GMTonyKosten wrote on 09/12/09 at 15:20:00:


This is great news - I am really looking forward to this competition. Thank you!

Puzzle contest?

Advertise it all over.

Run for ten days, one per day to make people visit the site ten times. 

Choose retrograde analysis or some such so that people can't use computers?

Prizes for first one, first ten, to submit correct answers. 

Prizes could be donated and/or include things like a single section subscription (hopefully if they try it, they'll sign up for others or renew) or, if current member, an extension.

TalJechin wrote on 08/14/09 at 09:23:20:


I thought that you could already do something like this automatically in ChessBase with their repertoire database?

GMTonyKosten wrote on 08/12/09 at 13:39:10:


Maybe you could offer more functionality for subscribers. Chess theory takes a lot of time to keep up with, so it could be worth hearing what kind of assistance subscribers would wish for.

For example, one idea could be to offer automatically generated individualised repertoire e-books - i.e. subscribers provide a rough tree of what they're playing and when a new game is added that improves for either side in that rep, the user is notified and this game is automatically added to his clickable repertoire-book, which he of course can edit, if the novelty is not to his liking or it causes him to change his preferred line of that branch.

It would of course take a very good php-programmer and some serious investments so I suppose it's not possible yet, but I'm for one is convinced that something like this is the future of chess publishing.

Another more realistic idea for the moment, could be to invite chess authors to update their opening books / suggested repertoires etc on a freelance basis here on chesspub in an easily accessible digital format. - It'll probably require consent by the publishers, but it would most likely lengthen the life span of those published opening books, bring you more subscribers for those new sections, and give an extra income for the authors - so it sounds like an 'everybody wins' idea.

And if that works well, you could start 'publishing' new authors with new ebooks - there must be many titled players who would be tempted to make an ebook = cbh/cbv-format, while a paper edition would require much more work. It wouldn't even cost you anything , if you settle for a percentage from what the authors get - in return for access to chesspub's traffic, a subforum dedicated to each book and perhaps some advice on the making of the ebooks & quality check of the material.

Quote:

Right for me  
If you want to make a present for the subscribers gives us something special for free - e.g. your hidden secrets of your personal najdorf line - let's call it the Kosten System: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nc6!? or your best games within the last 10 years.

Quote:

That's an interesting thought - you may place a bet against the community here. E.g.: Tony: I will do a Base Jump from the Eiffel Tower in Paris if the number of subcribers doubles next year  - just watch THIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPyUsyF_OgM
We could well be motivated to make this dream come true

I think perhaps we should offer free coffee for all who visit the website during October.  BYOcoffee of course.

Btw:  I have a chess student who designs shirts.  It is possible to get a nice looking chess polo shirt. (It would probably just have some small chess pub logo and chess pub colors, whatever those are.)

 If anyone's serious about it, I can talk to him about designs and costs.

Zatox wrote on 08/11/09 at 12:05:23:


Ay, a tastefully designed mug would do me just right.

Re: taljechin's comments about reading T-shirts, I do it all the time, but it is unusually entertaining here in Japan for the sheer randomness of foreign words chucked together.

Perhaps chesspub could open a shop in Ginza or Akihabara. Also: 'I love fishing', 'I am a librarian, can I help you at all?', 'Accountancy rocks' kinda stuff.