Diamond Chess is a free and ad free client for Mac, iOS, and Android to play chess online. Users can get a free account at FICS. For quick chess games with no-signup just play with the connect as guest option. Freechess.org decends from the original ICS server and is arguably the world's oldest chess server dating to 92 or earlier. In addition to my apps, another developer has been working on the the web app, FCC, which is the Login Now option on freechess.org. It's open source and uses the LiChess board code. In the last decade most all users were only using Babaschess and Mobialia. Now there is new client growth on FICS with Pearl and Diamond and FCC. FCC has also been released on Android, Free Chess Club on Google Play.
On ICS servers there are IRC style channels and shouts(no chat history) for chat. Tap of console's channels button for a list and tap to enter one. Toggle back to console and current channel/shout utilizing same button. Only members can chat and on FICS 39(politics with some off topic chat) and shouts are most active. Help also tends to be responsive, channel 1 on both servers. Some things can depend on hour of day. One can just type in console shout hi everyone or sho hi everyone as well without using the UI.
Diamond is on iOS and Mac on our App Store page and on Android at our Play Store page. Includes the Pulsar Chess Engine playing program to use on and off line independent of the online chess.
Pearl Chess by me is a Desktop client for FICS on Windows, Mac and Linux available on its own page at PearlChess.com
All versions(Mac, iOS or Android) have access to a channels list to talk on chat channels on both FICS and ICC which come in different topics like politics, religion or sports as well as channels about the server or online help. ICS servers have always supported IRC style chat rooms. Rooms are known by their number. For example Politics is 39 on FICS and 97 on ICC. There is a seek graph on Board's Options Menu to find games.
We are in the App Store now and its recommended to get it there for updates. For those who want an installer the latest build is Diamond on Mac 1.80 installer. All diamonds support having mutliple games open and have five tabbed views. Diamond requires OS Catalina or later. Use Pearl or FCC, the web app, both linked at top of page if on an older OS.
Some tips are scroll the console with the mouse scroll wheel, use the options button on the board to unlock what the board can do, and use the Action button on top of board for context sensitive commands to do when playing or not playing or observing etc.
The app support engine analysis when examining a game or observing, a seek a game window, a seek graph to see others seeks. Games are logged to a game file that can be opened in the App. This is in addition to server history which is also an option to get in the UI. There is an onboard engine with playing levels. There is easy access to channels to chat on on the main view's channels button in lower right. Settings include multiple board and pieces choices.
Currently there is no UI to directly challege one player but the command match username time inc like match mike 15 0, can be used. There is an option to rematch the last opponent on Actions on the board. To send a tell or PM to that player type tell username text. Once users received a tell they can switch to the tell username send prefix on send prefix button above console for faster chat.
Diamond uses the ~/Library/Containers/mike.pearl.chess/Data/Documents/ folder to save PGN. It saves all played games there. You can use the finders Go menu - Go to Folder option with that path to get to your pgn.
There is online help if the user types info on fics or commands on icc. Use the up and down arrows in console to cycle through recent commands.
For support contact lanternbugs at Gmail. Lanternbugs was originaly the bug reporting account for my first ICS client, Lantern. This was similar to what ICC was doing with their then main client Blitzin with BlitzinBugs. My apps are independent chess programs.
