student doesn't receive "start lesson" invitation

Has anyone successfully coached a lesson here at ChessCube? I'm trying to start a lesson for a user, but it's not working. Here's what happens:

My student and I both log in using the special link [chesscube*]/play/lessons/. We are already "friends" so there's no problem there. In the friends panel, I click "start lesson", type a lesson name and click the "start lesson" button. My screen flashes briefly, but my student doesn't see any popup invitation. She tried enabling all popups but it made no difference. Other types of invitation work fine e.g. I can challenge her and she gets the popup invitation for that.

I'm a VIP, but she's not. It's my understanding that the student doesn't have to be a VIP member; is that correct?

We're both running Firefox version 22.0.
I'm on a PC running Windows XP SP2, Flash 11.7.700.224.
She's on a Macbook Air running 10.7.5, Flash 11.8.800.94.

Cheers,
Chris
vjchris

* this forum won't allow chesscube's URL! Says it's an external link and looks too spammy, what's up with that??

Hi, sorry to reply my own post but I have updated information.

I'm still unable to coach my student, because she does not receive the start lesson invitation. We now are both VIP members, but that apparently makes no difference. We both log in via the special lessons URL, I hover over her profile and press "Start Lesson", type a name, press OK, my screen flashes, and she sees nothing. I also created a test account and verified the same problem using two of my computers, which proves that it's unrelated to her computer. She also receives regular challenge invitations from me without problems.

I'm starting to suspect that coaching has to be enabled by support, and that being a VIP member isn't enough by itself. Is that true? Not true? I'm not trying to make money, I'm just a paying customer trying to help a friend learn chess.

Cheers,

Chris
username: vjchris

PS previous correspondence w support enclosed -- note that they confirm that handicapping is supposedly possible via the coaching feature!

Tue, Jul 16, 2013 at 12:00 PM
student doesn't receive "start lesson" invitation
From Chris
To support

I'm trying to start a lesson for a user, but it's not working. Here's what happens:

My student and I both log in using the special link [deleted]/lessons/. We are already "friends" so there's no problem there. In the friends panel, I click "start lesson", type a lesson name and click the "start lesson" button. My screen flashes briefly, but my student doesn't see any popup invitation. She tried enabling popups but it made no difference. Other types of invitation work fine e.g. I can challenge her and she gets the popup invitation for that.

It's my understanding that the student doesn't have to be a VIP member; is that correct?

We're both running Firefox version 22.0.
I'm on a PC running Windows XP SP2, Flash 11.7.700.224.
She's on a Macbook Air running 10.7.5, Flash 11.8.800.94.

Cheers,
Chris

My username: vjchris
Student username: dralias

Hi,

To use the lessons feature, you and your students need to log in via [deleted]/lessons/

Please see [deleted] for information on using our coaching feature (excluding the steps on accessing lessons)

Regards,
Mandy
ChessCube Support


On Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 3:43 AM, Chris wrote:

Hi,

I would like to be set up as a coach. I am a VIP member as of today; my receipt is enclosed. Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Chris / Slothrop

Hi slothrop

Thank you for your online order at [deleted]!

YOUR DETAILS
ChessCube Username: vjchris

------------------------------------------------------------------------
32 Crowns (= 1 Month VIP ILCC special) - 3.97 USD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL: 3.97 USD

Kind Regards,
ChessCube Shop

Hi,

Yes you can. Page 4 of Coaching manual: "If you click on the little knight icon (highlighted in green in the above picture) the system pops up a setup board control (see below), which you can use to setup any position. After clicking the 'SETUP' button, both your
and the student's board will reflect the setup position."

Link for manual: [deleted]

Regards,
Mandy
ChessCube Support


On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 10:34 PM, Chris wrote:

Does the VIP coaching setup tool permit removing one or more pieces before a game begins, as a handicap?

Cheers,

Chris

XP SP2 is quite old -- why haven't you moved on to (free) XP SP3 several years ago?

Anyway, I've XP SP3, use current firefox and more or less current flash [11.7.700.202 just now, right click your cc game mode area to verify your flash version], and have had no problems starting (test) lessons with friends on this site at times during the past 12 months or so. Possibly this changed (check Sean's posts, there's mention a few months ago of revamping the system) but so far as I know, it ought to work.

You as a VIP member ought to be able to invite anyone who is a friend (VIP or not) to a lesson, so long as BOTH of you arrive here via the Correct Special Lessons URL. (indeed, I use that as my cc bookmark as it works just the same as the regular URL otherwise). It is essential that you Both use http://www.chesscube.com/play/lessons/

If one or both of you need to 'enable' all popups, that suggests you have a popup blocker involved. I doubt very much if that affects this one way or the other, but you might both try turning off your popup blocker. Keep in touch with Mandy, she can be helpful.