F.A.Q. / Troubleshooting


Technical Issues

  1. What are the minimum system requirements?
  2. Those seem like awfully high system requirements for a chess program... how come?
  3. I have an older system.  Can I optimize ChessRally to run faster?
  4. The sound coming from ChessRally doesn't sound quite right.  Sometimes there are "pops" in the sounds where they shouldn't be, and sometimes it seems a new sound plays a piece of a previously played sound.  How can I fix this?
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    Program Issues
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  5. Why did you change the name of I-Chess to ChessRally?
  6. When I downloaded ChessRally 2, I was expecting "Freeware", but it doesn't seem to be.  What Gives?
  7. What on earth are these "Finish Turn" and "Restart Turn" about?  Why can't I just move my pieces and be done with it, like other chess programs?
  8. How come I can't grab my pieces to move them?
  9. Why didn't ChessRally detect my Check/Checkmate/Stalemate?
  10. Why doesn't ChessRally apply the Theme I selected To All The Windows?
  11. How do I get rid of those annoying mini-dialogs that explain every little feature?
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    Email Games
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  12. For an email game, does my opponent need to already have ChessRally?
  13. Do I have to use a MAPI client, such as Outlook or Exchange to play email games with ChessRally?  Or can I use any email client?  What about web email?
  14. I'm worried about sending and receiving attachments.  Can ChessRally move emails contain viruses?
  15. I'm trying to email my move to my opponent... why can't ChessRally email my move?
  16. I couldn't email my move, and cancelled the dialog... now the screen says "Turn Over"... how do I email my move to my opponent now?
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    Direct Network Games
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  17. When playing against an opponent on the Internet / LAN, after I make my move, why can't my opponent make his/her move?
  18. When I'm trying to Host a Direct Connection Game on the Internet or my LAN, why can't my opponent connect to my computer, even though he/she's entered my IP address when trying to Join my game?
  19. Is there support for direct modem-to-modem game play?
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    Online Rally Rooms

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  20. What are the "Online Rally Rooms"?
  21. Sounds great! I see at the Rally Rooms screen, that you can select a "Private Server" to log on to... what's that about? Can I run a Private Server?
  22. OK... Can I also operate a Public Server?
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    Single Player Games
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  23. The Single Player Games are pretty challenging... how did you get them that difficult?
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    Miscellaneous

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  24. How do I perform a "Castling" maneuver in ChessRally?

    Gold Edition Upgrade FAQ
  25. Is the cost of $19.99 to get the Gold Edition upgrade really a one-time fee? Or are there any "hidden" costs, like monthly or yearly membership fees?
  26. What happens if I need to reformat my hard drive or if I buy a new computer?  Do I have to spend the $19.99 all over again?
  27. When you release an update to ChessRally 2, (for example, upgrading from version 2.4 to 2.5), will I be charged for the update if I've already purchased ChessRally 2 Gold Edition?
  28. Can I use my Gold Edition License Key on more than one computer?
  29. Can I purchase a Gold Edition License Key for a friend or family member as a gift?
  30. I don't like using my credit card online.  How safe is your ordering site?
  31. I simply refuse to use my credit card online.  Can I purchase through mail-order instead?
  32. How big is the Gold Edition download?
  33. What is a Site License, and do I need one?
  34. Many software companies now charge for Technical Support.   How much does your Technical Support cost?


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  1. What are the minimum system requirements?

    Minimum Requirements:
    • Windows 7, Vista, XP, or 2000. (x86 and x64 versions both supported)
    • Pentium-class processor at 200 Mhz.
    • 512 MB memory for Windows Vista & 7.
    • 256 MB memory for Windows 2000 & XP.
    • 40 MB of available Hard Disk space.
    • No graphics accelerator is required.
    • No sound card is required.
    • A 33.6kbps Internet connection (or better) is required for Internet related games.
    • 30MB of free hard disk space must be available during installation.

    We very highly recommend:

    • Windows XP.  (This allows the most robust sound for this game, though Vista and 7 are supported.)
    • Intel Pentium IV or compatible processor operating at 1 Ghz (or higher).
    • 1 GB (or higher) system memory for Windows Vista & 7.
    • 512 MB (or higher) system memory for Windows 2000 & XP.
    • 50 MB (or higher) of available Hard Disk space (to allow room for downloadable themes).
    • Graphics accelerator.
    • DirectX compatible Sound card, with DirectX 8.0 installed (If you don't have DirectX installed, you will still get audio through Windows MM... it just won't be as nice, and it won't support audio mixing of sound events.)
    • 56kpbs Internet connection.  (Cable, DSL, and T1 lines are not necessary, but can provide smoother operation, particularly if the Online Rally Rooms get very busy.)

    NOTE: Memory differences between different versions of Windows is due to the inherent differences between the size and features of the particular versions of Windows.  ChessRally can occupy between 32MB and 256MB of memory when run, depending on total memory available (higher amounts of memory assure smoother and faster operation).  Combining the possible memory use of ChessRally with the memory used by the particular version of Windows (later versions of Windows use more memory) changes the requirement accordingly.

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  2. Those seem like awfully high system requirements for a chess program... how come?

    Most people aren't aware of this, but chess is the most frequently played game on the planet.  With very few exceptions, every other chess program or online service on the market today uses outdated technology: old graphics, old sound engines, clunky interfaces, etc.  For being the most frequently played game in the world, the game has long been deserving of being brought into the new millennium with the best user experience possible by having an elegant, easy to use interface, all while using the latest in graphics and sound technology.  That's where ChessRally comes in.  ChessRally uses a beautifully rendered, completely "hand-crafted" user interface that's designed to make your chess experience as fun as possible.  ChessRally was designed explicitly to take advantage of the latest in video technology, with real-time alpha blending and antialiasing.  (Notice how the pieces aren't simply "slapped" onto the board, but are actually rendered onto the board, complete with antialiasing and shadow effects?  (We knew you'd enjoy that :))  ChessRally will also take advantage of DirectX's sound functionality for audio mixing, if version 7.0 or higher is available on your system... which is nearly everyone... so your in game sounds will never interrupt other sounds, or simply not be played; which means you'll never miss an audio event, such as an opponent move, or a new player at your table, and you will always get the best audio experience possible.

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  3. I have an older system.  Can I optimize ChessRally to run faster?

    Primarily, the three best ways to optimize ChessRally's performance are:

    Running The Display At A Lower Color Resolution:

    A Most video cards today easily support 32-bit graphics, which looks really nice, but it means there are 4 entire bytes per pixel, which at 800x600 is 1.8 MB per screen full of info.  That's a lot of data to move around when drawing onto the screen.  If you run your display with 16-bit graphics, that's half the amount of data (0.9 MB), which moves much, much faster, and will increase the speed of ChessRally significantly.

    Installing More Memory:

    For minimum performance, ChessRally should be run with 16 MB of physical memory "to spare".  That means 16 MB of memory more than the amount of memory required/recommended by the operating system.  This will vary between Windows 95 (8 MB), Windows 98 (16-32 MB), Windows ME (32-64 MB), Windows NT4 (64-128 MB), Windows 2000 (128 MB), and Windows XP (128-256 MB).  Generally speaking, the more memory you have installed, the faster Windows will run.  This isn't because more memory intrinsically improves the speed of your computer, but it does allow Windows to run applications in memory without having to "swap" them out to the hard disk as needed, which allows your computer to run more efficiently... hence the perceived "speed boost".  Keep in mind that if you wish to run a lot of other programs at the same time as ChessRally, even more memory is a good idea.  Further, ChessRally can use up to 128 MB of memory if allowed to (if 1/2 of your available memory is 128MB or more)  This increases ChessRally's performance dramatically... so again, more memory is always better.

    Installing A Faster Processor:

    Naturally, a faster processor will improve the speed of everything on your computer, except a few "static" items, such as disk access times, etc.  For best performance, ChessRally should be run on a 350 Mhz processor or better.  (This is due to the heavy amount of graphics in the interface, and the way they are manipulated.)

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  4. The sound coming from ChessRally doesn't sound quite right. Sometimes there are "pops" in the sounds where they shouldn't be, and sometimes it seems a new sound plays a piece of a previously played sound, or the sound seems to play twice in a row. How can I fix this?

    If you're using DirectX for sound with ChessRally, on some systems, especially older systems with outdated sound cards and/or drivers, you may experience "audio artifacts" (odd audio behaviors, like popping or crackling sounds, or a piece of a previously played sound being heard when it shouldn't be) when you use hardware acceleration for audio.  It doesn't happen for all wave files (sounds), and it doesn't happen on all systems.

    On the technical side, what's happening is that the software used to create the wave file isn't creating a wave file that's 100% compatible with some older sound card drivers, even if the sound card driver is certified for DirectX, or otherwise compatible with DirectX.  Often the wave file contains "extra chucks" such as description strings, and it also may be improperly block aligned or only block aligned to the minimum requirement block size for wave files, and the sound card driver is expected it to either be a "classically formatted" wave file, and/or be aligned by a different block size.  Unfortunately it's one of those things where the wave file is technically correct, that is, it does conform with the wave file format... and the sound card driver is technically correct in that it plays the wave files as it sees them, according to the wave format specification.  Generally, it's the driver's responsibility to accept variations in the usage of the wave file format, and some driver manufacturer's simply didn't do it.

    There are several things to try to fix this issue:

    a. Contact the Theme developer to fix the issue.  The ChessRally 2 Theme Creator's Kit includes a "wave file fixer" for this purpose.  If for some reason, that doesn't solve your problem, try "b", below...

    b.
    Update your sound card's drivers to the latest available version.  Unfortunately, it is the case with quite a few sound card manufacturers that they stop supporting their cards after just a couple of years, which means they don't (and won't... they'd rather have you to buy a new machine) update their drivers for the latest in technology, such as DirectX.  (For example, I have a 6 year old "store brand" Pentium 200 Mhz computer (I won't mention the manufacturer) as a "kick around" machine, and the latest sound card driver for it is dated 1997... that's over 4 years old!!)  So, in some cases, the "latest" driver for your sound card may in fact be rather outdated... even drivers that are "certified" for DirectX may become outdated quickly as new versions of DirectX are released, and in spite of the driver being certified for DirectX (which version of DirectX is the real question) it may not work 100% as expected under more recent versions of DirectX.  So, if that doesn't fix it, try "c", below...

    c. Update DirectX to the latest available version.  At the time this FAQ was written the latest DirectX version was 8.1.  (Of course, the game only requires DirectX 7.0, since most people already have at least that installed, and therefore you wouldn't have to be pestered with another download, but it works great with DirectX 8.1 as well.)  If that doesn't fix it, try "d", below...

    d. Here, you have a choice: Disable sound hardware acceleration for DirectX (Go to your "Control Panel", open the "Multimedia" item, select the "Audio" tab [may already be selected], click on the "Advanced Properties" button for Playback, and on the subsequent screen, select the "Performance" tab, and slide the "Hardware Acceleration" slider to the "None" position.) ...or... Disable/uncheck the "Use DirectX for Sound" option in the ChessRally Options screen.  Disabling hardware acceleration using the Control Panel seems to always fix the issue, but the downside is that sound is played a lot slower by DirectX... on older systems, you may not want to take the performance hit.  With newer systems, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.  Try it and see if you like it.  Disabling "Use DirectX for Sound" in the ChessRally "Options" screen will always work because it won't use DirectX at all.  The downside for this is that you will not get mixed sounds... since audio mixing is not possible in ChessRally without DirectX, a sound may interrupt another if two are needed at the same time, depending on which takes priority.  There is of course a 3rd option to mute sound entirely in the game from the "Options" drop-down menu.  Whichever option you choose, this should fix the problem.  If you really don't like any of these options, try "e", below...

    e. This is really a last resort, but buying a new, better sound card can enrich all of your multimedia experiences in Windows, from games to web surfing... and may solve your problem with DirectX applications such as ChessRally as well, so it might be worth checking out.

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  5. Why did you change the name of I-Chess to ChessRally?

    It turned out the someone was already using that name, in the form of "iChess", and had been using it for a couple more years than we were.  (Although they never registered the name as a trademark.)  Still, we didn't want there to be any confusion, so we decided to come up with a different name... a better name... hence "ChessRally".  Besides, the name "ChessRally" speaks better to the nature of the new features (Online Rally Rooms, etc.) than the name "I-Chess" ever could have.

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  6. When I downloaded ChessRally 2, I was expecting "Freeware", but it doesn't seem to be.  What Gives?

    We expected this might confuse some people, but it's really quite simple.  ChessRally 2 Free Edition is in fact, in every way, FREE, and is therefore in every way considered "Freeware".  (Albeit "promotional" freeware.)  You may use ChessRally 2 Free Edition for as long as you like, without restrictions.  Nothing is crippled.  You can play email games, load, save, print, etc., no problem.  However, some things have been added to the installation that are not "natively" part of the Free Edition experience... namely, the trial of the Gold Edition features.  Unlike the Free Edition of ChessRally 2, the Gold Edition is NOT free.  It is a commercial program that sells for only $19.99 US.  The relationship between the two is like the relationship between any other "Full Version" and "Lite Version" software combos... generally, the "Lite Version" is the "promotional" version to expose you to the full commercial product.  That's the way that scenario has been handled throughout the software industry for over a decade... and it is exactly the same scenario with ChessRally 2.

    However, things might get a little confusing about this issue for two reasons:
    • The Free Edition comes with a time trial (21 days) of all Gold Edition features, which seems "shareware-ish" in nature, not "freeware-ish".  This is somewhat of a fine line in Full/Lite situations.  The fact is, ChessRally 2 Free Edition is a full-featured email chess client... nothing more... but since we wanted to expose you to the benefits of the Gold Edition (Direct Network games, Online Rally Rooms, Single Player games vs. PC, etc.), we added the Gold Edition features for you to try for 21 days, and put it all in one package so you only need to download one file... If you like the Gold Edition features, upgrade!  If not, continue using the Free Edition to play email chess for as long as you want, without restriction.
    • With both the Free Edition and the Gold Edition coming in the same download file, that's bound to cause some confusion.  In order to give you those Gold Edition features to try, and not make you download an entirely different file when you chose to upgrade, ChessRally 2 "self patches" when it upgrades.  It just made sense from the user experience perspective to do it that way... not to mention freeing up our web server to offer you a better experience with us online.  (We don't do advertisements in our software, or on the web, so there's no reason to artificially generate lots of website traffic... we'd rather free up our server resources to better serve you.)

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  7. What on earth are these "Finish Turn" and "Restart Turn" about?  Why can't I just move my pieces and be done with it, like other chess programs?

    A couple of things about this:

    (a) You can "just move your pieces" if you prefer to.  There's an option in the ChessRally Options screen for "Single Step Turn Completion", which will cause ChessRally to behave like "legacy" chess programs when it comes to piece movement... but we don't recommend playing that way because of...

    (b), which is... having "Finish Turn" and "Restart Turn" buttons serve several useful purposes: (1) Have you ever made a move, where, as soon as you dropped the piece, you realized it was a mistake?  (I certainly have!)  Having "Finish Turn" and "Restart Turn" buttons allow you catch such errors before they've been "committed" to the game.  (2) For those of you into tournament chess, it's more like hitting a chess clock for tournament games, creating a more realistic tournament experience.  (3) Now this one's important... before you press the "Finish Turn" button, you have several options: you can finish your turn, restart your turn, use the Risk Indicator feature to reveal any attacks to your pieces after you've made the move, or you can move another piece (even your opponent's) and by doing so, enter "Experimenting Mode", which will allow you experiment with all of the pieces around the board, to help you strategize and plan ahead.  In Experimenting Mode, the "Finish Turn" button is not available, so press "Restart Turn" to reset the board to where it was at the beginning of your move, then proceed with the game as usual.

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  8. How come I can't grab my pieces to move them?

    A couple of possibilities... (a) if you're game is over, or your turn in an email game has been emailed, no pieces can be moved until a new game (or previously saved game) has been loaded.  (b) Make sure you're trying to move the correct pieces.  Try the other color.  (c) Well, there really is no "c", but if you have further difficulty moving your pieces, contact Ingenuware Technical Support and notify them of the difficulty.

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  9. Why didn't ChessRally detect my Check/Checkmate/Stalemate?

    The cause for this is because a player has forgotten about the "Finish Turn" button, and keeps moving pieces in "Experimenting Mode", thinking that they're playing the game.  When you're satisfied with your move, press the "Finish Turn" button at the top of the game board.  If the "Finish Turn" button is disabled, then you must press the "Restart Turn" button right next to it... make your move... and then press the "Finish Turn" button.  If you really prefer not to have to press a "Finish Turn" button, go to the ChessRally Options screen, and check the "Single Step Turn Completion" box.

    If you're following the procedure for making moves, and you've still seen the game not detect (or incorrectly detect) a move or move result, then please save the game and email the saved game to support@ingenuware.com for analysis.

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  10. Why doesn't ChessRally apply the Theme I selected To All The Windows?

    Only the main ChessRally Game Screen is affected by Themes.  (This is the inner area of the main window, where the chessboard is.)  To "skin" every window with special graphics would require Theme download files be much, much larger, ranging from 5 MB to 8 MB!!  Although the windows in ChessRally are in fact dynamically "skinned", making user-skinning for the entire game technically feasible, there are other graphics used (for example, the "Locate Player" graphic on the Locate Player dialog.) which may not "match" a Theme's graphics, which would require that the Theme include substitute graphics, which is the biggest reason why the Theme would be enormously large if we went that way.  Perhaps in a future version, when everyone has a 1mbps or better connection to the Internet, we will support full application skinning.  But for now, Themes will just affect the main ChessRally Game Screen, where it is most important to have it.

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  11. How do I get rid of those annoying mini-dialogs that explain every little feature?

    Simply put, as the dialogs come up, just uncheck the check boxes that say "Show this... next time", and they will never re-appear unless you want them to.  (You can also turn them on or off from the "Options" screen.)

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  12. For an email game, does my opponent need to already have ChessRally?

    No!  Your opponent does not need to already have ChessRally for you to send them your first move.  When you email your first move to your opponent, the email contains instructions on where and how to download the Free Edition of the game and install it.  This way, you can email your first move to anyone you know!

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  13. Do I have to use a MAPI client, such as Outlook or Exchange to play email games with ChessRally?  Or can I use any email client?  What about web email?

    You'll be happy to know that ChessRally will work with virtually any email client, include web email!  Your email program or website must, however, support MIME attachments.  Generally speaking though, that covers all of them... I haven't heard of any email clients that don't support MIME attachments, so you should be good to go!

    One thing to note, however, is that ChessRally has its own built-in email client for the purpose of sending your move emails... that means you must configure it like any other email client software such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, IncrediMail, etc., telling it the name (or IP) of your SMTP server (outgoing email server), your username and password.  If you don't have access to an SMTP server, ask your ISP about it; I'm sure they'll tell you that you do, even if you didn't realize it.  Or, if you prefer, you can sign up for a ChessRally.com Email Account for use with ChessRally Email Games, or private correspondence to your ChessRally friends!!  To learn more about ChessRally.com Email Accounts, please visit http://www.chessrally.com/email.htm.

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  14. I'm worried about sending and receiving attachments.  Can ChessRally move emails contain viruses?

    Absolutely Not!  The attachments sent in a ChessRally move are just data files containing a detailed description of your game for ChessRally, and do not contain and under no circumstances can contain computer code of any kind, scripted or binary, including viruses.

    That being said, especially in light of recent virus/worm activity via email, it's always a good idea to verify that the move email is genuine.  The attachment extension for a ChessRally game is .chs alone... not .chs.pif, or .chs.exe, or .chs.scr, etc.  Just .chs.  If you get an email that doesn't conform to this, scrap it immediately, it's not a genuine move email.

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  15. I'm trying to email my move to my opponent... why can't ChessRally email my move?

    ChessRally needs to be able to establish a connection with your outgoing email server (SMTP).  Be sure (a) you're connected to the Internet, (b) you've entered all the correct settings in the email screen of ChessRally for connecting with your server.  Common mistakes are: entering your email address as your user name, not entering the name of the SMTP server, but the domain of the ISP.  (Sometimes they're the same thing, sometimes not.  Ask your ISP if you're not sure.)  Lastly, (c) be sure your outgoing email server isn't "down".  Give your ISP or system administrator a call to verify that the system is in normal operating order.

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  16. I couldn't email my move, and cancelled the dialog... now the screen says "Turn Over"... how do I email my move to my opponent now?

    You'll have to remake your move.  If you're responding to a move email from your opponent, close ChessRally,  re-open the email, and re-launch the attachment.  If you're starting a new game, just start over, make your move, and email it.

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  17. When playing against an opponent on the Internet / LAN, after I make my move, why can't my opponent make his/her move?

    As discussed in the previous question, you must each press the "Finish Turn" button when you're done making your move, unless you've enabled the "Single Step Turn Completion" feature.

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  18. When I'm trying to Host a Direct Connection Game on the Internet or my LAN, why can't my opponent connect to my computer, even though he/she's entered my IP address when trying to Join my game?

    Generally, the reason why you can't make a connection is because your opponent's computer can't "see" your computer.  The first thing to check is that both of you are properly connected to the Internet.  A good way to check, is for both of you to independently visit a website whose pages don't cache, like the TV Guide listings for your area. (www.tvguide.com)  If you look at your local listings, they're made fresh every half hour, so your browser should load the new pages automatically.  If each you and your opponent can do this successfully, you will have confirmed that you are both connected to the Internet...

    The second thing to check is that you're both using the same port number.  You can verify the port number at the new game screen by navigating to the Direct Network Game options, then pressing the button labeled "TCP/IP Port".

    The third thing to check is that you've selected the correct IP address to host with.  Many computers (even home computers) exist on a local area network (LAN), and their LAN network adapters also have an IP address.  Make sure that the IP address you've selected to host with is your Internet connection, and not your local network adapter's IP address.  (Local IP addresses are not visible to the rest of the Internet, but only to your LAN.)  To find out what this address is, press your Windows "Start" button, select "Run", then enter "winipcfg.exe" in the box, and press OK.  That utility program will list all of your IP addresses, and will identify what they are.  If you connect to the Internet through a dial-up modem, it will be the item called "PPP Adapter".

    The last thing to check is to make sure that you're not trying to host a game behind an Internet proxy server (WinProxy, MS Proxy Server, Internet Connection Sharing, etc.) or Firewall.  This ties somewhat into the "third thing to check", above.  When you're accessing the Internet through another computer, such as with a home network, your PC's IP address is only visible to your LAN, and not to the rest of the Internet.  Even if you are sitting at the proxy server or computer with the firewall, in most cases, that computer's Internet activity is routed through the proxy server and/or firewall software, making general Internet activity on that computer a "client" of the proxy or firewall... also preventing you from hosting a game.  You will NOT be able to host a game from behind a proxy server or firewall.

    If all else fails, play an email game, or just join us in the Online Rally Rooms!

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  19. Is there support for direct modem-to-modem game play?

    No.  We thought about putting it in the game this version, but there simply wasn't enough demand for it.  If you really want the feature, let us know... a new version with direct modem-to-modem support is a possibility!

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  20. What are the "Online Rally Rooms"?

    The Online Rally Rooms are basically "lobby"-style chat rooms with game tables to play and chat at.  When you enter a Rally Room, you can chat in the main "lobby", choose a table to host, choose a table to join, or observe a table as a spectator.  Each table is essentially, it's own room, complete with table-private chat.  When you're the first to sit at a table, it's "yours" until you leave, or "stand" and become a spectator.  As the table host, you can change the game settings/rules, start new games at the table, kick people off of your table, invite people to your table, etc.

    Each Rally Room is run by a "Rally Room Server", a special piece of software that we wrote to work in conjunction with ChessRally 2.

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  21. Sounds great!  I see at the Rally Rooms screen, that you can select a "Private Server" to log on to... what's that about?  Can I run a Private Server?

    Yes!  The "Private Server" option is for users who wish to host or join a room that's run outside of our network of public rooms.  Anyone (including you!) can download the ChessRally 2 Rally Room Server program from www.chessrally.com, and host their own room.  If you do, in order to get people to your room, you must tell them what your name/IP is, as well as the port you plan to run the server on.  They can then enter that information into the "Private Server" screen, and connect to your own private room.  However, you MAY NOT AT ANY TIME come into any of our public rooms to recruit players for your private server.  To do so would violate the ChessRally 2 End User License Agreement, and could result in revocation of your license.  (Note: This is ideal for corporate and organizational intranets; you can have your own room setup on your own LAN.  That will keep things nice and fast, and would not require outside Internet access.)

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  22. OK... Can I also Operate A Public Server?

    Sorry, not any longer.  We had originally planned to only host our own Public Servers for as long as it took for the software to become popular, and for the service to grow.  Then, we were going to gradually replace our servers with privately ran Public Room Servers that were linked by our Public List Server.  This was intended to be modeled after First-Person Shooter (FPS) games that utilize user-donated server and bandwidth for the gaming communities' enjoyment.  Many FPS (and other competitive games) use interfaces like GameSpy to list available servers, etc.  It was our intent for ChessRally to become yet another game client that would connect to such networks.  However, due to player needs and demands for better security, we have maintained our own Public Rally Room network, the servers of which are under our control.  We will continue this tradition for the safety of our users as long as it is needed.

    We MAY however, begin soliciting ChessRally 2 fans to host their own Public Room Servers when the next product in the ChessRally family comes out... ChessRally 3.  At that time, we will then consider offloading responsibility of maintaining the Public Rally Rooms to dedicated fans of ChessRally 2.  As of writing this, ChessRally 3 isn't even on the drawing board... but releasing the Public Rally Rooms network for Public Control is still an option we'll consider at that time.  (For the best security, concerned users could simply get the new ChessRally product and use that instead.)

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  23. The Single Player Games are pretty challenging... how did you get them that difficult?

    In a word... we didn't!  The single player move decisions and move suggestions come from an existing computer chess AI engine that we modified with permission for use with ChessRally 2.  It was originally called "Crafty", by Dr. Robert Hyatt, a man widely recognized for his genius.  Crafty is based on Dr. Hyatt's earlier work on the World Computer Champion chess program (1983-1989), "Cray Blitz", and this is one of the reasons Crafty has such a strong game.  Our port and modification of the original Crafty console program was to a Win32 DLL component for an an easy "plug-in" style computer opponent.  Future plans for ChessRally include other chess AI engines, all as "components" which you can choose from.  If you want to use our modified version of the Crafty engine to play single player games for free, we have supplied a small console-like program called "CRCraftyConsole.exe" for free in the same directory as ChessRally.exe.  Dr. Hyatt's Crafty commands documentation exists in the same directory as crafty_doc.txt.  Also, in accordance with the GNU public license, our port and modifications of the Crafty engine is available for free with complete source code at www.chessrally.com.  Dr. Hyatt's original Crafty code can be found at ftp://ftp.cis.uab.edu/pub/hyatt/ or at http://www.cis.uab.edu/info/faculty/hyatt/hyatt.html.

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  24. How Do I Perform a "Castling" maneuver in ChessRally?

    You can perform a long/queen-side castle or short/king-side castle with ChessRally by moving the king two spaces towards the rook which he will perform the castle maneuver with.  When you drop the king on that square (two squares away from the original position), the king and rook will automatically perform the maneuver.  Please note that you can only perform this maneuver when it is legal to castle.


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  25. Is the cost of $19.99 to get the Gold Edition upgrade really a one-time fee?  Or are there any "hidden" costs, like monthly or yearly membership fees?

    The $19.99 for the Gold Edition upgrade is a ONE-time fee. There are no hidden costs, no hidden charges, no membership fees of any kind. For the price of going to see a movie (plus popcorn & a drink, of course!), you can have a lifetime of chess enjoyment with ChessRally 2 Gold Edition. Pay Once, Play Forever! That's our motto!

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  26. What happens if I need to reformat my hard drive or if I buy a new computer?  Do I have to spend the $19.99 all over again?

    Absolutely not! :-) When you purchase your license to ChessRally 2 Gold Edition, you are assigned a permanent Gold Edition License Key. That license key is yours to use on any single computer you choose. If you need to reformat your hard drive, or transfer the license to a new computer, no problem! (Just use the "Moving to a New Computer?" option in the Help menu.)  If for some reason, you lose your License Key, just contact us and we can resend a copy of your License Key to you.

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  27. When you release an update to ChessRally 2, (for example, upgrading from version 2.4 to 2.5), will I be charged for the update if I've already purchased ChessRally 2 Gold Edition?

    Again, absolutely not! :-) When you purchase your license to ChessRally 2 Gold Edition, your permanent Gold Edition License Key is good forever, on all versions of ChessRally 2. There is nothing more to buy, ever. It's that simple.  (Note: In the event that we need to change license keys between versions of ChessRally 2, you will be issued a free replacement key that is compatible with the new version.)

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  28. Can I use my Gold Edition License Key on more than one computer?

    No. Each Gold Edition License Key can only be used on one computer at a time. If you need to transfer the License Key to a new computer, that's no problem... but you remove your License Key from the old computer first.  (See the "Moving to a New Computer?" option in ChessRally's "Help" menu for details.)  If you need multiple License Keys for multiple computers (many of our customers have a desktop and a laptop, for example), you can buy multiple License Keys at the same time (there is an option to select multiple Licenses when you purchase), and you will receive a nice discount for purchasing more than one license at a time. Currently, the cost of two licenses is just $35.98, which saves you $4.

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  29. Can I purchase a Gold Edition License Key for a friend or family member as a gift?

    Yes, you can. However, you need to ask us first, emailing us with the Full Name, Mailing Address, Email Address, and Telephone Number of the person who will be receiving the gift. This is required so we can transfer ownership of the license key to the person that will actually be using it. Other than that, you may not transfer ownership to one else.  (We do reserve the right to refuse such a transfer, but we almost always allow it... the only current exception where we don't allow it is when someone wants to buy a Key for someone else that we know has been illegally distributing Keys they receive.)  There are two reasons why we need to do a transfer of the License Key using the recipient's contact information.  (1) Our customer service database is set up so every License Key issued must be assigned to a real person, and (2) We want to be able to contact the recipient if someone using their computer misbehaves in the Online Rally Rooms, etc.  We prefer to solve the problem, rather than just "ban away".

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  30. I don't like using my credit card online.  How safe is your ordering site?

    We understand your concerns over this issue. In order to alleviate all risk and concern, our ordering site is secured by 128-bit SSL encryption, which is extremely safe and secure. Further, we NEVER store your credit card number on our web servers under any conditions. Your card number is only used by you at the moment you make your purchase, and then our web server forgets the number entirely.

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  31. I simply refuse to use my credit card online.  Can I purchase through mail-order instead?

    Yes, you can! When you get to the secure ordering site to purchase your license to ChessRally 2 Gold Edition, there is a link at the bottom of that page to a printable mail-in order form. There is also a printable mail-in order form in the ChessRally 2 User's Guide (help menu). For mail-in orders, we can accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover/Novus), personal checks from the USA Only, or Bank Cheques and Money Orders from any country. For all checks and money orders, payment must be made out in US Dollars, since our bank charges us a $25 conversion fee, which is more than the cost of the product itself!  (Please allow for a couple of weeks for processing mail-in orders.  We process them on the same day they are received, but sometimes the mail to us, particularly from outside of the USA, can be slow.)

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  32. How big is the Gold Edition download?

    We have good news for you! THERE IS NO GOLD EDITION DOWNLOAD! There is just one download for ChessRally 2, and it includes both the Free Edition (Trial) and the Gold Edition in one tidy package. Again, there is just the one download, which will give you everything you need for Gold Edition access. It's just that simple. When you purchase, you only need to enter the license key that we issue you, and ChessRally 2 will instantly and automatically upgrade itself to the Gold Edition.

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  33. What is a Site License, and do I need one?

    A Site License is licensing assigned to an individual or organization for one physical location. A physical location is any location with the same physical postal address. For example, this could be a school, church, or single company location, such as an office building, etc. Site Licensees are issued a special Site License Key that can be used on ANY NUMBER of computers, as long as all the computers in question are permanently located at the physical location of the Site License. This is a great way for any company or organization to save a lot of money while legally using our software on all of their computers!

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  34. Many software companies now charge for Technical Support.  How much does your Technical Support cost?

    Absolutely nothing. Ingenuware Technical Support is absolutely free. We want you to be able to use our software, and to be so happy with us, that you recommend our software to all of your friends and family. Truth be told, we also buy software, and we can't stand pay-for-support, so we don't charge anything for it. Once again, Pay Once, Play Forever!

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