Getting Setup

The following programs are free of charge and can be installed within about a 15 minute period. We ask that you be ready with the software installed before your class begins so that getting setup doesn’t eat into your instruction time. We are always available for free technical support to help you get setup so if you have any questions, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

1. Registering for a free account with FICS

If you do not already have an account with Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) please set one up. It takes less than 5 minutes. Once you register you will get an e-mail confirmation that will have a link to activate your account. You must click the link and enter your user ID and activation code to activate your account. You will then have another e-mail sent to you that will show you your FICS ID and password. Please take note of your account name and password, they will be needed for the class.

You can create a FICS account by clicking here

Click on the thumbnails below for a picture walkthrough if you need assistance.

FICS Step 1

FICS Step 2

FICS Step 3

FICS Step 4

2. Setting up your FICS Client

FICS clients are programs that are used to access the Free Internet Chess Server. There are dozens of different options available for each operating system. However, we suggest BabasChess for PCs and Jin for Macs.

Use your login & pass from the e-mail. (Click to Enlarge)

2A. For PC Users: We use the “BabasChess” interface to connect to the Free Internet Chess Server which can be Downloaded here. The “XP/Vista” version works perfectly fine on Windows 7. Please download and install BabasChess. Once it is installed you can login to FICS with your newly created login and password. When you first open BabasChess it will run through the configuration.

2B. For Mac Users: We use the “Jin” software client to connect to the Free Internet Chess Server which can be downloaded here for free. You can then use the account you previously made to login to FICS. Please enter the login and password where provided as shown in the screenshots.
Click on the screenshots below for a step-by-step guide.

JIN - Step 1

JIN - Step 2

Use the login and password from the e-mail

JIN - Step 3

3. Setting up Skype

If you do not already have an account with Skype, you will need to create a free account and download the Skype client. You can create an account at the following link which will then lead you to the download page once the account is created.

You can create an account and download Skype by clicking here

Once you’ve created a Skype account please add “OnlineChessLessons.NET” as a contact. You can do so by typing in”OnlineChessLessons.NET” in the search tab above the friends list on the left side (below “Contacts” and “Recent”) and then clicking “Find this Person”.

How to find on a PC

How to add a contact on a Mac

Click "Add Contact"

Other things to keep in mind

Always be online at least 10 minutes before your appointment with BabasChess (or Jin) and Skype open and logged in on the usernames you provided in the schedule. Please do not forget that the classes are scheduled in Eastern standard time so if you are on a different time zone, please keep this in mind.