Unlocking Beta on Chess.com

You click the cog.  You scroll down in settings.  "Beta" is clicked.

"You are currently part of Chess.com Beta. Thanks for participating!"

I have to confess the first time I turned on beta, nothing looked different.  Then, the themes began to change.  For example, "Modern" took over for "Classic".  I kept participating, feeling guilty every time I saw the Beta "greetings" banner, because I wanted to help. 

I just didn't know how.

With more and more updates over the last two years, I am proud to say that I have invested questions and suggestions as well as bug reports.  I kept a folder with all my screenshots, clips, and photos marked "Beta".

To keep this from being a "blog roll" of pictures, I will instead focus on the progression of features from my perspective.  The social media "share" option is the first bug for me to find.  When I posted on Facebook, it did not show a preview of my post.  I began to make my bug report: "The social preview image is broken."  I listed details and a screenshot.  They sent a response telling me that my blog was private and could not have a preview. 

Chess.com vs. Kinglybingly 1-0.

Some of the earliest messages from me are a cry for a more user friendly "Classic" interface.  The tabbed "Modern" theme changed into what it is today due to the help of Beta members.

Next are the live server updates.  Board settings, focus mode, arenas, and variants are added at this time. 

In 2018, major features like "Puzzle Rush", "Game Reports", "Tactics", and "Lessons" get makeovers.  The ChessTV tab shows chess streamers when they are live, and tournament coverage increases for broadcasts.

The most recent innovation on Chess.com, that I have noticed, has been the new design of the social "share" option with the PGN, Image, GIF, and Embed tabs.

This brings us up to date on my most recent suggestion: to have a trimmer for the GIF maker to hone down the watch time to under 10 seconds.  Social media users rarely pause on their phones for greater than a minute to watch an entire game without their screen going dark.  For example, here's a home made one:

You do not have to be part of the Beta program to help.  When that brilliant idea or major glitch happens, just hover over the "Help" tab, you can make suggestions, ask a question, or report a bug!

A huge thank you to the staff at Chess.com, your teamwork is stellar!!