About the MindSports Player Sections

The Player Sections are a playground for game enthousiasts around the world. Anybody with a modern browser and an email address can play the featured games against anybody else. All games are public and can be viewed by all visitors. The sections use a rating system for each game to establish the relative strengths of the players.

Play requires a (not too old) browser with HTML5 and JavaScript support - the latter must be enabled. It should work on tablets too.

Online - not live

The games are online, but not live: when you view a game it will be automatically updated when you make a move, but not when your opponent makes one. You must refesh the page to see if anything has changed.

Notification

When you get challenged or one of your games progresses, you will receive an email message. Although this technique isn't as sophisticated as some game servers use, it has the major advantage of having no problems with firewalls. So really anybody can participate. Also, players don't have to be online at the same time.

Entering your move

Use the board as an interface to make your move (sequence). Only legal moves can be made, with no exception!

(Before Sep 2021, in column checkers - Emergo, Hexemergo, Stapeldammen - the 'maximal capture' rule was not enforced, so players had to look to it themselves. Back then, the 'undo' feature was handy on occasion, but superfluous now.)

If you're happy with the move, enter a comment (if you like) and hit the "Submit" button to send it to our server. Only after that is your move visible to your opponent.
The "Submit" button will be active only after you have completed your move on the board.

Some games will allow to pass a turn. If that's the only option left to a player (forced pass), it will be executed immediately without any action from that player.
This means: if the move you play causes a forced pass by your opponent, you will stay on move and are expected to play your next move (the "Submit" button remains disabled). This can go on, until your opponent regains the ability to move again or until the game is concluded. Only then will the "Submit" button become active and are you able to send in all your played moves in one go.

If you don't like your move after all, use the command menu's "Undo last move" option (see below). You'll have to do that before your opponent has submitted his move.

Finishing a game

A game can be finished by one of the players submitting "Resign" or both agreeing on a draw (see command menu below).

It's semi-automatic when the app pops up a win/loss/draw message: that result is submitted to the central server along with your move, so the game will be finished after you submit your move.
Note that you cannot undo such a move, so take care.

You'll be asked to confirm when your move will finish the game.

When a game ends and both players have moved at least once, the rating of each player will be adjusted using this method. A player's rating is shown when challenging.

When a game ends it will be moved to the "Finished Games" category. Reviving a finished game is not possible.

The Command Menu

With the command menu you can "choose ..." to undo your last move, end a game by accepting a loss, or negotiate a draw. And sometimes, depending on the game, a few more actions.

Undo last move
Use this to roll back your last submitted move. Multiple undo is possible if both players alternate undoing their moves.

Propose/accept draw
Use this to negotiate a draw. Note that when you propose a draw, you must provide a move too. Your opponent can then choose "Accept draw" to end the game in a draw, or simply play the next move to reject the offer.
Accepting a draw is only possible on the move immediately following the proposal. Of course, you can propose a draw as many times as you like.

Resign / Reject challenge
This ends the game in a loss for you, unless
entered on the very first move - in that case it finishes the game without any outcome, so use this to reject a challenge. Please do so if applicable, it helps keeping things clean.

Pass, Swap, ...
If a game allows you to pass your turn, the command menu shows a "Pass" option. Choose that and "Submit" without making a move on the board.
However, there's usually some other way to the same effect using the board (and sometimes that's the only way).
The same goes for "Swap", which is typically available only on the second player's first turn.

House Rules

You must register with MindSports using your valid email address. This is vital for the notification system. If email to your address bounces back, your user information will be removed from our database.
We'll use your email only for the player sections and won't give or sell it to other parties.

At any time, you can change your preferences. For example, when you don't want to get challenged for a while, you can uncheck all games. This doesn't prohibit you from completing your current games. You can open yourself up again anytime.

Submitting an illegal move loses the game. Although the current system should prevent you from doing so in all cases, you're expected to play by the game's rules. If for some reason you were able to submit an illegal move, you can (and are expected to) correct it - use 'undo'.

Our goal is to present a dynamic site. So games that appear to be left unchanged for a while (> 1 month) will be removed from the online games. It is not guaranteed that all activities will be archived; it's up to MindSports which ones are.
Note that such an unfinished game counts as a loss for the player to move, unless he has never moved.

Interests that aren't made use of for a long while (> 1 year) will be unchecked. If no interest remains the player's registration will be removed completely, including the rating(s). You will not be notified on any of these actions.
You're welcome to reregister and start playing again.

MindSports reserves the right to deny access, in case of misuse of the player sections or the information therein. MindSports can exercise this right solely on its own discretion.

Participate at your own risk ;-).

Enjoy playing the games!

Cookie statement

The Player Sections make use of a functional cookie to remember your login credentials.
It will be read when you revisit our site to cater for a convenient playing experience.

You can opt-out by clicking the "(forget it)" link, present on each page that shows an ongoing match.
The Player Sections will remain fully functional, but you'll have to enter your password with each move and challenge.

The Dagaz game apps store your preferences (like sound on/off, display options and the like) in their own functional cookies.
These cannot be opted out of.

The login and app cookies are not used for other purposes.

Contact

If you encounter a problem or something's unclear, please and we'll try to fix or clarify it.