The interface has gotten a huge and much needed update. The layout is still simple and clean but now is more polished and modern. Customizing the CSS and the look of theme is even better, the entire site was coded with the end user customizing the site in mind.

Download Checkmate 2.0

• View the Demo Site
• Checkmate 2.0 (3718)

Theme Options

There has been a total redesign of the theme options page, and also new theme options to make customizing Checkmate even easier. Checkmate 2.0 has the ability to automatically detect uploads for CSS, logos, and backgrounds, which can easily be changed via the theme options page.

Layout Options

I mentioned the layout has been updated, well now it is also more flexible. Several users wanted a true 3 column layout(columns on each side of the content), now this is possible along with a single right column, a split right column, or a combo right column. All this is controlled using theme options and widget areas, no code editing!

Ad Management

Ad management remains in Checkmate 2.0 unchanged. It is the same simple and flexible widget and theme options combination which gives you a quick and easy way to get ads on your theme.

Support

Support for Checkmate has always been a strong point and something I’ve strove to provide the best support a free theme offers. Alas WordPress comments and email aren’t the best solution, so all support will now be handled via Tender. Where you can ask questions, read documentation, and contribute to discussions.

Features

Checkmate already had a big feature list, now it is even bigger:

• Optional background header images controlled by theme options and uploads are automatically detected
• User defined style sheets, easily changed and uploads are automatically detected
• Auto detected logo controlled through theme options
• Optional featured categories
• Feedburner integration
• Drop down Page menu, with theme options to control which Pages show in the menu
• Optional footer widget areas
• Option to use Checkmate’s previous rounded corner look
• Ability to insert code or content into the header, after a post, or footer, without editing theme files
• Ad management
• Checkmate comes with 4 color themes for you to build on: grey, brown, cake, and dark.
• Custom widgets built for Checkmate.
• Tabbed Content Box – widget enabled
• Two, Three, or Split Column Design
• Feedburner Integration
• Optional Widget enabled footer
• Custom Icons
• Gravatar support for authors and comments(WordPress 2.5)
• Custom author, archive, tag, category, and search pages.
• Widget Enabled Sidebars

Updates

• Version 2.0.1
• Updated for WordPress 2.7
• Threaded Comments Enabled
• Utilizes post_class()
• Automatically Checks for Updates
• Version 2.0.2
• Trackbacks/pingbacks style change, automatically hidden
• Comments navigation for 2.7 fixed
• Upgraded theme to use jQuery 1.3
• disabled auto check for update for now due to server load
• Version 2.0.3
• Added Localization
• Changed title structure for single post pages
• Version 2.0.4
• Converted widgets to 2.8 API
• Fixed bugs in widgets

License

Checkmate is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license. All I ask is that you link back to my website somewhere in your site.

• Checkmate 2.0 (3718)

Really Like It?

If you really like this theme and would like updates, more features, and new styles, why not grease the wheel and make a donation?
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The feature set for Checkmate 2.0 has been set, and the theme has gone into testing! Checkmate was a pretty advanced theme but this new version goes even further. I learned a lot from the first theme, got a ton of feedback, and I’ve incorporated all that into the new version.

The Design

The design for Checkmate is simple and clean, it isn’t the flashiest of themes because that isn’t the point of Checkmate. I want to give WordPress blog owners a high quality theme with plenty of options and ability to customize on the fly so they can have a professional looking blog quick and get started writing.

Keeping that in mind, Checkmate 2 has been cleaned up, the design keeps things organized and easy to read. The design is something that can be easily built on, something I’ll demonstrate with a whole new curtishenson.com design based on Checkmate.

Design Options

Checkmate brings a few new things that users requested. The top request was ability to change Checkmate into a 3 column design. Checkmate can now have not only a 2 column layout with optional slit sidebar, but can also be a true 3 column design.

Customizing is a big part of Checkmate, and now you have the ability to upload custom style sheets, logos, and header backgrounds, have them automatically detected and change those from the theme options page.

Custom Widgets

One thing that set Checkmate apart from many themes were the custom widgets built into the theme. The new version takes this even further, with new widgets and more options.

• RSS Widget — options for icon, title, and optional text
• Checkmate welcome box makes a return visit
• The ad widgets are back
• Checkmate Categories — ability to pull posts from a certain category
• Tabbed Content widget

Theme Options

The theme options page has gotten it’s own redesign, and also a few more options.

• 2 or 3 column layout
• Automatically detecte and activate style sheets
• Use a custom logo
• Use a custom header background image
• Feature story and feature category select(now with multiple categories)
• Ability to use classic look for feature story and welcome box from Checkmate 1.0
• Select pages to show in the menu
• Widgetize footer
• Feedburner options
• Insert HTML code into the header, footer, or after a post
• Ad options

Checkmate is nearing release, right now I’m starting browsing testing. If you are an early adopter type, and want to help me in testing out Checkmate, leave a comment letting me know.

I’ve been promising this for awhile and finally got the time to spend a few days making changes, fixes, and redesigning. I still don’t have a release date planned, but testing should begin pretty soon. I’m happy to say the new version of Checkmate is going to well surpass the first one while still keeping things simple for tweaking.

Checkmate 2.0 has gotten a fresher look, new menu, new icons, cleaner and more usable all around. Some of the changes are minor and some are a huge slap in the face. Checkmate 2.0 also addresses some issues people had like pagination, image floats, etc.

The theme options page has been completely re-done with new options available. Checkmate 2.0 will be even easier to customize than it’s predecessor. There are some new widgets and almost all of the old widgets have been updated.

There is a little taste. This may be the last chance you have to request features or submit bugs to be fixed, so comment away.

I think Checkmate is a great theme and I want to build on its frame and use what I’ve learned to improve it. I want to update the look of Checkmate and add some more functionality to the theme. This is where all you users come in.

I want to know what the people that are interested in Checkmate want out of the theme’s next version. What do you want to be able to customize? More custom widgets? More theme options? Let me know what features you would like to see Checkmate have!

Note: A new version of Checkmate has been released. Get the new version now!

I told you earlier I was going to release it, and here it is! The Checkmate WordPress theme. It is a classic blog style template with a minimalist design packed with features and customizing options. This is one to definitely download and try out and includes a quick start guide to show you how to use some of the features.

Checkmate Demo – The demo is a bit messy looking because I tried to show off as much of the theme as I could.

Theme Options

Checkmate has a lot of options so you can get the most out of your theme without knowing any code.

• Optional Header Image
• Optional Featured Categories
• Feedburner Integration
• Menu Customization
• Optional Footer Widget Areas

Features

• Checkmate comes with 7 color themes. Grey, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Brown, and Grey/Red.
• Custom widgets built for Checkmate.
• Tabbed Content Box – widget enabled
• Two, Three, or Split Column Design
• Feedburner Integration
• Optional Widget enabled footer
• Custom Icons
• Gravatar support for authors and comments(WordPress 2.5)
• Custom author, archive, tag, category, and search pages.
• Widget Enabled Sidebars
• Includes the TimThumb script for resizing post thumbnails located under the post meta information.
• Tested in Firefox 2, Safari(Mac), IE7, IE6. (IE6 has a problem with post thumbnails, if this concerns you bug me to fix it).

Ad Management

Checkmate has two forms of built in ad management. One form built right into theme options panel and another more advanced customizable form. Both forms of management are controlled by widgets for easy placement and you retain the ability to turn them on or off via theme options panel.

License

Checkmate is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license. All I ask is that you link back to my website somewhere in your site.

Updates

• Version 1.01
• Added wp_footer hook for plugins
• Version 1.02
• Fixed Header Image Bug
• Added browser detectable RSS Feeds (RSS2, RSS1.0/RDF, RSS0.92, RSS2 Comments, ATOM)
• Version 1.03
• Added page template with comments enabled
• Version 1.04
• Fixed sidebar error when requiring users to be registered and logged in to comment
• Misc. code cleanup
• Version 1.05
• Removed query_posts from index.php for pagination support
• Version 1.06
• Changed “1 Comments” to “1 Comment”
• Fixed the multiple categories as “featured” categories error

Download It Now!

• Get the new version here!
• Download the old version Checkmate (4613)

Really Like It?

If you really like this theme and would like updates, more features, and new styles, why not grease the wheel and make a donation?
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Template for Sale

I have a WordPress Template for sell on DigitalPoint right now, if you are in the market for a unique design this could be a great way to get a website from me for CHEAP. Check it out now!

Template for Free

You are probably more interested in this one. I am releasing another free WordPress template! It’s name? …CHECKMATE! Yes the theme that was going to charge you for is now going to be free, sorta. By sorta I mean the blog portion of Checkmate is going to be free. It is jam packed with features and customizing options, this is one you will want to “check” out. Look for the release very soon.

Freelancing

I am concentrating more of my efforts into freelancing. This will mean some changes to the site, but probably not much. I also don’t foresee a change in the direction this blog is currently heading content wise.

If you want to hire me drop me an email, leave a comment, or use the form on the about page!

Side Projects!

Can’t tell you much about this, but I am working on a new side project that is sure to make you laugh…or cry…we’ll see about that later! Just thought I’d throw that teaser out there.

Check out the demo page now!(offline)

Solid Features

• Simple, clean design for any blog.
• Widget ready sidebar that includes a search bar and RSS subscription options.
• Custom Archives Page template
• Ad Management and custom ads widget
• Almost all default wordpress widgets have Silk icons
• Comment striping
• 3 color schemes
• Gravatar support with WordPress 2.5
• Feedburner Intergration
• The ability to wow your friends and family!
• Separated comments and trackbacks

Theme Options

A free theme with theme options? Ofcourse. Solid comes with 3 color themes: Red, Grey, and Seafoam. You can switch the color theme to whatever you feel like through the theme options page.

You can also enter your feedburner feed address for your full feed and comments feed in the options page. Your sidebar will then link to your feedburner feeds, otherwise it links to the default wordpress RSS feed.

Ad Management

Solid also comes with ad management. The sidebar can hold two 125px by 125px ads, and you can use the theme options page to manage them. But thats not it, you can control where your ads show up in the sidebar with a custom widget just like all your other widgets.

Known Issues

Theres always a few right? Most of these are minor inconveniences: IE8 isn’t even out yet, and really who cares about opera users.(just kidding opera users, I love you).

• IE8 breaks the footer
• Looks better on a mac
• Opera will hide the pages menu at the top
• Pages menu is at different heights in different browsers (only a problem if you are anal…like me)
• Hasn’t been tested in IE6 yet

Download It Now!

• Solid Wordpress Theme (479)

Techno Boxes is a different type of wordpress theme. The theme has a liquid layout and image heavy front page. Check out the demo. Download at the bottom of the post.

Note: This is an experimental theme and hasn’t been tested with WordPress 2.5. It is definitely not plug and play, and is somewhat outdated code wise.

Features

• Liquid layout
• Widgetized footer, can be edited to hold as many widgets as you want.
• Change the color of icons with only CSS (uses transparent PNGs)
• Custom archive page utilizes images from home page.
• Widget capable sidebar.
• Uses Blueprint CSS typography framework.

A few notes

Any size images may be used on the home page. But watch the size of your titles, categories and tags. If your images are too small you might get unexpected results(or desired results?). You should also keep the width of the users screen in mind. Part of the theme is the ability to use whatever sized images you want, you could even use extremely long images.

If you don’t want the categories or tags showing up on the homepage you can easily comment them out in the home.php file.

• Techno Boxes (348)

WordPress as a contact manager?  Apparently the folks down at The Design Canopy answered yes to that question.  They just released WP Contact Manager, a really nice contact manager built on wordpress and a few plugins.

What could be better than a contact manager? I’m glad I asked.  Prologue is what is better.  Prologue is a new theme from the creators of wordpress themselves.  The theme works just like Twitter.  I can see why companies would want something like prologue, the first thing that comes to mind is privacy.  Prologue can be password protected and would be great for internal communications.

I never would have thought of wordpress as a contact manager or Twitter substitute, but then again not many people thought wordpress could power a magazine website.  I can’t wait to see what the future will be bring.

I’ve put up a live demo of Techno Boxes today.  I haven’t browser tested it yet so there isn’t a download, but it is coming soon.

It may seem very basic but I believe if used right it will make one slick looking blog, and I mean slick like a used car salesman slick!