[smerriman]

Given the discussions in the challenge event, I think the way expiry dates work in challenges should be adjusted.

Challenges with strangers are fine; expiration typically only happens when one person quits after starting and never completes the challenge. If it didn't expire, it would be stuck in your list permanently as you can't cancel after playing (which makes sense).

Challenges with friends don't make sense though. Since you can't play until the other person accepts, they may accept just before the expiration date, leaving you no time to complete the challenge.

My suggestion - don't have any expiry time on accepting a challenge. This has no downsides; while it's pending, the challenger can already cancel the challenge at any point, while the challengee can reject the challenge.

The time limit (possibly with an option to set a longer range) should only start once a challenge is actually accepted.

[barmar]

Another option would be for the expire timer to be restarted when the challenge is accepted. This way we don't get lots of unaccepted challenges hanging around forever. So your friend has 3 days to accept the challenge, then you both have 3 days to play.

We could also have different time limits for the two phases.

[billw55]

barmar, on 2016-September-06, 08:22, said:

Another option would be for the expire timer to be restarted when the challenge is accepted. This way we don't get lots of unaccepted challenges hanging around forever. So your friend has 3 days to accept the challenge, then you both have 3 days to play.

We could also have different time limits for the two phases.

This seems obvious enough that I am surprised it was not implemented that way to begin with.

[broze]

billw55, on 2016-September-06, 12:30, said:

This seems obvious enough that I am surprised it was not implemented that way to begin with.

It was even how I assumed the challenges worked up until very recently!

[Phil]

I don't see any reason why someone issuing a challenge can't play the boards immediately.

[broze]

Phil, on 2016-September-06, 13:45, said:

I don't see any reason why someone issuing a challenge can't play the boards immediately.

Well, it would be frustrating to play all the boards and then have the other person decline the challenge or have the challenge time out. You may say that the two people might have corresponded with each other beforehand and agreed to play but in that case why not just do this on BBO in the form of issuing/accepting the challenge.

[smerriman]

barmar, on 2016-September-06, 08:22, said:

Another option would be for the expire timer to be restarted when the challenge is accepted. This way we don't get lots of unaccepted challenges hanging around forever. So your friend has 3 days to accept the challenge, then you both have 3 days to play.

That was going to be my original suggestion, but then I realised there was really no upside in having the initial expiry, since you can just cancel the challenge (it would never be stuck there like stranger challenges can be for several days).

[barmar]

smerriman, on 2016-September-07, 19:16, said:

That was going to be my original suggestion, but then I realised there was really no upside in having the initial expiry, since you can just cancel the challenge (it would never be stuck there like stranger challenges can be for several days).

I was just thinking that we don't want them to hang around forever if you forget to cancel. This expiry could be long, like a week or 2.

[Phil]

broze, on 2016-September-06, 15:05, said:

Well, it would be frustrating to play all the boards and then have the other person decline the challenge or have the challenge time out. You may say that the two people might have corresponded with each other beforehand and agreed to play but in that case why not just do this on BBO in the form of issuing/accepting the challenge.

Yes but it's more likely a challenge will be accepted if the challengee doesn't have to wait around for the results.