=-=-=-=-=-= 1. INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------------- Playing e-mail chess via the internet is comparable to postal chess, but is done by sending internet e-mail instead of postal cards. It is more cost-effective and takes less time due to the nature of e-mail. Games are played by exchanging e-mail messages with moves indicated in Algebraic Notation. 2. HOW TO PLAY ----------------------------------------------------------------- The most common way to play e-mail chess is by using Algebraic Notation to indicate the moves between the players. The players can determine who should play white and black. It usually is understood that the player to initiate the game will play the white pieces. * Example of the first 2 moves by the players: The first move by white would be made by sending the following to the opponent playing black: 1. d4 (White Pawn to square d4) The response from black would be: 1. d4 d5 (Black Pawn to square d5) ... and so on. The game would adhere to standard chess rules, or whatever is agreed upon between the two players before game play begins. 3. PORTABLE GAME NOTATION FORMAT ----------------------------------------------------------------- This section will offer a quick explanation of the Portable Game Notation (PGN) format. PGN is used as a standard way of tracking chess games. It is commonly used by on-line chess organizations for record-keeping and game play. It combines formatted headers with Standard English Algabraic Notation entered into a plain ASCII text file that you can create using Windows Notepad or any other text editor. The files can also be created using some chess programs. If you are using a word processor, be sure you are saving the file in TEXT / ASCII format to ensure compatibility. PGN HEADERS ----------- The case of the headers is very important. Be sure to follow proper formatting when you are creating the PGN file. This way, it can be read by all PGN readers available. These are the basic headers. You can create or add different headers to a PGN file as long as the ones below are used. [Event "123456ABC"] [Site "SITE"] [Date "1998.2.25"] [Round "1"] [White "Player, White"] [Black "Player, Black"] [Result "*"] 1.d3 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bd2 c5 4.g3 Nc6 5.Na3 e6 6.b3 Be7 7.Bh3 O-O 8.Bf4 c4 9.bxc4 Bxa3 10.c5 Bxc5 11.Rf1 Re8 12.Ng5 e5 13.Bf5 exf4 { This is a comment field. } 14.gxf4 Bxf5 15.Rg1 Qa5+ 16.Kf1 Nd4 17.Rc1 Nxe2 18.Qxe2 Rxe2 19.Rd1 Rxf2+ 0-1 Here is a quick break-down of each section of a PGN file: [Event "123456ABC"] This header defines the game as assigned by an organization or agreed upon by the players at the start of the game. [Site "IECC"] The Site header defines the organization that the event is being held under. This can be "IECG," "IECC," etc. [Date "1998.01.01"] The date is the month, day and year that the game started on. The format must ALWAYS be in the form of "yyyy.mm.dd" to assure compatibility. [Round "1"] Most games are played 2 at a time. Between the two opponents, one person starts as white on one game and plays as black on the other. The second game is "Round 2" , and so on. [White "Player, White"] This defines the player who is playing on the white side of the board. Note the "Last, First" format of the name. [Black "Player, Black"] This defines the player who is playing on the black side of the board. Note the "Last, First" format of the name. [Result "*"] This gives the status of the game. This game is currently in progress, as indicated by the asterisk (*). Possible fields would be: * : Game in progress 0-1 : Black won 1-0 : White won 1/2 - 1/2 : Draw { This is a comment field. } You can add comments to a game for your own use. They will be ignored by any PGN reader, or they may be displayed in a different window. After the blank line following the fields, the game record is recorded in Standard Algabraic Notation. Notation takes the coordinates of the chess-board and assigns them numbers and letters. They follow the numbering represented below: +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 8 | R*| N*| B*| Q*| K*| B*| N*| R*| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 7 | P*| P*| P*| P*| P*| P*| P*| P*| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 6 | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 5 | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 4 | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 3 | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 2 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 1 | R | N | B | Q | K | B | N | R | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ a b c d e f g h Pieces are recorded as follows: K : King Q : Queen B : Bishop N : kNight R : Rook P : Pawn Moves are recorded in sets. For example, the first four moves above are "1.d3 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6" . Note that there is no space after the period for each move. Also note that "P" is not used for the pawn moves. Using the "P" can be ignored for pawns. Special Notation x : Capture (Example bxc4; Bishop captured piece in square C4) 0-0 : King-side castling 0-0-0 : Queen-side castling + : Check (Example: Rxf2+; Puts the opposing player in check) ++ : Check-Mate (Example: Rxf2++ would put the opposing player in check-mate, ending the game) = : Promotion (Example: a8=q; Pawn promoted to Queen) 4. E-MAIL CHESS ORGANIZATIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------- - International Email Chess Club (IECC) http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Midfield/1264/ * New member training, free membership. - International Email Chess Group (IECG) http://www.eics.com/iecg/ * New member training, free membership. - KNights Of the Square Table (KNOST) http://cc.northcoast.com/~nost/ * New member practice games, free membership. - Chess-Earth http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/2553/ * Free membership, WEB-TV users welcome. - International Correspondence Chess Federation http://www.iccf.com/ * Offers both postal and e-mail chess game play. All of the above organizations offer many competitions and are a great way to meet fellow chess players all over the world. Most offer introductory games or other assistance for new members. There are FAQ's and other info on game-play and related topics at each site. Most organizations follow gameplay using the PGN (Portable Game Notation) format for reporting the game that uses Algabraic Notation for gameplay. 5. E-MAIL CHESS PROGRAMS ----------------------------------------------------------------- There are shareware/freeware programs that help users manage, create and play e-mail chess games. Some of them are: - E-Chess Shareware, $18.00 Unregistered Limits: Maximum of 25 moves. http://www36.pair.com/schlack/ Win 3.1 & Win 95/NT. * Built-in e-mail handling. - ECTool Shareware, $15.00 Unregistered Limits: Maximum of 20 moves. http://www.ectool.nu Win 3.1 & Win 95/NT. * Built-in e-mail handling, Rebel (Chess Analysis program) interface. - IceChess TrialWare, $15.00 Unregistered Limits: Won't run after 90 days. http://www.iciclecreek.com/IceChess.htm Win 95/NT. * Supports MAPI and SMTP. Integrates with other e-mail programs. - Zork Freeware Unregistered Limits: None. http://geocities.com/TimesSquare/Maze/4640/ Win 3.1 & Win 95/NT. * Cut & Paste interface with your e-mail program using the Windows clipboard. All of the above programs offer e-mail chess management and support the PGN format for reporting and recording your games. =-=-=-=-=-= End of FAQ.