An update has just gone live which effectively reduces the number of concurrent games available for regular members, based on the number of years played.
When RHP launched, it was limited to 6, but increased to 12 overtime as ad revenue could carry the costs, but this is no longer the case.
A broardcast message has just sent to all non-subs, as follows :
Red Hot Pawn Chess is a few months shy of reaching 25 years old, which places it as one of the oldest continuously run chess services available.
The internet has changed a great deal in that time, and for many years a free service could be sustained by online advertising.
That is no longer the case and hasn't been for some time.
So we had to make some changes. The number of concurrent games available is now scaled to years played, from the existing 12 for newcomers to 6 for anyone playing for over a decade.Subscribe
This change is as follows :
Under 2 years, 12 games, (no change)
Over 2 years, 10 games (-2)
Over 5 years, 8 games (-4)
Over 10 years, 6 games. (-6)
Subscribers up to 1000, as before.
If you are a long term player here, I sincerely hope you do choose to subscribe to help fund the site you use daily.
I've seen a few responses already stating that it is unfair to punish long-term players who should receive the benefits, not the new players. I understand the disappointment.
I hope it is understood that when someone has 20 years of game history—and there are many such players—there is a real cost to retaining that history and supporting these players' data.
@chessgirlzzz saidPeople who subscribed were unlikely to risk their account being cancelled by uploading wildly inappropriate content.
@Russ
It would be interesting to hear your reasons for allowing non subs to upload pics...
People are generally better behaved now the wild-west era of the internet has largely passed.
@Russ
I totally agree with gradually reducing the number of allowed concurrent games for non-subs over a period of time. Your time line is more than fair, too!
A free membership is great, but keeping this site operational is NOT FREE!
So if you do not help by subscribing, you should not complain if you get a reduction in available features. At least your membership hasn't been cancelled!
- Joined
- 20 Sep 01
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@Russ
I have posted before about the freeloaders and got shouted down.
EVERYONE in business has to make money from whichever source is appropriate to their business model.
The subscription cost here is peanuts; maybe offer a low-cost subscription for the first few months and then increase it to the regular annual subscription.
@Martin said@Martin,
@Russ
I have posted before about the freeloaders and got shouted down.
EVERYONE in business has to make money from whichever source is appropriate to their business model.
The subscription cost here is peanuts; maybe offer a low-cost subscription for the first few months and then increase it to the regular annual subscription.
I believe there was a time where non paying subscribers had to endure the ads which apparently no longer exist as stated by Russ. I believe when you spoke about this idea and it was shot down ads were still making money for the Site. I was very well one of the people who shot it down as I knew the ads still made money for the site back at that time. Now, it is a whole different story of course. Perhaps you saw it coming I don't really know.
-VR
@Very-Rusty saidAds still exist.
@Martin,
I believe there was a time where non paying subscribers had to endure the ads
@Russ said@Russ,
Ads still exist.
My apology I understood they didn't exist, maybe not as many as before? I still believe every one should be paying something. I am on a site where you pay for the amount of games you want to play, which I just got a life time membership back some years ago and am able to be a Co-Captain or Captain. I have been a Co-Captain for a number of years now. So my games are UNLIMITED as they are on here.
-VR
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@Russ saidI have been a long term player here, since 2004. After a short introduction period, I subscribed. But that was with a credit card from my father. After he died, I had no way to subscribe anymore as other payment methods weren't in place back in 2010.
If you are a long term player here, I sincerely hope you do choose to subscribe to help fund the site you use daily.
Paypal for international pay was not available back then. Now it is, but since paypal was offered as payment I already wasn't a member anymore. And if I would become a member I would have to pay the annual fee that was in place as of that time instead of the annual fee I could pay that was in place when I joined. After all, if you kept the annual subscription going every year, you would keep the orignal yearly fee! But as I now have a few years' laps, I now had to pay the new fee. The new fee was about twice as high! Not too my liking.
If there was an option of going back to my original pay when I was a subscriber, I would happily rejoin again on my original annual fee (which I would still have if paypal was in place in 2010).
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- 158426
@Aiko said$39.95 for a year is cheap
I have been a long term player here, since 2004. After a short introduction period, I subscribed. But that was with a credit card from my father. After he died, I had no way to subscribe anymore as other payment methods weren't in place back in 2010.
Paypal for international pay was not available back then. Now it is, but since paypal was offered as payment I already wasn't ...[text shortened]... ly rejoin again on my original annual fee (which I would still have if paypal was in place in 2010).
@Aiko
Subscriptions have been the same price since 2009. Corrected for inflation, $58.58 back then, so it is currently a 1/3 cheaper now.
Original thread Thread 104901 from 2009.
@chessgirlzzz saidOr not...
@Russ
Announcing that "the banned" can return with a full pardon should get you 5 to 10 subscriptions 😉