match

Usage: match user [rated|unrated] [Time] [Inc] [White|Black]
                  [{board_categoryboard}|w#|variant]

This command allows you to challenge someone to a game of chess.

PARAMETERS
----------

user:                 The name of the player to challenge to a game.
rated|unrated:        Whether or not the outcome of the game will affect your
                      rating.
Time:                 The number of minutes given to each player at the start
                      of the game.
Inc:                  The number of seconds given to each player after a move
                      is completed.
White|Black:          You will play as white or black, as specified.
board_category board: You can specify a non-standard board opening.
w#:                   A wild variant of type #.
variant:              Any of the variant types, currently: suicide, losers,
                      crazyhouse, bughouse, atomic, or fr (Fischer Random).

EXTRA INFO
----------

To challenge player USER to a match, type "match USER". The type of match
being offered depends on:

 1. information you give in the match request

 2. your variable settings for parameters that aren't specified.

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 per the server method. 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 help boards 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
-------------

 o The player USER will need to accept or decline the challenge.

 o 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.

 o 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

 o 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.

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

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

 o 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 help blitz,
   help lightning, and help standard for the charts). You must, however,
   request bughouse and wild matches directly since they depend on more than
   the time controls to be used.

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

 o You can cancel a challenge you have made using the "withdraw" command.

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       v_inc         v_rated       v_ropen       v_time        
variables     wild          withdraw      

AUTHORS
-------

Created: 5 January 2000 afw
Last Modified: 29 February 2008 mhill