FICS - Free Internet Chess Server
Help
FICS
8708 31ST Ave N
New Hope
Mn 55427
Relay_Operator


DESCRIPTION AND DUTIES
----------------------

Relay Operators are specially designated FICS members who assist with the
relaying of games of major tournaments on FICS.  Many of the major chess
tournaments played around the world today have live internet broadcasts of
some of their games.  Most of these games can be relayed on FICS.  See "help
relay" for more general information about relays.

The main duties for relay operators are: starting relays, checking relays that
are in progress, doing manual relays, and filling in the tournament
information on the FICS Relay web pages.

STARTING AND CHECKING RELAYS

Most relays run "automatically," but some must still be done "manually."  For
relays that run automatically, the Relay Operator simply starts the relay
software running when a round of the tournament begins, and then the operator
checks to be sure that the relay is running properly.

MANUAL RELAYING

When a relay is done manually, the Relay Operator watches the moves of a game
as they are being broadcasted somewhere on the web, and then he or she issues
commands to the relay software on FICS, which then causes those same moves to
be made in the relay of that game on FICS.  Manual relaying is a bit more
challenging and much more time consuming than simply starting up automatic
relays, but it's not overly difficult.  Once a person gets the hang of it,
usually they can relay several games at the same time.

FILLING IN TOURNAMENT INFORMATION ON THE FICS RELAY WEB PAGES

FICS has a set of web pages dedicated to the tournaments being relayed on
FICS.  Relay Operators are expected to assist in filling in the information on
these web pages.  This is actually quite a simple process.  Anyone who can
write and save a plain text file on their computer can easily learn how to do
this.  The FICS Relay web pages can be found at this URL:
http://www.freechess.org/Events/Relay/


ADDITIONAL DUTIES
-----------------

There are some additional duties that Relay Operators are encouraged to help
out with.  These duties include: finding tournaments to be relayed, and
collecting the information needed to enable the tournaments to be relayed
successfully.  Some of the information that must be collected for each
tournament includes the playing schedule, the location where the tournament is
being held, and the urls (web page addresses) used by the tournament.  The
duties listed in this section are usually performed by the more experienced
Relay Operators, since the newer Operators need to concentrate on learning how
to perform the main duties (which are listed above).


GENERAL INFORMATION
-------------------

Being a Relay Operator is totally voluntary.  It is a low-profile and "behind
the scenes" kind of job.  It's a great chance for an FICS user to begin
helping out on FICS.  It's also a good opportunity for someone interested in
possibly becoming a staff member to demonstrate that they are trustworthy and
reliable.


APPLYING TO BECOME A RELAY OPERATOR
-----------------------------------

Any registered member of FICS who is at least 16 years old can apply to become
a Relay Operator.  Relay Operators keep in touch with each other via an email
list, so anyone interested in becoming a Relay Operator should have a working
email address which they are willing to add to this email list.

To apply to become a Relay Operator, please send an email to
relay@freechess.org with the subject of "Relay Operator Application," and in
it include the following information:

(1.) Your FICS handle.

(2.) Your age.

(3.) The time zone in which you live.

(4.) A brief description of the time frames in which you would most likely be
     able to help out.  Please use server time for this.  This is not meant to
     be a hard and fast commitment.  It's simply intended to give us a rough
     idea, to help us with planning.  Here is an example of what someone might
     give for the answer to this item: I could likely help with relays between
     12:00 and 15:00 on weekdays, and between 11:00 and 14:00 on weekends,
     server time.

(5.) (Optional.) Any additional information that might help us in evaluating
     your application.  An example of what you might include for this item is
     a brief statement about your interest in watching the relays on FICS.


SEE ALSO
--------

relay


AUTHORS
-------

Created: 15 January 2009 mattuc
Last Modified: 10 January 2011 mattuc

Login Now | Register | Download | Teaching Ladder | Events | Sponsors | Contact us | Links
Last modified: Sun Feb 11 14:27:58 GMT Standard Time 2007