Tuesday, May 22, 2007

#144 ICC Acquires WCN & Chess Live

The Internet Chess Club recently announced that it has acquired the World Chess Network and U.S. Chess Live and merged them into a new server. Details here, here, here and here.

USCL Basic & WCN Silver members will lose half of their remaining subscription time when those accounts are transferred. ICC members won't have access to the new entity.

I'm sorry to see USCL go, because it was the site of my greatest tournament victory (table ... standings), and will miss playing on WCN; where, unlike other servers, I could easily get a rational G/20 match. Hopefully, World Chess Live will allow guests to play, as its parents did. If so, you'll likely find me there sometime. :-)

How do you folks feel about the demise of the 2 ICC rivals?? Please leave a comment.

3 comments:

Michael Goeller said...

Actually, it's probably good in the long run for any ICC-fan, since we will be more likely to play new folks at ICC.... Down the road, it could mean higher prices for services. I think ICC should also consider buying ChessLecture.com, as I mentioned in my review of that service, and then they might be able to charge various rates for various services, including video lectures, rated play, unrated play, etc. -- with a "Gold" membership or something that covers everything. If that comes to pass, I'm going for the gold....

Anonymous said...

Michael,

WCL will be separated from ICC. Subscription will be 50$/year but I have to double check that. WCL will also have access to the chess.fm and Susan Polgar will be doing promo events (looking forward :))

ICC management seems very ambitious and determinated and I wouldn't be surprised if they buy chesslecture.com or some other sites. I think ICC also needs news service.

Anonymous said...

We,the members of WCN, were forced to join the WCL( ICC). We have been sold like slaves in middle ages that the Barons use to sale them together with the land.We heard many promises that WCL will be our new chess home and is going to improve the menu, but is nearly one year after and promises remain just promises.We are still facing the old server of ICC and the unfriendly menu with all these typing.ICC took money from the WCN members,but invest nothing to improve the site.You know,i am not going to get a PHD just to use this stupid site,by typing here and there always. lol.
Unfortunately WCN,has nothing to do with WCL.Surely i am not going to renew my membership to this place.I feel that i have been cheated because i payed for something I have chosen and, instead i got something else because someone decided like this, he put the memberships in his pockets and just said goodbye.I pay for a Mercedes and they give me a Fiat... then they try to tell me that i have to be happy about it. Hehehee...!!!
I am not stupid.Keep your WCL and feel happy with it,because you don't know what WCN was.That is all. Helen G.