Correspondence Chess

In the old days, it was done with postcards. Now, it's played on the internet. I didn't realize it, but I've been playing correspondence chess for years! It's any game at a website server where you make a move, the other player is notified via email and has a certain time limit to make a responsive move, etc. etc. I have played at Its Your Turn and Red Hot Pawn. Unfortunately, this format practically invites unethical players to cheat by utilizing a chess program to "suggest" moves. Of course, no one has to cheat against me, I'm so bad a player you can win even if I were using a computer! Been playing for years and I still hang pieces, don't understand the concept of controlling the center, and manage to lose winning positions (but I don't know they're winning positions). LOL! I saw this announcement at Susan Polgar's chess blog: The International Correspondence Chess Federation is considering holding a World Championship for young women, and is asking anyone who is possibly interested to contact us so we can determine if there will be enough participants to schedule the event. The event will be played on the ICCF webserver (www.iccf-webchess.com). Moves are made on a chessboard via drag and drop, an easy way to play, with the server sending the move to the opponent, and keeping track of moves, time used, and even sending reminders. Any young woman who will have her 20th birthday after March 1, 2009 will be eligible to play, and is requested to send a note expressing your interest to schakels@comcast.net. Any questions will certainly be welcome. Details will be determined later, but there are no ICCF dues, and the entry fee for the recent Junior World Championship was 20 CHF, about $20. Time controls are typically 50 days for 10 moves. Finally, I want to express heartfelt thanks to Susan Polgar for volunteering to post this note on her websites and blogs. Corky Schakel, ICCF-US Secretary