Correspondence Chess

A style of Chess play in which single moves are mailed (usualy snail mail) mailed to the other player. This is usually done to allow two players that would not otherwise be able to play chess due to distance constraints to enjoy a game. This type of chess often takes many months to complete.

Moves in Correspondence Chess are not necessarily mailed any longer. They can also be faxed, or telephoned for that matter -- but that would be rather pointless. In theory they could also be hidden in the personal ads in newspapers; but generally they are mailed by standard old-fashioned Postal Mail. E-mailing the moves is getting more and more common though.

However, most of the official tournaments are using ordinary Postal Mail or fax. International tournaments are generally organized by ICCF (the International Chess Correspondence Federation), and the national by the national organizations (such as SSKK for Sweden, or CCLA for the USA).

Now that everyone uses strategy books or advanced computer programs to make their moves, the concept is getting less and less popular.

World Championships in Correspondence Chess have been held by the ICCF since 1950.