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The Stockfish Time Challenge
Information & Rules
On this page you will find information about the Stockfish Time Challenge, the rankings, the scoring system and how to take part. Also on this page you will find the SFTC rules.
What is the Stockfish Time Challenge(SFTC)?
The SFTC is a game where the Challengers compete for the highest possible score and to top the Rankings. At the end of each month the Challenger at the top of that months' rankings will be declared Champion of that Month and will hold the Champion's Trophy until they are dethroned. The Challengers are not trying to defeat Stockfish but get the highest score possible.
What is Stockfish?
Stockfish is the Chess Computer used in all SFTC games. It is capable of playing chess at an ELO of 3200+. When you consider that Magnus Carlsen held the highest human ELO of all time at ELO 2882, that is pretty impressive. For an in-depth article about Stockfish, check out the Wikipedia page.
Stockfish Playing Parameters.
Stockfish will be playing with an opening book and no end game table bases. Stockfish will be set to the default settings and will only calculate during its' move (Ponder/Permanent Brain OFF)
The Ranking List.
The SFTC ranking list is the standings for the current month. The rankings are always changing as new Challenger's and scores are beng added. The Challenger who holds the number 1 spot at the end of the month(when the counter on the Champions page expires) will become reinging SFTC Champion and will hold and have their name put on the SFTC Champions Trophy until the end of the following month (unless they win again). On the 1st of every month the ranking list will be cleared and we will start again. A challenger can play as many times as they like, however only their best score will be posted to the ranking list. For example: John Doe plays one game and scores 15. An hour later he plays again and scores 35. His 15 ranking list entry will be deleted and replaced in the rightful place in the ranking list with the score of 35. Only the top 25 players will be shown on the ranking list. If your score wasn't high enough to rank in the top 25 or you have been eliminated from the top 25 you are welcome to try again.
Tie Breakers.
If when the counter expires and the number one spot is shared by 2 or more players, the player whos winning game consisted of the most moves will be declared the Champion. If this is also tied, then the Championship Trophy will be shared for that month.
Ranking List Explained.
Player's Name/Nickname
This is the Challenger's name or Nickname as requested by the Challenger. For Challengers who hold a FICS account, this will be their FICS handle. Guests must provide their names before the SFTC game commences so I am able to place them on to the ranking list.
Chess Computer Users
Sometimes a challenger may wish to use a chess computer to help them in SFTC games for experimental purposes. This is allowed as long as the challenger confirms with me prior to the game that he/she will be using a computer for assistance. All players who are confirmed as or suspected of being a computer user will not be added to the official SFTC rankings but put on the Computer User rankings list. Please note that Computer Users are not able to win the SFTC Champion's Trophy or any prizes offered.
Any challenger using a Computer must either be playing as a Guest or have a (C) account on ICC/LiChess. Anyone who I suspect of using a Computer and are not playing as a Guest or a (C) account will be reported to ICC's/LiChess's Computer Abuse Team.
(P): This next to a challenger's name on the Computer User Rankings indicates that the challenger did obtain permission to use a computer prior to their SFTC game
(S): This next to a player's name on the Computer User rankings indicates that this challenger has used or is suspected of using a chess computer without obtaining permission prior to their SFTC game.
Score
This is the player's best score so far in the current month. This can be found under the player(s) name/nickname.
Server
The server to which the Challenger's handle is associated will be placed in the server collum on the ranking list..
For example:
ICC
LiChess
GUEST = Indicates that the challenger does not have an account on either LiChess or ICC.
The SFTC Game.
All SFTC games are played on either ICC or LiChess. All SFTC games on ICC and LiChess will be played under the handle "TheSFTC". It is preferred for Challengers to create/have an ICC or LiChess account as it will be easier to put their ICC/LiChess handle on the ranking list. If you do not have an account with either LiChess or ICC then your SFTC game will be played on LiChess as a Guest. If you are playing as a Guest please ensure you provide me with your name so I can place it on the ranking list along with your score. All Challengers playing under their handle will have their handle placed alongside their score on the ranking list and in brackets () the server to which that handle is associated. ALL SFTC GAMES ARE UNRATED AS TO NOT AFFECT THE CHALLENGER'S ICC or LiChess RATING!
Scoring.
This is what the SFTC is all about! The score. Once the SFTC game is over the Challenger's score will be calculated and then posted on to the rankings(unless the Challenger already has a higher score than that just scored on the ranking list).
A Challenger's score is basically the total number of seconds Stockfish used in the game. For example: Stockfish defeats John Doe and has 25 seconds left on the clock. Stockfish started with 60 seconds (1 minute), so we subtract 25 from 60 which tells us Stockfish has used a total of 35 seconds. Therefore, John Doe's score is 35.
Please note that the result of the game is irrelevant and does not affect the score in any way. Also, the time remaining on Stockfish's clock will be used to calculate the score and not the the time remaining on the ICC game board. Screen shots of the official Stockfish clock are available upon request.
SFTC Game Time Limit.
The Challenger will have 10 minutes to make all of their moves and Stockfish will have only 1. The Challenger's clock will only count down when it is their turn to move and will pause whilst it is Stockfish's move. Please note that in the ICC/LiChess game arena both the Challenger and Stockfish will have 10 minutes on their clock. The extra time for SFTC is to allow me to relay Stockfish's move to the game board. Stockfish itself will have 1 minute.
How a SFTC Game Ends.
There are many ways an SFTC game can end.
Loss
A loss will occur when the Challenger is checkmated or resigns (surrenders) the game. The game will end immediately in the event of any loss and the Challenger's current score will be posted.
Win
This occurs when the Challenger checkmates Stockfish. Stockfish is programmed not to resign. In the event of Stockfish being checkmated, the game will end immedately and the Challenger's current score will be posted.
Draw
There are many ways a game can be drawn. Click here for a list of the many ways a chess game can be drawn and their descriptions. In the event of a drawn game, the game will end immediately and the Challenger's current score will be posted
Disconnection
In the event of a Challenger Disconnection:
If the Challenger is dosconnected from the ICC/LiChess server for whatever reason, the game will automatically be lost and the Challenger's current score will be posted to the ranking list.
In the event of a SFTC disconnection:
Unfortunately disconnections happen! As with the Challenger disconnecting the game will be declared a loss and the Challenger's current score will be posted to the ranking list. The Challenger will be offered an immediate rematch with the same colour.
Running Out of Time (Flagged)
If the Challenger runs out of time: Once the Challenger's clock expires the game will end immediately and the Challenger's current score will be posted. No extra time will be given to the Challenger.
If SFTC runs out of time: Once SFTC's clock expires the game will end immediately and the Challenger's current score will be posted. Please note that the Challenger has the option of adding more time to SFTC's clock in order to prolong the game and increase their score. The Challenger is permitted to add as much time as often as he/she desires. SFTC'S TIME EXPIRING DOES NOT MEAN THAT STOCKFISH'S TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE READ "If Stockfish runs out of time" below for more details.
If Stockfish runs out of time: In the event of the Stockfish Chess Computer running ot of time I will immediately resign the SFTC game and will assign the Challenger a score of 60.No extra time can or will be given to the Stockfish Chess Computer in the event of Stockfish runnng out of time.
How to Request a SFTC Game.
Requesting a game is very easy :-) The first thing you have to do is check to see whether SFTC is currently active. You can do this simply checking in the Chatroom, ICC or LiChess. If I am online you can simply contact me (I recommend using ICC or this site's chatroom) and arrange a SFTC game. I check my e-mail on a regular basis so you are welcome to submit a game request using the contact form here.
Starting a SFTC Game.
On ICC:
Once we have agreed to a SFTC game I will issue a challenge. All SFTC game challenges will be issued by myself as to ensure the colour is generated randomly by the ICC server. Once you have accepted the challenge the ICC game board will appear and you can start entering moves. Note that both sides will have 10 minutes on the clock in order to allow me to relay Stockfish's move to the FICS game board.
On LiChess or not registered on ICC or LiChess:
Once we have agreed to a SFTC game I will create the game on LiChess and a link will be sent to you via the same communication on which we arranged the game. This link when clicked will take you directly to the LiChess game board. If you hold a LiChess account please ensure you are logged in before clicking the link. The LiChess game board will appear and you can now start entering moves. Note that both sides will have 10 minutes on the clock in order to allow me to relay Stockfish's move to the LiChess game board.