why does FICS look like DOS?

Originally posted by ivan2908
Of course most don't. But since I like to play standard games there if that is 10% this is already enough frustrating. When you are playing rated OTB game, you don't have opportunity to "disconnect" and refuse to move once and for all.

Yes, you have a point there. I usually don't play standard there except against people I know or in one of the online chess leagues. By the way you can reduce the risk of playing a disconnecter if you type:

stored username

where "username" is obviously that person's user name. If they have no or very few stored games then you don't have much reason to worry. If they have many, and over a short period of time, then the person is either deliberately disconnecting or has a bad internet connection. Deliberately disconnecting there is considered abuse and eventually gets the person tagged with the "abuser" label. Between that and the fact that you can have only 15 stored games maximum, its not something to be concerned about if you take a little care in selecting opponents.

There's also variable you can set (noescape I think) where if either player disconnects then that player forfeits. Both players have to have it set for it to be active, and obviously it can backfire on you too.

Originally posted by ivan2908
Of course most don't. But since I like to play standard games there if that is 10% this is already enough frustrating. When you are playing rated OTB game, you don't have opportunity to "disconnect" and refuse to move once and for all.

FICS has a well established adjudication procedure. You have to contact your opponent offering a time and place to finish the game. If they ignore you then apply the game adjudicated. It sounds like more effort than it is. Alternatively you can play the players who play online here; there was an earlier thread listing them.