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An Introduction to
Correspondence Chess
Part 2
By Steve Ryan
From
Part 1 of this series we learned the basic
premise of correspondence chess (CC): “playing a
chess game at a distance by the sequential exchange of moves using some
particular method of transmitting the moves and employing a chess
“language”, “code” or “notation” to describe them.”
Naturally, for the
orderly conduct of a game, at least in an organized league, you need rules
of play. If you and Uncle Harry decide to have your own private match then
“anything goes” and it usually does. This disadvantage here concerns the
fact that you and Uncle Harry likely do not have any way to settle disputes
– no “arbiter” or neutral third party to act in an impartial manner. So, if
you want to stay in Uncle Harry’s will I advise you to accept the loss of a
game and keep smiling, or join an organized league like the
International E-Mail
Chess Club (IECC), where nobody has any
money (more on the various chess clubs in part 3).
All CC organizations
will, of course, adhere to the fundamental rules of the game. All the
pieces and pawns move the same way under the same conditions. As alluded to
in Part 1 any differences arise solely from
playing chess at a distance instead of having your opponent directly across
from you and a referee near by. In CC your
opponent and the tournament director /
arbiter could live thousands of kilometres apart or, as
it sometimes happens, around the corner from your own house (and you may
never know it).
Though the different
clubs will have variations on these rules they will all concern at least the
following subjects:
-
Time keeping and
exceeding the time limits
-
Vacation leave
-
OTB equivalent to
“touch move”
-
Illegal/ambiguous/impossible moves
-
The particular chess
notation required by the club
-
“Conditional”(if-then) moves
-
Unsportsmanlike
conduct
-
Submission of time
complaints and other infractions to the TD/Arbiter
-
“Take backs”
Interested readers can
examine the playing rules of the individual clubs but we can make the
following general observations:
For #1 and as in
Over the Board (OTB) play, you
must complete a certain minimum number of moves in a certain maximum amount of time. Most clubs select 10 moves as the
“minimum number” and the time to finish these 10 moves can range from about
40 to 60 days. In the IECC’s somewhat unique system you have 30 days to
complete the “last 10” moves (1-10, 2-11, 3-12 etc.). Clubs using the 10
moves in X number of days system may also allow the accumulation of unused
time; for example if you complete your first 10 moves in 30 days instead of
40 you will have an extra 10 days “in the bank” for future use. Do NOT take
that “banking privilege” to mean that you can complete the first 10 moves
quickly and then not send your opponent any moves for a long time as the
rules may also require a certain maximum time in-between
moves without giving notice of vacation. The IECC system does not allow
for “banking” or the “carry-forward” of moves. Besides, you will probably
find that most CC games proceed best if they
establish a certain “flow” or “rhythm” established by a regular interval
between each move. If you answer in 0 days as a rule then switch to 5, 7,
or 10 days you may only encourage your opponent to adopt the same
diabolical
(but perfectly legal) tactics.
But whatever interval you use between moves you MUST remain within the time
limits.
Overstepping the time
limit means a time complaint sent to the Tournament Director/Arbiter. You
won’t have a fallen flag on a time clock to point out so you must PROVE your
allegation by documentary evidence. In CC that
means keeping a file of your opponent's moves with a record of both the
dispatch date and arrival date of each move. In postal chess the
cancellation mark on the stamp (if present and legible) provides the
dispatch date of an opponent’s card and your honesty provides its arrival
date. Interesting situations have arisen in postal games where one player
“swears” he mailed it on such and such a day but the cancellation mark says
something different. How do you know the Post Office didn’t miss it
somehow? In such cases the TD/Arbiter has to walk a fine line and display
the Wisdom of Solomon.
E-mail chess has the
advantage of providing a time-date stamp on each message, which simplifies
the situation immensely. As you must keep all your opponent’s cards/letters
in a postal game you must keep a separate file for each e-mail game.
Another general e-mail rule used by most clubs indicates that your clock
begins to run when an opponent’s move ARRIVES ON YOUR SERVER, regardless of
when you look at it. So check your e-mail as often as you need to.
For #2 the provision of
vacation leave acknowledges the fact that players will occasionally need a
break from the game for family or health reasons, because they actually plan
to go on a real vacation or even, heaven forbid, to participate in an
over-the-board tournament. The amount of time granted by each club varies
considerably and many allow you to take it in one day at a time “as
required” or in blocks of several days.
OTB rules state that if
you touch a piece you must move it if you can legally do so. CC has the
equivalent of the touch-move rule in that “ANY LEGAL MOVE MUST STAND AS
SENT”. So, if instead of sending 22.Nxf3 as you intended, you send instead
22.Qxc6, if you can legally do so your Q must go to c6, regardless of the
consequences (usually bad). This rule has given rise to the dreaded
“clerical error”. Not recording the game properly and having your pieces
out of position or sending the move from Game A to your opponent in Game B
all cause clerical errors. You cannot overstate the importance of accurate
record keeping in correspondence chess. [Editor's note: see
Part 1 for some
examples of move recorders to help address this problem.]
I have made my own share of clerical errors and invariably they have lost
the game for me either immediately or down the line a few moves.
#4 - Illegal, ambiguous
and impossible moves occur with some regularity in correspondence chess but
only in CC can I see an “ambiguous” move,
the only possible place where such a thing could occur. If you know how to
make an ambiguous move in an OTB game, please let me in on the secret. In a CC
game you must refer the move back to the sender for clarification. The
implication here – that you must do so in a timely manner though to the best
of my recollection I have never actually seen this rule written down
anywhere (I invite readers to send me examples). In CC,
your clock STOPS only when you send your opponent
a LEGAL move. Since ambiguous and impossible moves do not comprise “legal”
ones, if you receive one from an opponent near his time limit you could, in
theory, run him out of time by not reporting the move right away. I don’t
know how arbiters would respond to such tactics though (and a most
underhanded one I believe).
#5 – By and large
CC clubs use the English algebraic notation in PGN
(Portable Game Notation) format. The
ICCF also uses the “Numeric Notation”.
You can find abundant references to both types of
notation on the web sites of the various clubs. PGN simply involves a
standardized way to organize or “format” a game score recorded in algebraic
notation. A “header” section provides information on the players involved,
date, “site” (in which club the game took place), tournament number,
ratings, game result and any other information you care to include. The
“body” records the actual moves played in the game. See a typical PGN game
score below from an IECC “class” event:
[Event "CL5-2003.23.08"]
[Site "IECC"]
[Date "2003.10.28"]
[White "Klawitter, Bernd"]
[Black "Crandall, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1493"]
[WhiteCountry "GER"]
[BlackElo "1452"]
[BlackCountry "USA"]
1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.f3 Nbd7 4.Be3 c6 5.Bd3 e5 6.c3 Qc7 7.Ne2 Be7 8.O-O h6
9.Nd2 Nf8 10.Kh1 g5 11.Ng3
Ng6 12.Nf5 Bxf5 13.exf5 Nf4
14.Bxf4 exf4 15.Re1
d5 16.Qb3 h5 17.Qa3 Kf8
18.Qb3 Ng4 19.fxg4
hxg4 20.Nf3 gxf3 21.Qc2 fxg2+
22.Qxg2 f3 23.Qf2 g4 24.Re5
Bh4
25.Qe3 Bg3 0-1
#6 – Conditional
moves: I don’t know any club that does not allow “conditional” moves (also
called “if-then” moves or “hypothetical” moves). Conditionals get used most
often in the “opening” (Defined as “that part of
the game in which intelligence plays no part”) or
in the event of “obvious” captures and re-captures. Postal players use them
a lot to save on postage expense. You can regard conditionals as an “offer”
or “suggestion” to play certain moves in a certain order such as 1.e4 if
1…e5 2.Nf3. White has indicated he will play 1.e4 as his first move. IF
Black plays 1…e5 in return, then White has already sent his second move
2.Nf3. Black, of course, has no obligation to play 1…e5 and may substitute
any other legal move. You can send a series of conditional moves of any
length but if accepting only a part of the series you must do so in
numerical order, no “cherry picking” to get what you want. Acceptance of a
conditional move obligates you to play the move(s) agreed upon. You
should, therefore, accept a conditional move strictly on its own merits as
your opponent may have proposed something to THEIR
advantage, not yours.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
(#7) can occur in a variety of ways. You can define it as regular violation
of the standard rules (always behind the time limit, constantly sending
illegal moves etc.). It can also occur by sending rude messages in a
regular game (your last move totally destroyed your position, you may as
well resign). Jokes, cartoons and other material not connected to the game
may distract your opponent even if you consider them the height of humour
and send them with no malicious intent. If asked to not include such
material you should do so at once. Not doing so crosses the line. Your
opponent has the right to send a complaint to the arbiter about such
behaviour even if you have not violated any of the “technical” rules.
Most clubs will clearly
indicate under which conditions and how to send a complaint to the arbiter
or Tournament Director (#8). The most frequent complaint sent to arbiters
concerns time violations or opponents that have stopped answering. The
clubs will also clearly spell out the penalties involved with the most
severe consisting of outright forfeiture of the game and loss of rating or
expulsion from the club.
Take backs (#9) means
allowing an opponent to substitute a move for one sent in error. Since the
“any legal move must stand as sent rule” always applies your opponent has no
obligation to grant a “take back”. So “officially” the rules do not allow
them. But what goes on in a correspondence chess game, especially if you
and your opponent MUTUALLY agree and make no mention of it will remain
between you and your opponent.
Part 3 |
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