CS chat extracter

I want to start a new little project for myself and is something like this. In the game Counter Strike you are able to chat in a text based environment with the other players on the server, I want to make a program that will let me chat with the players on the server without starting up Counter Strike. I will need the program to "check" the server every so often to update the text or update when someone enters new text and then beable to write to the server my message. What I need to know is if there is any special protocol that CS uses to handle interactions between server and client and if there is a way for me to obtain the CS source. Thank you in advanced.

Nate

cs = hlmod

hl = quake1 engine

quake1 engine = ftp://idsoftware.com
EDIT: of course they probably updated it so much that actually downloading the quake1 source would do no good, plus the quake1 source is an almost impossible read

Connect to a half-life server and randomly send and receive data, hoping you'll figure out a pattern based on the server's responses? :p

Post on CS sites to see if it's been done before, or if anyone knows specs?

there is a program that lets you chat in an IRC room while playing CS, google for it, it may be useful.