First Team League Game

Victory!

Here's the Watchbot version commentary by myself at points. Once run through Crafty and more review by me, I'll update this post.

New Babas / FICS tips

So I've learned a couple new things that might be of interest to people new and old to Babas. There are so many options that don't do anything at first, that it can take a fair bit of experimenting.

None of these are earth shattering, but simply useful and convenience oriented.

Timers:

I like to keep FICS up at work and home for long periods of time observing Team League games. At work, I often have to go into busy mode, so I may get logged out after 60 minutes. Babas can cheat this by going into File -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Scripts and then choosing Configure Timer Commands.

You can have 3 different timers; perhaps one to go AFK (like the default example), one to advertise something (like looking to start a Team League team) and a third to keep you logged in.

Check the "Enabled" box, set the interval to the time between running your command and enter the command in the box.

I have "date" set to run every 45 minutes. I like date because I always get confused about the time difference between local and server (I know it's Pacific, but I never remember when I'm looking at a schedule of events).

Clean Console:

I prefer to have my console show none of the crap that it default displays.

I uncheck the following items in Preferences/Console and Chat/Chat Windows:
1. Show Private Tells in console
2. Show Channel Tells also in main console
3. Show Shouts also in main console
4. Show superfluous server responses

Tabbed view:

I don't like having 18 windows overlapping and popping around my screen. Click Window -> Tabbed Documents. Boom.

Channels tab has tabs for each channel (like it normally does). Info Window has its stuff. The console and private chats get tabs. Boards get their own tab.

The one disadvantage is if you like to have multiple boards up at once or a board and private chat. Tabs gives you one thing at a time. If you like it, you will probably want to uncheck the following in Preferences/Console and Chat/Chat Windows:

1. Automatic Tab Switch (this one is in both sets of options)
2. Show chat window when new tell received
3. Show channel window when new shout received

Those 3 options will make sure whatever you are looking at doesn't flip away when those events occur.

For some people, Tabs will be a lifesaver and for others a hated inconvenience.

Chessloser?

Anyone know why he wiped his site? I know he'd lost some content trying to clear out some spam a month or so ago...just moving or gone?

hardcore pawnography was (is?) one of my favorite chess blogs.

Life is always busy, huh?

I've had some time for a few games on FICS over the last month (been aiming for longer games, although none have gone the distance), but haven't put down enough time for study.

Hoping to get a shot in the next couple weeks for ArchBishops_Artists U1600 team. Our captain had been eyeing a match against a team that had only 4 people and the 4th board was more closer to my rating than other likely mathcups, but I believe they added at leat one member just prior to the add/drop deadline.

I also got sucked into Civ 5 pretty hard the last couple weeks. My wife is so hooked on the game and has been staying up so late she had to go into work late one morning :P She didn't grow up playing things like Wing Commander, Pirates and Silent Service for 24 hour marathons and lacks the ability to will oneself through the next day like I can :D

After a frustrating day in the ER with her (she had severe stomach pains, no certain cause identified so she is making an appointment with her primary doc for tomorrow) I hope to get some chess in tonight.