This is my only "help file", so read below before you click the link to start my applet and connect to FICS (Free Internet Chess Server).

My applet now works with IE and Netscape, but it might not work with other browsers.

Simply put, there are three steps to connect to FICS the first time:
1. Make sure you have rather recent Java capability.
2. Add a line to your java.policy file.
3. Restart your browser and log on.

First, in order to connect, you might need to download the Java Runtime Environment 1.3 (or later version) from sun.com. If you don't have it yet, just click the link above to connect to FICS. You should be prompted to download it.

Then you must:

Add a line to your java.policy file after

permission java.net.SocketPermission "localhost:1024-", "listen";

that says on one line

permission java.net.SocketPermission "69.36.243.188:5000", "connect,accept";

and save the file.

Then restart your browser, and after you click the FICS link and see the log-on screen, enter a user name on the command line at the bottom.

That's all you have to do, but here are some tips:

If you are listening to music online, you might have to  pause it for a short while to give the applet a chance to connect.

If you have a low screen resolution, you probably will want to uncheck all your toolbars on your browser's View menu. On the other hand, I like the larger board of a low-res screen.

Drag the middle divider bar to change the view. In some cases it will shift automatically to the best location.

I have added some commands to the menu bar, but you can type any command on the command line, if you would rather.

DON'T CLICK REFRESH on the browser! You will disconnect, and will have to restart the browser to reconnect. If you are playing a game, you will have to log on again with the same name and type "resume". You will also disconnect if you go to another web page, so open another browser window if you want to go somewhere else.

Type "help commands" or click Help to see the list of commands, and "help match" to see how to use that command, for example. Type "tell 1 how do I ...?" for live help from others.

Showing tracers "Before Move" applies to only your own pieces.

"New Lines" shows just the new places the moving piece attacks. Unchecking it shows all the places, including the squares it still attacks after the move.

"Explain" shows an explanation in text in the terminal window of what the tracer bullets show, aside from those coming from the piece that moved. It also applies to "Focus".

Right click "Focus" will show all the pieces aiming at that square. "Flip" will flip the board.

If you right click a player's name in the terminal frame, you will see a list of choices, such as match, observe, and tell. To challenge someone, click match, then add a time limit on the command line and hit enter.

To be fair, users should turn off the tracers and not use Focus while playing rated games. These features are for observing and examining games.

Try typing "tell chestutr hello" sometime. If I'm online, you can tell me what you think of my Video Chess Coach applet. Until then, good luck and have fun!

Send comments to chestutr@klink.net.