Question. What events are offered? 
Answer. GRAND, 9 players, 2 game each, KING, 15 players, 1 game each; QUEEN, 7 players, 1 game each; ROOK, 5 players, 1 game each; BISHOP, 4 players, 2 games each; KNIGHT, 3 players, 2 games each; PAWN, 2 players, 2 games each. 

Q. Am I permitted to use English Descriptive (or any other) notation?
A. Our official notation is English short algebraic, PGN paragraph style. Refer to the rule#1 for more information.

Q. What are the official time rules?
A. Reflection time allowed is 10 moves in 30 days per player and unused reflection time can be carried forward to the next 10 move group. Reflection time means the number of days from the day/time message arrives in mailbox until the reply message is sent. Players should respond as quickly as possible. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. Do I play all these games one after the other (consecutively)?
A. No, you play all games assigned with all opponents at the same time.

Q. When do I begin play?
A.. You start as soon as you receive an assignment from WCCF. Events are assigned player by player until all vacancies have been filled and will be assigned as quickly as possible.

Q. I don't have enough chess boards nor space to place several chess boards. What do I do now?
A. If you need an excellent electronic game recorder, we recommend ECTool.

Q. How do I maintain my game records?
A. You can create a game record by using NotePad (or any other wordprocessor), keeping your move lists in a saved text file (usually named for the person you are playing), such as Jones.txt or Smith.txt or whatever filenames you choose. You can also maintain your separate move lists on paper or use ECTool mentioned in the previous question.

Q. Am I limited to playing in only one event at a time? I don't have enough games to keep me occupied.
A. No, you may play in as many chess events as you can reasonably handle. Sign up for at least two.

Q. How do I request to join a new event?
A. You should use the New event request form provided on our website.

Q. What does PGN format mean?
A. Portable Game Notation. A continual list of moves which are numbered one after the other in the form of a paragraph (as opposed to the vertical style of listing moves). This method saves a lot of space in documents, letters, messages, and the like. Can be imported directly into many programs.

Q. I will be away for two (three/four) weeks for business, vacation, health reasons. What do I do now?
A. Notify every opponent and WCCF of your plans and advise them when you will be gone and when you expect to return. Adjournments are always allowed for up to 30 days. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. My wife has just given birth to a beautiful baby (boy/girl). I can't concentrate. My other children need me. My boss wants me to work a lot overtime. I am going crazy. What do I do now?
A. Request an adjournment of up to 30 days. If that is not enough time, then request an official honorable withdrawal. You are still a member in good standing and can return at any time by requesting assignment to a new event. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. My opponent is responding less frequently than the official time limit, and I think it is too slow a pace for enjoyment. What can I do about this?
A. File a Time complaint with WCCF. A record of message dates is required. Explain the details. Director will acknowledge and send an inquiry to your opponent. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. I can't keep up with my games due to (personal, business, health etc) problems. What happens now?
A. Notify your opponents and the Tournament Director. You should officially withdraw from all games. You will be welcome to resume participation at any time with your request for a new assignment. If you just disappear without notifying opponents and Director, you will be forever banned from participation in WCCF. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. I have not received any message from my opponent within five days. What happens now?
A. Send a repeat message to your opponent. It may have been lost in cyberspace or a family member may have accidentally moved/deleted it. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. I have already sent a repeat message to my opponent and I still have not heard from him.
A. Send another repeat to opponent and a Time complaint message to WCCF.  He will acknowledge and also send a message to your opponent requesting a prompt reply.  After one week, if you have not heard from your opponent, send a completed game report and claim win(s) for each game that you were playing with that opponent. Refer to rule#5 for more information.

Q. I just lost a game to John Doe. What do I do now?
A. Nothing. The winning player reports to the TD. Refer to rule#6

Q. I just drew a game with John Doe. Who reports?
A. The white player reports to the TD. Refer to rule#6

Q. I just won a game against John Doe. When do I report this information to the TD?
A. The winning player always reports to the TD as soon as possible. Refer to rule#6

Q. What exactly is the game result format to send to TD?
A. Use the pgn format as specified on the Sample Message page.

Q. How are player ratings determined?
A. The Rating formula can be found on our website.

Q. I would like to know about my rating and results of my various games.  How do I access this information?
A. Members could check our database for personalized statistics using the "SEARCH" option through game results or tournament tables web pages.

Q. My opponent and I have a disagreement about our game and we cannot seem to resolve the problem.
A. Send a message to the Tournament Director including all the details. Refer to rule#7

Q. Can I consult my games database or chess books for ideas on playing my games?
A. Yes, but move generating chess engines (such as Chessmaster) are not allowed without permission in advance from opponent and Director. Refer to the rule#8 for our official policy.

Q. Recent views, including those of GM Nigel Short, imply that the days of correspondence chess are numbered. What is your opinion of this prediction?
A. Generations ago, a similar claim was made that to allow the use of chess books would destroy correspondence chess play. It did not. In fact, the increased access to chess literature for research during the games led to an expansion of correspondence chess. Now we are told that computers will hurt correspondence chess. Most unlikely! The computer has the added capability of organizing and making for ready access the information in thousands of chess books, once you learn how to use it. In the world of correspondence chess,, experienced correspondence chess masters have recognized that the computer is terrible in planning and strategy and good (if you can call it that!) only in heavily clustered positions where the emphasis is on the gain of material or a direct mating attack. As soon as one recognizes (or suspects) that an opponent may be using a computer engine for analysis, one can quite easily set a positional trap that is often baited with a pawn and mount a counterattack based on the newly opened line(s).

Q. My computer (or provider) has temporarily failed.  What can I do?
A. Notify WCCF using an alternate email address as soon as possible.  An adjournment will be allowed until service is restored.  If players and/or WCCF are unable to contact you by email and you fail to notify WCCF, you will be considered as withdrawn. Refer to rule#5 for more information.