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The "Hidden" Side of Chess:
Correspondence Play
By Steve Ryan
Part 2 of 2
CC Equipment & Supplies
Modern correspondence chess play requires much more equipment than in days
gone by, though you can still manage with only stamps and postcards if you
want. Current CC has increasingly switched to e-mail and its faster lace,
but some die-hard "postalites" still exist and probably always will.
CC organizations that maintain a postal division usually sell printed
postcards with a miniature chess board on one side, allowing you to mark in
and send a diagram of the current position if you wish. The card will
include an area for writing in the last few moves in an appropriate notation
along with provisions for marking in sent/received dates and RT totals for
both players. Any scrap of paper will do just as well as long as you include
the required information, but the sale of such items as the pre-printed
postcards usually serves as a fund raiser for the club.
Unless you can play "blindfold-style" and carry the game in your head, both
e-mailers and postal players require some type of chess "recorder", either a
computer-based system or a "manual" recorder. The chess recorder simply
maintains a copy of the current position. You could, if you wish, play
through the game score again to arrive at this position with each move you
receive, but doing so becomes impractical if you have several games in
progress simultaneously. The same goes for having a separate full size board
set up for each game in play. One accidental bump might set up a chain
reaction and send pieces and pawns flying everywhere.
Common "manual" chess recorders consist of a miniature board and pieces with
some clever method of making the pieces stick to the board. "Portland" (tm)
recorders use a piece of folded boxboard-like material with a printed
chessboard on the front. The board has 64 narrow slots cut into its surface
into which you place small raindrop-shaped printed pieces. A backing plate
of thick, tissue-like material helps to hold the playing pieces in place. As
the game progresses, you adjust the position accordingly on the recorder and
use a SEPARATE BOARD of some type to study the variations. "Post-a-Log" (tm)
recorders, another manual type, feature a miniature printed board with a
plastic-laminated playing surface. The pieces consist of some type of
fabric-like material with a glue backing bearing a picture of a White or
Black piece/pawn on the front. You literally stick each piece to the board
and peel it off again when you need to reposition it. The manufacturers
claim this peel-and-stick procedure will last through "hundreds" of
applications. Once again though, you should use the recorder just to
maintain the current position and use some other system to study the
variations (such as a full-sized board set up close by). The Post-a-Logs(tm)
also come with a "binder" allowing you to keep all your games in one place.
Careful types (such as myself) will likewise have a written record of the
game score on a printed scorecard that CC clubs typically sell.
Computer-based recorders not only keep a record of the game but could also
have provisions for a "study-board" to which you can transfer the current
position and work on variations. In the area of computer-based programs, the
player has his choice among dozens. I want to make a distinction here
between chess "engines" and "recorders". An "engine" can do analysis and may
incorporate a recording function as well. A "recorder" does just that and
may or may not have any kind of analysis function as a secondary feature.
Both types will allow you to "import" game score databases/individual games
from CD's, diskettes and hard drives. A full description of all the
computer-based recorders available lies beyond the scope of this article.
Should you decide to join one of the many CC clubs available (see below),
they will probably recommend the recorder they like best.
As mentioned previously, CC rules allow you to consult any kind of printed
or computer-based chess literature. Not only that, but unlike OTB chess, you
can legally do so with the game IN PROGRESS. I will make no comment on
rumors that ingenious OTB'ers have found ways to use the same sources "real
time", as we all know that nobody cheats in chess! Anyhow, like an adequate
description of the different chess recorders is beyond the scope of this
article, I will also not attempt to list the full body of chess literature
available. Innumerable books, game scores, magazines, journals, databases,
etc. accumulated over centuries make even the thought of it totally out of
the question. Every time you play a game and it ends up in an archive
somewhere, you yourself have contributed to this immense collection.
Correspondence Chess Notation Systems
As in OTB tournaments, CC players must keep a record, or "game score" of all
the moves played in a game. Clubs will usually archive each game and make it
available to the public. The short English Algebraic notation has become the
worldwide standard, while Numeric Notation (used by the International
Correspondence Chess Federation) takes second place. In "domestic" matches
(those taking place entirely within one country), the national language
equivalents of the English Algebraic symbols will probably be used. My
personal favorite, "descriptive" notation, has become virtually extinct.
Since most chess players already know algebraic notation, I will give a few
more details about Numeric Notation (NN).
Used primarily by the ICCF, NN, arguably the most difficult system to learn,
nevertheless provides the least ambiguity. It does require careful attention
to accurately recording each move, because NN relies solely on designating
from which square a piece or pawn leaves and the square to which it moves.
NN provides no description of WHAT you have moved, just the square it came
from and the square to where you moved it. As another point in its defense,
NN eliminates any "language bias" since it uses universal numerals.
In NN, each square has a numerical "co-ordinate". See the table below:
a1=11, a2=12, a3=13, a4=14 ......... a8=18
b1=21, b2=22, b3=23, b4=24 ......... b8=28
c1=31, c2=32, c3=33, c4=34 ......... c8=38
d1=41
e1=51
f1=61
g1=71
h1=81 ......... h8=88
NN does NOT indicate captures or checks; you have to follow the play
closely.
From the above you will see that the e-pawn for White (King's Pawn) sits on
square 52. The King's pawn for Black (KP) sits on 57. 1.e4 ("short"
algebraic) = 1.PK4 ("short" descriptive) = 1.e2e4 ("long" algebraic) = 1. KP
K4 ("long" descriptive) =1.5254 (numeric).
The (totally artificial) game score below compares the 3 notation systems
and illustrates "Ryan's Opening":
"Short" Algebraic
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Qf6 4.Nxd4 Qxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Bc5 6.b4 f5 7.Qh5+ g6 8.bxc5
gxh5
Descriptive Notation
1.PK4 PK4 2.PQ4 PxP 3.NKB3 QKB3 4.NxP QxP+ 5.KxQ BB4 6.PQN4 PB4 7.QR5+ PKN3
8.PxB PxQ
Numeric Notation
1.5254 5755 2.4244 5544 3.7163 4866 4.6344 6662 5.5162 6.2124 6765 7.4185
7776 8.2435 7685
A formalized system for recording games in the short algebraic has resulted
in the development of PGN (Portable Game Notation). PGN allows rapid and
consistent download of games by PGN "readers" (see
above), usually accompanied by visual move-by-move playback. A PGN-formatted
game will have a "header" section that provides game data and a "body" which
contains the actual game score. See my embarrassing loss below to Alexandre
Aguiar in a Philidor's Defense IECC game for illustration:
[Event "KO-175 2.1"]
[Site "IECC"]
[Date "2001.03.06"]
[White "Aquiar, Alexandre"]
[Black "Ryan, Steve"]
[Result "1-0"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.a4 c6 8.Qe2 Qc7
9.Rd1 a5 10.h3 h6 11.Be3 b6 12.Nh4 Re8 13.d5 cxd5 14.exd5 Bb7 15.Bb5 Ne4
16.Nxe4 Bxh4 17.Qg4 f5 18.Qxf5 1-0
You can add further information to the header (ECO number, the rating of
each player, stock market quotes or whatever you want) simply by following
the format above. If you wish to do annotations, you merely enclose the
comments in {curly brackets}. The reader will disregard anything within the
brackets and present only the game score. A printed copy of the game will
allow you to follow the annotations if desired.
CC players should become familiar with at least Short Algebraic and Numeric.
Don't give up on Descriptive though. It has more "character" than the other
two combined.
CC Organizations & The Future of CC
As with the wide variety of chess "recorder" programs available, the
potential CC player has a similarly wide variety of clubs or organizations
from which to choose. Each one more or less fills a "niche" and caters to a
particular type of correspondence player, from the "recreational" to the
"seriously competitive", and no single body really provides "something for
everyone". Anyone thinking about joining a CC organization, especially for
the first time, would do well to first think about the depth of commitment
he/she would like to make. At all costs, avoid jumping into the deep end by
taking on too many games at once. It usually results in a string of
discouraging losses, leading to the false conclusion "CC's not for me". I
will not attempt a description or listing of all the CC organizations
currently available, as an Internet search will give you plenty of choices,
but I will mention some of the larger ones.
The International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF)
The ICCF has not only the largest membership base, but also the official
recognition of FIDE. In turn, the ICCF has about 60 national affiliates
worldwide. The ICCF member nations belong to one of four "zones":
Zone 1 - Europe Zone 2 - Latin America Zone 3 – North America/Pacific Zone 4
- Asia/Africa.
If your nation has an ICCF affiliate you MUST enter ICCF tournaments via
that affiliate. Members of nations not having such an affiliation can still
enter ICCF tournaments by contacting the appropriate "Zonal Director" as
listed on the ICCF web page, or by using the "Direct Entry" link. The ICCF
accommodates the more competitive type of player and charges entry fees for
its tournaments. With the blessing of FIDE, the ICCF's championship cycle
results in the crowning of the "World Correspondence Chess Champion" (more
on that topic below).
ICCF web site: www.iccf.com
The International E-mail Chess Group (IECG)
The IECG has tournaments to satisfy both the seriously competitive player
and the more recreational types. As with the ICCF, the IECG tends to
concentrate on multi-player tournaments, though it does offer a 2-player
match for less intensive competition. The IECG also has its own version of
the World Championship.
IECG web site: www.iecg.org
The International E-Mail Chess Club (IECC)
The smallest of the three clubs I have mentioned, the IECC nevertheless
provides the greatest variety of matches and tournaments. In the IECC you
can play a single 1-game match or a multi-player Swiss event. Other
tournament types include knockouts, thematics, and pyramid events. The IECC
does not have any kind of "world championship" cycle or any kind of "club
championship".
Web site:
www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Midfield/1264
A potential CC player can take his pick of the organizations mentioned above
(by no means the only ones available) or any of the others he/she may find.
The club you choose may also have a "New Member Program" which an applicant
must complete in order to join. A typical New Member Program will cover such
things as PGN formatting, time keeping rules and algebraic notation.
CC's Future
I believe the future of correspondence chess looks bright, but not entirely
problem free. Dozens (hundreds?) of CC organizations exist worldwide, and
while they do not exactly compete with each other, they do not exactly
cooperate either, which saddens me somewhat. I am particularly annoyed at
rival versions of the "World Championship". CC could use some co-operation
among its various groups since we ostensibly have the same goal - the growth
and promotion of this form of the game. I believe we could, if not unite
under one organization, at least talk to each other about how to attract
more players and the best type of club for an individual to join.
If CC has had one single extremely controversial issue with which to deal in
the last 5 - 10 years, the use of chess engines takes the #1 spot. These
engines have become extremely strong and widely available. Some
organizations allow (or at least tolerate) their use, while others have
strict rules against them. A player wanting to win badly enough to cheat (if
his club prohibits them) by using one has only a negligible chance of
getting caught, assuming he does nothing stupid like doubling his rating in
just a few months. Many aspects of CC, therefore, rely on the "honor system"
for enforcement. The inability to enforce restrictions against chess engine
use has resulted in some clubs abandoning these rules altogether. But rules
against or not, what do you gain by allowing a machine to think for you? Not
very much.
On the positive side of the CC picture, the Internet and e-mail have
produced a boom in CC participation. Organizations such as the IECC and IECG
owe their very existence to the Internet. Even the venerable old ICCF has an
e-mail section that continues to grow at the expense of postal tournaments.
E-mail will eventually come to dominate CC, if it does not already. The
future looks bright, but I hope we can avoid becoming addicted to silicon. |
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