In this second article for Chessville on Distance Chess I would like to offer a technical illustration to chess event managers of the range of possibilities available to them with current technology to broadcast locally or universally.  In order to make this presentation and provide a background for what follows I have leaned heavily on knowledge of the development of one particular system, and the basis of those developments which have almost entirely emerged from Grandmaster contributions and senior event managers internationally.

I can not mention all the GMs who have made contributions except where there is a specific need, but certainly this group would include the first 5 players whose last name begins with "K" that might come to your mind - four world champions, and a dozen or so other GMs ranked in the top 100 in the world.
	Super Tourney in Novgorod

Essentially, the technological basis permits two things: to (a) play chess at a distance, and secondly to (b) simultaneously broadcast the game to the internet and/or to television in real time.

Most people in the USA are familiar with situation (a) above, whether they play by sensory board, or use a mouse and pc to play on-line.  Perhaps even as much as 95% of formally rated and non-rated players have tried it, and no further illustration is necessary.  However, condition (b) above seems to be a more esoteric subject in the USA, and even the largest tournaments and matches have not been broadcast live.  To contrast this with Europe, I think all high-level matches and tournaments now broadcast in various degrees of complexity.

Here then is the range of broadcasting possibilities for the event manager who might be, for example, managing a 12 player round robin on 6 boards:

A first possibility is to display all 6 games simultaneously on one screen.  If a game finishes it can be removed from the display, concentrating on the remaining games.

Additionally video images of the players, logos, sponsor or other information can be inserted of 1 to 6 boards.  Too much information can be confusing on one screen, and a second option is to add another, each showing, for example, 3 boards each, either of which can be the current broadcast screen.

You may choose to show only three boards and emphasize one by making it large, the other two smaller.

The entire output can de designed and color-coded by player names, board colors, score sheets, pieces, board squares, country of origin, time, and so on.

Speed of play is not restricted to slow times, and even two minute blitz games are possible, to play and to be broadcast in real time.  Blitz finishes to games or to reach a time control are a nightmare for TDs and the players themselves, and the software can electably signal the TD if an illegal move has been made, or in the flurry of hands touching pieces and the clock if 2 moves have been made in a row by the same side, e.g., as when a player moved his piece before the opponent pressed his clock.

If a player changes a move with the same piece the software will rewrite this move automatically.

Organizers who wish to accommodate large crowds of spectators at the playing site, but wish to keep them at a distance from the players to reduce distractions, can position an unlimited number of monitors throughout the building, or at remote locations.

Late arriving spectators can catch up on the game by reviewing earlier moves in a familiar vertical format similar to a score-sheet (express-bulletins), and analysts and journalists can review time taken per move.  A further help to journalistic analysis is a concurrent database of games plus powerful chess programs.

Each of these modules work simultaneously in real time, i.e., presentation of the game boards, annotations, express bulletins, and transmission of moves to the internet and as broadcast quality output for television.

	Commentators add significantly to any broadcasts, and the range of features available to them are comprehensive without becoming technically daunting.
Former World Champion Boris Spassky and GM Mark Taimanov, commenting on the 2003 NAO-St. Petersburg Distance Chess match.

Commentator annotations allows immediate publication of print material - an example is the World Championship match Karpov-Kamsky, at Elista, when GM Vasiukov published his book of comments the day after the match!

Almost all equipment necessary to make such a multi-valent broadcast is based on items commonly available in any town and which can be rented day-by-day.

Commentators add significantly to any broadcasts, and the range of features available to them are comprehensive without becoming technically daunting.  The commentator does not need to wait for the players to move, but can jump ahead and show the main lines of the variation being played! Additionally the commentator can transmit live audio commentary, and switch from game to game with a click of the mouse.

The increase in popularity of rapid tournaments, with only short breaks between rounds, often leaves commentators gasping - they only covered 20% of the games. Retrospective analysis is too late - the audience already went home! Therefore, contemporaneous multi-media commentary maintains the 'right-now' excitement in the same spirit as the games themselves.

More ambitious broadcasts may involve players at multiple locations, for example as a trans-continental or international team match. Broadcasting these events would take place in the same way, and open new avenues of opportunity for chess players and organizers alike.

This view of broadcasting possibilities is far from exhaustive, but concludes this section of the report on Distance Chess. The next article will comprise a brief history of its development, some specific contributions by players of note, reception of its potential by official chess organizations, and implications for rules development and the hands-on management of events by tournament directors.

Phil Innes,  2 August 2003

 Part Three - History and Development