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(1) Do I have to play at blitz speed? Some of my opponents respond almost immediately and send me emails if I don't answer right away.

Remind your opponent everyone is entitled to 40 days (not counting transmission time) to play 10 moves, an average of 4 days per move "thinking time." Never let an impatient opponent goad you into sending an ill-considered move. As a last resort, file a complaint (be sure to attach the offending correspondence to your email) with the Email Tmt. Director. Email games are completed more quickly than postal games anyway, because all the downtime of cards in the mails has been eliminated, not to mention "lost" cards. There's no reason to hurry your move and ruin a game.

(2) Do I need to be a computer expert to play chess by email?

If you have access to an email account (many are free) then you can send and receive moves via email. The experience is richer if you have a computer, browser, printer and an ISP account to access the world wide web, but that's not required to exchange plain text messages. One of the strongest players in CCLA sends/receives email through his electronic typewriter - he doesn't even own a pc!

(3) I recently sent a move but my email was returned with some kind of computer error message and a note indicating "undelivered mail." Now what?

The first thing to do is double check that you typed the correct email address and send it again; this will resolve the majority of these problems. Next, if you're not technically inclined, call your ISP to determine if the problem is your ISP's server, or your opponent's. If neither server has an outage, then have your pc checked out, particularly if you are experiencing a lot of errors. If you're in time trouble you may want to mail a copy of your transmission/copy of the error message to the tournament director, with a note that you're addressing the problem. See Email Rules of Play, sections 1D and 5D.

(4) What if my computer breaks down?

Basically, a player has 30 days to re-establish email capability or be withdrawn from his event(s.) See Email Rules of Play, sections 1D and 5D.

(5) What if my ISP's server is down?

If the server is down and you can't send and/or receive email, it's usually a short-term problem. ISP's are in a highly competitive market and they won't keep their customers with frequent and/or lengthy periods of down time. All ISP's experience service disruptions from time to time and are usually back up and running in a few hours. Your email was date/time stamped when you tried to send it, so eventually it will get through with the correct information. If this becomes a frequent problem you may want to consider changing to another ISP.

(6) I can't always check my email every day. What is the "received date" for an opponent's move?

In theory the delivery of email is almost instantaneous. The date you receive an opponent's move is the date it was delivered to your server. See Email Rules of Play. If your travel schedule is heavy you may want to consider one of the many technologies to remotely access your email.

(7) What is the "sent" date for sending my move? What if it's delayed due to server problems?

Email composed in today's email client software is automatically date/time stamped. This is the assumption made in Rule 2B Email Rules of Play.

(8) How do I prove what move was sent if there's a dispute? In postal play, an opponent has to produce my original, unaltered move card to uphold his claim.

Before sending you can (and should) save a copy of your email to your a:\ or c:\ drive (Win 9x users can set their software to save all the documents in the "sent" folder. Take care here as it is also possible to configure the program to automatically delete all files from the "sent" folder.) You absolutely need a record of your email move transmissions; see Email Rules of Play, Rule 5A.

(9) Do I need one of those specialized chess browsers that reads PGN format?

You don't need one to play chess by email but you should certainly consider it, or a similar system. PGN (Portable Game Notation) is a standardized format for storing chess games in databases (cd rom, the internet, etc.) for later viewing. It is "portable" because it is ascii-text based and can be utilized by a number of platforms. The interface is called a viewer and looks like a mini tv-screen with control buttons. Chess players can review games movie-style with the autoplay feature, or work through the game one move at a time. You can select games by opening, player, tournament, year, etc. for study.

(10) What can I do if I suspect my opponent is using a chess computer for his moves?

To discuss various chess software products and their suitability for correspondence chess, as well as the ethics involved, would require a book. If we look at database engines and pgn readers as the modern equivalent of a home chess library, particularly for research of openings, the difference is one of efficiency. Other programs, however, are chess-playing or move-generating programs and these are illegal in CCLA play. To complicate matters, the lines are blurred by many of today's programs which contain huge databases to guide their opening play but are also capable of independent analysis and move selection for every position during a game. The temptation to use these programs beyond the "book opening" is great. When we consider the unethical use of computer-generated moves is difficult to detect and impossible to prove, it makes ratings, titles, prizes and "best game" awards highly suspect. Each of us, then, must continue to find enjoyment and challenge in our chess games, postal or email, or else abandon the correspondence format altogether.