match

Usage: match user [rated|unrated] [Time] [Inc] [Black_Start Black_Inc]
[White|Black] [{board_category board}|w#|bughouse|crazyhouse|wild fr|sui]


SUMMARY
-------
  This command allows you to challenge a given user to a game of chess.  
To challenge player USER to a match, type "match USER".  The type of match
being offered depends on:
(1) your variable settings (preferences).
(2) information you give in the match request.  

The player USER will need to accept or decline the challenge.  You can 
cancel a challenge you have made using the "withdraw" command.


MATCH VARIABLES
---------------
  You can specify the parameters for the match.  If no parameters are
specified, (a) the challenger's variable settings for "rated|unrated", "Time"
and "Inc" will be used (see "variables"), (b) the clock times will be the same
for both players, (c) the colours will be chosen by the server, and (d) the
board_category will be standard.  Here are details about each variable of the
match command.

RATED|UNRATED -- Sets whether the match will be rated or unrated.  If
undesignated, the challenger's variable setting for "Rated" will be used.  If
designated, it will override the challenger's "Rated" setting.  Example:
"match user rated".  You can use "r" and "u" as shortcuts.  Untimed games (see
"help untimed") and odds games (see "help odds") are always unrated by default
even  if you ask for rated in the match request.

TIME and INC -- Determine the clock variables for the match, where Time is in
minutes and Inc is in seconds.  If only 'Time' is given then 'Inc' is assumed
to be zero (example, "match user 5").  If values are given for Black then the
challenger will play the White side (example, "match user 5 0 5 0"); otherwise
the side will be chosen "fairly".  You can play untimed games as well; "match
user 0 0".

WHITE|BLACK -- If a colour is given, White or Black, that will be the color of
the challenger -- example, "match user white" will ask that you will be White. 
You can use "w" and "b" as shortcuts.

BOARD_CATEGORY BOARD -- These two parameters must be used together.  They
specify a particular starting position for the game.  These parameters can
only be included when all of the other parameters have also been given.  If 
a particular starting position is not supplied, then "standard" and "standard"
are used (that is, the "regular" starting position for pieces will be used
with no particular opening).  (See the "boards" help file for the categories.)

WILD, SUICIDE, BUGHOUSE, CRAZYHOUSE -- You must request a chess variant
directly.  For example, for a bughouse match you should type "match user
bughouse" (or "match user bug" which also works).  In the case of Wild matches,
you must specify the type of Wild chess.  For example, "match user w3" would
request a Wild 3 type of match and "match user wild fr" would request a Fischer
Random match. Accepted shortcuts for crazyhouse are "cra" and "zh".


EXAMPLES OF MATCH REQUESTS (challenges):
--------------------------
match red
  Challenges user "red" to a match using your default values for Rated, Time
  and Inc.

match red 5
  Challenges user "red" to a match with Time = 5 and Inc = 0 using your
  default value for Rated.

match red 30 30 u
  Challenges user "red" to an unrated match using a 30 minute Time and 30
  second Increments per move ("match red 30 30 0 0" would give the same
  result).

match red 0 0
  Challenges user "red" to a match with Time = 0 and Inc = 0, thus an untimed,
  unrated match.

match red openings ruy-lopez
  Challenges user "red" to a match using the ruy-lopez opening position, and
  default time controls.

match red w3
  Challenges user "red" to a match using the wild 3 starting position, using
  your default values for Time, Inc and Rated.

match red 5 12 bughouse
  Challenges user "red" to a bughouse match, once the bughouse teams have been
  arranged; "match red 5 12 bug" will also work.


SPECIAL NOTES:

(a)  COUNTER OFFERS:  If you receive a match request from a user and you
request a match with that same user but with different time controls, then in
essence you (a) decline the first request but (b) make a request of your own. 
If your counter request is identical to the original request, a game will
begin.

(b)  RESUMING ADJOURNED GAMES:  Use the "match" command to resume an adjourned
game.  Resuming an adjourned game takes precedence over starting a new game
with that opponent.  The match request, of course, can be declined by your
opponent.  Adjudications of adjourned games are possible; see "help
adjudication".  

(c)  USING FORMULAS TO FILTER OUT MATCH REQUESTS:  Match requests from other
users can be filtered by using a formula (see "help formula").  If a request
fails to meet your formula, it is declined automatically for you.  Also, you
will not receive challenges from users on your "censor" list.

(d)  ALIASES:  Using aliases can make it easier to challenge other players to
matches, especialy for types you use frequently.

(e)  EXAMINE MODE:  Matching yourself ("match your_handle") is a way to enter
examine mode (see also "help bsetup").

(f)  MATCH TYPE:  It is not possible to request a blitz, lightning or standard
match directly, such as "match user blitz", since these types of chess matches
depend upon both the Start time and the Inc time (see the "blitz", "lightning"
and "standard" help files for the charts).  You must, however, request
bughouse and wild matches directly since they depend on more than the time
controls to be used.

(g)  NOPLAY LIST:  If you do not want to receive match requests from a
particular user, place that person on your "noplay" list ("+noplay user").

(h)  RATED AND ROPEN VARIABLES:  The 'rated' and 'ropen' variables in
conjunction can also be used to filter match requests based on rated/unrated. 
See the "v_ropen" help file for information.

(i) HOW CHESS COLOURS ARE PICKED: the server software uses your history (and 
your opponent's) to determine who will get White. Starting from the bottom,
for each entry we compare the colour you had and the one your opponent had.
If they match, we look at the next entry. If they don't match we swap them
and that is your colour for this game. If there are fewer than 10 entries
for one player we assume the missing colour is the opposite of the one we
know about. If they both run out together, or all 10 entries match, the
colour is randomly chosen.


See Also:  accept  adjourn  adjudicate  alias  blitz  boards  bughouse  censor 
           decline  examine  formula  fr  fr_rules  history  intro_playing
           noplay  odds  ratings  simmatch  suicide_chess  untimed  variables
           v_inc  v_rated  v_ropen  v_time  wild  withdraw

[Last modified: January 5, 2000 -- afw]