This site has been written and tested using Internet Explorer 5.5 and Netscape Navigator 6. It makes use of frames and Javascript functions which may not be supported by earlier versions of these browsers. In particular the games and technical pages do not operate correctly in Netscape 4.7.
For optimum viewing use full screen mode with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768, or more.
If you have a slow dial-up connection note that the "Games" and "Game of the Month" pages contain over 500kB of information and can take up to 2 minutes to load. Once all the games have loaded the program may work quicker offline. If the chess pieces move very slowly, this is due to the speed of your connection - simply disconnect and work offline. If you have a fast broadband connection there is no need to disconnect and work offline.
When the "Games" and "Game of the Month" pages are loaded a new Navigation toolbar is loaded at the left of the page. Some pop-up blockers may prevent this toolbar from being displayed properly. If the games toolbar does not load, it is still possible to navigate through the games using the keyboard (see below for more details).
The website program is memory intensive. If your computer runs out of memory, simply close some other applications and start again.
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The Games page can be loaded by clicking on the large King icon in the Title Bar.
Clicking on the large Rook icon in the title bar will also load the Games page, but with the Black pieces at the bottom.
The following pairs of HotKeys allow you to move Forward and Backwards through each game using the Keyboard: f and b, > and <. (To move faster use Shift > and Shift <.)
On the Numerical Keypad 6 and 4 move Forward and Backwards. For this to work you need to have your NUM LOCK on!
To go the Next or Previous game use the HotKeys: n and p, ] or [ on the Keyboard. (Again Shift [ or Shift ] move faster.) On the Numerical Keypad use 8 and 2
To restart a game use the HotKeys: r or s. On the Numerical Keypad press 7.
To Rotate the Board to view the game from Black's perspective, once the Games page has been loaded, use the HotKeys: o, 0 or Esc. On the Numerical Keypad press 5. (Pressing the HotKey a second time will rotate the board back for standard viewing.)
The HotKeys: h, ? or F1 will open a new Help window.
Here are some of the questions we are asked most often about our website.
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The board on the games page siezes up after about 5 minutes. This happens both in Netscape 6.1 and Internet
Explorer 5.5. I am running a very high spec research machine so I doubt that I am suffering
from lack of resources. This problem is related to slow internet connections and is more apparent with the longer chess games. The best solution we have found is to disconnect from the internet, once all of the games have been loaded. Your computer will then load the images from your "Temporary Internet Files" directory and this is generally much faster. We are thinking about a better long term solution to this problem. Watch this space. |
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How do I disconnect from the internet? This will depend on your computer and operating system. If you are using a Microsoft operating system, simply right-click on the  icon in the taskbar, and select disconnect. |
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My computer says it is downloading the games. Where are they downloaded to? The games are being loaded into your computer's memory and the relevant files will also be available in your "Temporary Internet Files" directory. |
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Some of the squares on my Chess Board come up as small red crosses. What has gone wrong? A small red cross means that the computer has not downloaded the small gif image files for the board properly. The simplest way to reload the board images (without reloading all the game information, which is slow) is to rotate the board a couple of times. Simply click on the board and then press the HotKey: O which will rotate the board. |
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I have disconnected from the internet and the games work fine. However, if I go to another page I get the
message "Page not available offline." When you go offline you will be able to look at all the pages you have previously visited. For instance you should always be able to reload the Welcome page. However, your computer can't do magic and is unable to conjure up any pages which you have not yet visited. To see these other pages you will need to reconnect to the internet. |
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What has happened to the toolbar at the top of my Browser? The main part of the website has been loaded in a new window without the full toolbar. This is to provide a larger screen area to display the games. If you look in your taskbar, your original browser window is still available. If you close the current window you will return to your original window which still has its full toolbar. |
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I find the games page difficult to use. I have a screen resolution of 640 x 480. There are two versions of the program designed for users with different screen resolutions. The larger version works for screen resolutions of 1024 x 768, or more. The smaller version is designed screen resolutions of 800 x 600. If your screen resolution is smaller than this, you will still load the 800 x 600 version, but you may need to juggle the scrollbars to keep the interesting information on screen. |
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Do both versions of the program have all of the same features? No. The 1024 x 768 version has a lot more features than the 800 x 600 version. |
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How do I change my screen resolution? For users with Microsoft operating systems, right-click on a blank area of your desktop. Select "Properties" then "Settings" and use the slider to adjust your screen resolution. |
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The games page doesn't operate in Netscape 4.7. The main features of the program operate with Netscape 6 and Internet Explorer 5, but do not work with earlier versions. Netscape 4.7 is now out-of-date and we strongly suggest you upgrade your browser. |
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I don't see the special Games toolbar at the left of webpage on the "Games" or
"Game of the Month" pages. Some pop-up blockers may prevent this toolbar from being displayed properly. If the Games toolbar does not load, it is still possible to navigate through the games using the keyboard. (See above for more details). |
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Would it be possible to have all the games in a downloadable or
printable format so that people could go over your games away from the
computer? We are in the process of providing PGN (Portable Game Notation) files for all of our games. See our PND Download page. So far only a few games are available in this format. More will be added as time allows. |
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I find it difficult to see the Black pieces against the dark squares on the chess board!
Can you change the colours of the pieces and the squares?
The dark squares are actually light grey. It isn't possible to change the colours, but you can improve the visibility simply by adjusting the Contrast and Brightness settings on your PC monitor. |
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I looked at some of the games which have Expert commentaries, but I do not see any comments.
The expert commentaries highlight only the crucial moves and turning points in each game. Not every move has an associated comment. Play right through the Expert commentary and you will come across some pearls of wisdom. |
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The British Land UK Chess Challenge holds the World Record for the largest number of participants at over 67,000. This is the Under-12 Gigafinal Section, July 2004. Photo by Douglas MacGregor. |