Chess DB

[JustinHorton]

This chap is not me and would probably be most surprised to learn that he was 47.

[Paolo Casaschi]

Just noticed the link to the FAQ (was that there before?):

http://chess-db.com/public/datafaq.html

"All player photos are found through searching and indexing the internet. Once one or more photos are linked to a player they get indexed and then displayed for this player. [...] For most of the players the displayed thumbnail is just an automatic search result using the official Google APIs and quering images.google.com. Thus the result (and the pictures displayed) will not be more accurate compared to if you go to image.google.com directly and then type your name in there. Such search queries are sometimes returning incorrect results, which in some cases might even be offensive to you (or the player). Please excuse us for this, and consider the following options in such cases. [...]" etc.

Basically, they throw some random pictures there, if you don't like the result please do the actual work for them, flag the wrong pictures and even better send them a good one.

[Simon Brown]

This was quite a surprise. Hope my wife doesn't mind! Worth clicking a couple of left arrows as well.

http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=401706

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Maybe the FIDE rating site going down was all a ploy to drive traffic to this site? (I'm not actually entirely joking here).

EDIT: play, not play. I agree with the concerns now being raised here.

[Steve Rooney]

I don't think this is funny, just outrageous. Their methodology is ludicrous and dangerous and I would urge everyone to contact them to seek the removal of the photos. Who and where is chess-db.com? I can't see any details on their site and the only means of contact is through their web form.

[Ian Kingston]

This paragraph, from their Terms of Service page, is somewhat ironic given the means that they use to collect their image data:

7. You will not collect users' content or information, or otherwise access chess-db.com, using automated means (such as harvesting bots, robots, spiders, or scrapers) without our prior permission.

[Roger de Coverly]

Who and where is chess-db.com? I can't see any details on their site and the only means of contact is through their web form.

If you look at their terms and conditions, they are Bulgarian, based in Plovdiv. Whether they have any connections to other Bulgarian sites (chessdom.com comes to mind) or Bulgarians highly placed in ECU and FIDE isn't known.

[Geoff Chandler]

They have me OK. They must have lifted it from Chandler Cornered.

Me sitting in the middle of a giant chess set with my
'Scottish Player of the Year' award. (an honour I'm still stunned at receiving.)

http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=2461560

A super site that has been added to my favourites ( )

[Alistair Campbell]

That was funny to begin with, but now it's gone too far

By the way, what's with the hijacking of the Union Flag for England? Silly Bulgars...

[Peter Shaw]

I looked at mine and was rather disappointed to find the photo actually is me. I'm tempted to report it and hopefully get a better looking replacement.

[Neil Graham]

As far as I can see they have downloaded details from the whole of the ECF Grading database.

I can understand why I might appear on the database but when I find that every member of our club down to the 14 year old junior who plays bottom board for our fifth team is on the site that's too much.

Okay it started as a bit of a joke with the photos but surely there are copyright issues here for the ECF.

[Ian Stephens]

They have me OK. They must have lifted it from Chandler Cornered.

Me sitting in the middle of a giant chess set with my
'Scottish Player of the Year' award. (an honour I'm still stunned at receiving.)

http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=2461560

A super site that has been added to my favourites ( )

Hi Geoff, nice award, four left clicks, is this your alter ego "Trap Man" or just you having a quiet game with Tin Tin?

[Ian Stephens]

I have morphed into a succesful chess team! http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=429821

Although it must be a division two side as there are only six boards!

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Ian.

I never knew about clicking left and right.

This is super fun. The other lad is my great friend Johnny Marr who
has sadly past away. How apt that he should be there, he taught me
99% of what I know about the game and was a constant source of encouragement.

I see if you click left on yours you turn into two girls playing chess on a mat.

Going to spend the whole doing this plucking names at random.

Have phoned in for a sickie so I can listen to BBC 2's all day coverage
of the Beatles 'Please Please Me' 50 year tribute. (my first LP.)

[Rob Thompson]

I have morphed into a succesful chess team! http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=429821

Although it must be a division two side as there are only six boards!

That's Exmouth Chess Club after winning the top division in Devon. Members of the team include Ian Jamieson and John Stephens, so i'm guessing that's the connection.