http://www.chessclub.com/helpcenter/Dasher/FAQ.htm.