ICU Membership and Website Logins

by Mark Orr (October 2010)

Tell me some of the benefits of ICU membership.
• You can log in to this website and access member-only content and features.
• You can log in to the ICU Ratings website and see details of your rating and its history.
• All players in ICU affiliated tournaments are rated, however only members appear in published rating lists.
• Your subscription aids the development of chess in Ireland.
How much does it cost to subscribe?
The annual fee depends on whether you're a junior, employed etc. You can see current subscription rates here or here.

When does membership expire?
At the end of the chess season, which runs from September 1st to August 31st. However:
• Your previous season's subscription is still considered active for the first rating list of the new season (mid-September).
• You will still be able to log in to the web site until the end of the calendar year.
But by January, your old subscription, having been hanging on by it's fingernails, will finally expire and you will need to renew.
What if I haven't remembered to renew by January?
Unfortunately, in that case, you won't be in the January rating list and will be unable to login to the website until you resubscribe.
How can I subscribe?
Online with your credit card (recommended), by post to the membership secretary or (sometimes, depending on your club) via your chess club.

What do I get when I subscribe?
• An ICU membership number which is yours for life.
• A PIN number which lasts a year and is proof of payment for the season in which you join.
PIN number? What's that for?
Think of it as being like a season ticket - proof you've paid for the season.
Please don't confuse it with your password which is entirely different (see below).
If I don't know my PIN, how do I find it out?
That depends on how you subscribed.
• If you subscribed online, it should be in your confirmation email (check your spam folder if you can't find it).
• If you mailed a check, the membership officer should have informed you.
• If a club representative subscribed for you, they should have the information.
If none of the above have given you your PIN, or if you had it but lost it, then email the .
Do I need anything else to login to the website?
Yes, a website account, and you set this up yourself (we don't automatically create one for you).
You only need to do this once. You can use the same account year after year from then on.
Click Register and fill in all the details, including your ICU number and PIN.
Choose the email address and password you want to use.
Your account won't become active until you respond to the email address verification message.

Will the same username and password also work for the ICU Ratings website?
Yes. However, new accounts take a short while (at most 24 hours) to be synchronized to the rating site's database.
So, for example, as soon as you setup a new account and respond to the verification email, you can log in to this site,
however, you would have to wait until the next morning before you could use the account to log in to the ratings site.
Will my existing account be updated automatically with my new PIN when I resubscribe?
Yes, but only if you subscribe online (or your club representative subscribes you online).
If you subscribe any other way, you'll have to update the PIN in your account yourself.
I have an account already, but I'm not sure if it has my new PIN.
Login, click the Logins link and then Edit Profile.
If you still see your old PIN, insert the new one and click Update.

My old PIN has expired so I can't login. How can I update my account to the new PIN?
Try to Login, just as you normally would, and then, when the site challenges you, insert your new PIN and click Update.

Right, I'm ready. Where do I actually login?
Starting from the Home page, click the Login link on the left, enter your email and password and click the Login button.

Is there a shortcut for logging in which will save me some typing?
Yes. Having logged in the usual way, click the Remember Me button.
Next time you come back to the site (if you use the same computer and browser) just click Login.
You'll be logged in straight away. This feature has a timeout of 3 months, after which you'll need enter your credentials again.

If I no longer use my registered email address, will I still be able to login?
Yes. Once we've verified an email address, we know it's you, even if you stop using it. So you can continue logging in with it.
I've forgotten my password.
Either email and ask for your password to be reset or create a new account with a different email address (see next item).
I'd rather use my new email address to login. Can my old email be changed to the new one?
No, but you can setup a new account using the new email address and your PIN (click Register, etc. as described above).
There's nothing stopping you registering more than one account, as long as the email addresses belong to you.
As before, you'll need to respond to the email address verification message before any new account is activated.
I'm still stuck.
Then ask the or for help. If you normally subscribe online, the former is best, otherwise the latter.

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