This post considers why Correspondence Chess is thought as the scientific side of chess, while Over-The-Board Chess the sportive side of the game, and Chess Problems its artistic side. Over-The-Board Chess is considered a sport since players fight in matches in which they rely on their memory, physical and mental strength, while Chess Problems explore … Continue Reading

This post describes the statistics of WZ Championship (WZ CH) tournaments that have finished up to date (April 28, 2020). This includes 16 tournaments and 597 games, with 78 candidates games, 330 semifinals games and 189 preliminaries games. To provide a reference, these WZ CH finished games are compared to the Chessbase 2020 Correspondence Database … Continue Reading

The World Zone is pleased to announce a logo design contest with the following rules: We are a correspondence chess organization part of the ICCF structure involving players from all over the World Our target audience would be chess players, mostly adults We prefer a globe and a chessboard included in the design Also our … Continue Reading

Translated by Gino Figlio Year 2020 has begun with promising news for World Zone players. The ICCF Qualifications Committee has confirmed the IM titles obtained by George Bukowski (CAN), Andrew Leonard (USA), Jesús Osorio Barahona (PAN) and Pedro Vertíz Gutiérrez (CUB). We congratulate them all and wish them more achievements in their ascending careers.

I am delighted to announce that registration to the First World Zone Team Championship is open. The following rules apply: Start date: June 30, 2020 One team per federation Four boards per team, at least 13 teams (Max 17) Time control: Triple block 2 years Diplomas to the top 3 placed teams Mode of entry: … Continue Reading

This post examines the relation of computers and understanding in correspondence chess. “Chess Training for Candidate Masters” is a book by Grandmaster Kalinin aimed at addressing the fact that today’s aspiring chess masters have benefited greatly from working with chess computers.  Altough the book is aimed at over the board players, the book has great insights … Continue Reading

The tournament organizer Everdinand Knol (RSA) has submitted the following tournament announcement: Tournament AnnouncementThe purpose of this event is to develop the spirit of amici sumus among players worldwide (in all ICCF Zones) and to provide opportunities to qualify for title norms.This event will start with a preliminary stage consisting of groups of 9 players … Continue Reading

This post reviews a book that is a treasure trove of insights into CC. Sanakoev is the 12th World Correspondence Champion, 1985-92. The book relates his three attempts to win the Championship. WORLD CHAMPION AT THE THIRD ATTEMPT (Grigory Sanakoev). GAMBIT PUBLICATIONS 256 pages (210 mm by 145 mm). £9.50/$14.95/€12,85  ISBN (10 digits): 1-901983-11-0 ISBN (13 … Continue Reading