CrowdChess - The ultimate "wisdom of crowds" battlefield

CrowdChess FAQ

What is CrowdChess?

The one liner:

CrowdChess is a radically new chess concept where thousands of people from across the globe, play together against each other, creating the ultimate "wisdom of the crowds" battlefield.

Tell me more:

CrowdChess is a fascinating social platform all about pushing the boundaries of human intelligence. A platform to see what happens when thousands of people from all over the world with diverse ethnical, cultural and educational backgrounds, of different age and social status have a common goal in mind and are working in tandem on solving the same problem together and outsmarting their opponent. Whose strategy, foresight and vision are superior, is the ultimate question.
How is it played?

First of all, the rules are the same and the game is free. There are no restrictions as to how many players can play per team and/or who can play, everybody's in. The only exception is that due to privacy laws you have to be at least 13 years of age to register and play (see FAQ # 3).

Players sign-up to play CrowdChess and are then randomly selected (see FAQ # 4) to play on either white or black team (unless it's a GM vs. CrowdChess game in which case CrowdChess always plays with white and GM plays with black). After signing up, players are able to enter into their teams play room, where they have the ability to do such things as introduce new moves, vote for and comment on already proposed ones, see real time game stats, think in distraction free DeepThink mode and chat with fellow CrowdChess teammates, to name a few.

Each team will have a certain amount of time to make a move depending on the game speed (1 move per 10 min, 30 min, 3 hours, etc). A move that got the most number of votes at the end of the allotted time will be made and another team will start playing and so forth until the game winner is decided. Once the game winner is decided, game # 2 will start, etc. First team to win 3 games wins the series at which point a new one begins.
Who is allowed to play?

You must be 13 years and older to register to use the CrowdChess website (see our Privacy Policy). Other than that, if you are 13 years or older and promise to play fair and square, you're in.
Why is the team selection process random?

Good question. Here are a few points on why we went the random selection route:

a. We want CrowdChess to be a competitive and interesting chess experience for everybody and because of that we want each team to feature great -- and let's face it, not so great -- players. The random selection process will help us in our mission against fated and predictable games.

b. We feature a top 100 players list and if let's say 60% of the top players are playing on the white team, new players will be inclined to sign up for the white team. The random selection process will discourage this kind of behavior.

c. Once one of the teams will take a series lead, some new players will be inclined to play for that team. And again, the random selection process will discourage this kind of behavior and help us level the playing field.

d. We want to have a fairly equal number of players on each team and the random selection process will help us maintain that.
Can I have more than one account and play on more than one team?

In short, no. Our mission is for CrowdChess to be a fun, fair and unpredictable place to play great chess. Per our Terms of Use agreement you are not allowed to have more than one account and/or play on more than one team. Players who violate our terms of use guidelines will be disqualified from playing CrowdChess without further notice. Our dare? Play fair and square!
Is Play Room access allowed only for direct team members?

Yes. The Play Room is a big part of CrowdChess teams' brain and strategic planning and hence is available only to direct team members.
What is the maximum number of players allowed on each team?

"Infinitus". There is no limit as to the number of players that can play per team. However, the minimum number of players needed on each team is 10.
What happens if more than 50% of players voted on a proposed move before their team's allotted time to make a move runs out?

We decided that in situations like this, the best solution is to wait until the time runs out instead of automatically making a move. When the game is on schedule, everybody knows when their team is playing making sure that players won't miss action and will not get confused.
Can I customize my Play Room?

Yes. We made all the game modules in your Play Room movable so that you can (re) organize your CrowdChess experience to the max.
Can I reverse a move if I already made it?

Yes, but you will have 90 seconds to do that from the time of submission. If you don't cancel your move within 90 seconds of proposing it, it will become visible to your CrowdChess teammates for voting and commenting on and you will not be able to cancel it.
Can I propose two moves and/or vote more than once per turn?

No. You can only make one move/vote per turn. If you make a move proposal it will also count as your vote so our advice is - think twice.
What happens if there is a draw for a proposed move?

If there is a draw (two moves or more have an equal number of votes) then a move will be made based on which move has the biggest number of top players (see FAQ # 13) supporting it.
Who are the top players (power players)?

Top players are players who have the highest percentage of move proposal to move made ratio. In other words players, whose move proposals were voted on and made.
I have a suggestion or an idea for CrowdChess, can I share it with you?

Yes, in fact we encourage you to, anything we can do to make CrowdChess better will not go unnoticed. Please send us any suggestions, ideas, comments to: feedback@crowdchess.com

If you have any other questions please send us an email to support@crowdchess.com