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Topic: Free players' rights.
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How much rights and features should free players have? This has been discussed on many chess and gaming websites which offer both free and paying levels of membership.
Some chess sites I have played at offer an excellent range of features to free players. For example, GameKnot allows free players to enter several types of tournaments, and many free players are active members in the forums.
Other sites take the opposite stance. Letsplaychess is purportedly the best correspondence chess website on the Internet. However, free players can't even play rated games or post in the forums.
Advocates of free players' rights argue that a site must offer a wide range of features to free players so they will become regular users of the site, and will subsequently consider subscribing. The opposing argument, of course, is that by offering too much features and rights to free players, they will have no incentive to subscribe and will be putting a strain on the paying members, and that most sites are businesses, not charities.
I usually choose websites which offer me a good range of features for free and allow me to use them for free for as long as I want - no trials. I am the type of person who can become very loyal to a site. Even as a free member, I can contribute by recommending a site to friends and sending its webmaster suggestions for improving the site. If I really love a site, I can choose to pay for it. As a free member, however, I understand that webmasters have a business to run, and I am usually willing to tolerate inconveniences and limitations on free members, such as advertisements, as long as they are not unreasonable.
Hopefully I will not be stirring up a hornet's nest by raising this controversial issue. However, it's part of my miscellaneous testing. I hope everyone will openly express their viewpoints on this issue.
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This site is totally free. No payment needed to access all the feature. Thats why I like it more than other site  .
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I am new here, but from what I got QueenAlice is 100% free.
You make a Donation if you like it. But that is not necessary to enjoy all the stuff.
BTW I came to know QueenAlice by some Internet reviews and by far it has the better (and cleanner) user interface (even among $$$ sites).
That is my short opinion after 2 days here
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I've been here over a year, and am happy to say that I'm one of the ones who "harrassed" Miguel into taking donations. It was OUR idea, not his. And they ARE donations, not charges. This is definitely my favorite chess site; Miguel does a really good job, even if his recent adjustments to make our ratings more realistic bothered some people.  This site offers a great deal of features, all due to Miguel's talent and generosity. Welcome to the site, those of you who are new!
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Dear tewald,
Nice... Allways good to remember new visitors about that.
Cheers,
Beco.
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I know many chess sites. And there is no other better than QueenAlice between the free ones.
And even with the payed ones, QA does just fine...
I just thinks that real tools for teams and leagues are missing. (And a live chat room)... But the forums are doing this joob nicely right now...
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