We will be implementing a new Caissa home page design within the month and wanted to give our members a preview. Note that this is only a formatting (design) change, the functionality of Caissa does not change. You can view it here:
 
http://www.caissa.com/beta/
 
This test page is for presentation only, it is not functional. Let us know what you think.
 
A couple of notes:
 
1. The new home page, and eventually all of the new Caissa site, will be formatted for slightly wider computer screens. Specifically, we will design for screen resolutions of 1024x768 pixels rather than the current 800x600 pixels. Our statistics show approximately 8% of Caissa visitors use the 800x600 resolution. If you are using this resolution, there will be no functional change in Caissa, however you may find yourself using your browser's scroll bars to see the full Caissa site. Obviously we recommend increasing your computer's screen resolution to 1024x768. If you need help doing this, just post to the Help&Support bulletin board.
 
2. There are several reasons for making this update:
 
· We want Caissa to represent the highest level of design, professionalism and usability. Our members deserve this and we are happy to oblige.
 
· On the external home page area of the site, we want to make sure ALL of the great features of Caissa are easy to see and read about. This will encourage even more visitors to sign up and become members.
 
· The new home page uses the most advanced Search Engine Optimizaion techniques which will result in higher search engine rankings and even more visitors and members.
 
· We are continuing to integrate social networking features that will extend Caissa to many of the most popular social networking sites and draw users from other sites to Caissa.
 
That's about it for now. More info in a later post.

good stuff. mobile chess? i can make moves from my blackberry sort of thing? that would be neat.
 
i think facebook.com is now prime to plug this site into.
 

The Mobile Chess is still on the drawing boards but it will probably be limited to the Apple iPhone. Any suggestions on a mobile chess feature are welcome.
 
We expect some type of Facebook integration in the next couple of weeks.

Nice work. I generally don't pay much attention to the home page, but I was drawn to the graphic displays of recently completed games. If I could make a suggestion, recognize the tournament games, either live or correspondence. Maybe show finished crosstables, acknowledge the winners and such as well.
 
Just a thought.
 
--SoCo

 
The area where the boards show up is called an "iframe" which basically means you can plug in whatever you want down there. We were planning to include recently completed games, who's logged in, and chess news rotating through that area. Acknowledging tournament winners is a good idea too.