Correspondence chess is a form of chess in which the opponents do not sit at the same board but send each other their moves. Days are allowed for each move, and a game can last for months.
How it used to be
For a long time moves were sent on postcards in written notation. A single move could take a week to reach the opponent, and longer if they lived on another continent. A game stretched over a year or two, and a tournament over several years.
Later came play by e-mail, and today most games are played on dedicated servers: the player logs on to the site, makes a move, and the opponent sees it instantly.
Features
- Lots of time. Usually several dozen days are given for a certain number of moves, to be distributed as you see fit.
- Books are allowed. Opening manuals, game databases and books may be used.
- Computers. In tournaments of the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) chess engines are now permitted as well. So the competition is about the depth of preparation, understanding of the position and the ability to steer the analysis.
- Many games at once. A correspondence player often has 10–20 games going in different tournaments.
Titles and championships
Correspondence chess has its own world championships, olympiads and titles: ICCF Master, International Master, ICCF Grandmaster. The first world championship was held in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Many well-known players have played correspondence chess. For example, the fourth women's world champion Olga Rubtsova also became women's world correspondence champion, and the Swedish grandmaster Ulf Andersson, one of the strongest players of the 1970s and 80s, later topped the correspondence rating list (“Chess stars of the world”).
Who it suits
Correspondence chess is good for those who love deep analysis and cannot attend tournaments regularly. It is an excellent way to study openings and learn to evaluate positions.