Clans

Red Hot Pawn Chess Clans allow teams of players to compete not only individually, but collectively, by joining a clan. Although every clan game is played by an individual, each game is part of an overall challenge in which the whole clan plays. The clan with the most victories at the end of the challenge is declared the winner ? and takes the points.

Any subscribing member of Red Hot Pawn Chess can become involved in a clan, either by becoming a member of an existing clan or starting their own. Initially, it is recommended that you join an existing active clan.

Browse the existing clans until you see one that appeals to you. If the clan has fewer than 20 people, there is a good chance that they are recruiting. (Although clan leaders may choose to limit their clan to less if they wish.) Viewing the clan home page will display the clan's full details. If the clan is recruiting, a 'Request clan membership' link will appear below the member list. Don't worry if your ability does not match the other clan members ? most clan leaders are happy to accept anyone who moves regularly and has the right attitude. Once you have requested membership, the clan leader will be notified, and they will either accept or reject your application.

If rejected, don?t get disheartened, there are plenty more to join. If accepted, you will become part of the team and every time you play a clan game, you will be representing your clan

You may leave a clan at anytime. But you will be required to play out any remaining games. It is considered very bad sportsmanship to resign all your remaining games once you have decided to leave a clan.

The clan leader is the only clan member who can initiate challenges. A clan leader will challenge another clan, and then choose which members will be playing. Not all clans have the same number of members, and therefore, not all clan challenges consist of the same number of games. The clan leader can select from the pool of available players, and once both sides have (secretly) selected their chosen warriors, the clan challenge can begin. As a clan member, you should not expect to be involved in every challenge, so don?t worry too much about being 'left on the bench' from time to time.

Each participant in a clan challenge will be required to play 2 games, one as black and one as white. Clan games are rated, and eligible for timeout even if no move has been made. They cannot be deleted ? so once one has been created it must be played to completion.

It is important to appreciate that by joining a clan you are allowing your clan leader to create games for you. You will not be selected if your vacation flag is on, or if you explicitly say you are currently not available for clan duty (this can be toggled from the 'My Settings >> Clan Settings' menu), but at any other time, you may find yourself with a clan game to play. If you fail to keep your clan commitments (accumulating timeouts, for example) a clan leader may wish to remove you from the clan. The clan leaders decision is final in this matter.

If there is a clan you would like to challenge specifically, just message the clan leader and other clan members to discuss it. Many clans form mini-communities themselves and post game analysis is conducted for clan members.

Clan challenges are currently scored by awarding all the points to the victor, and none to the loser. In the event of a draw, half the points are awarded to both the clans involved. A larger number of points can be gained by playing larger challenges, as each game played, won or lost, results in one point to the winning clan.

If you are new to Red Hot Pawn Chess, it is recommended that you join an existing clan rather than create a new one. If you have some friends who have agreed to join beforehand (new clan players or defectors!) then that is an appropriate time to start a clan. Members can still be recruited through the clan forums if you offer a good reason for people to join.

Once a clan has been created, it can never be deleted, so only create one if you are absolutely sure you want one. Managing a successful clan can be time consuming ? you will effectively be managing the games of a number of people, and should take care not to over burden your strongest players.

You may issue challenges to any other clan by visiting the clan home page. Below the list of challenges a 'challenge this clan' link can be clicked - and thereby initiating a challenge. You will be asked to select which clan members to enter into the challenge. Only eligible players will be listed.

Once the challenge has been made, the opposing clan leader will either accept or decline the challenge. If accepted, the challenged clan leaders will select their players and then initiate the games.