Correspondence chess

Correspondence chess is chess played over long distances rather than face to face, traditionally by mail and today most often through a correspondence chess server, an internet forum, or email. It lets players or clubs who cannot meet in person contest a full game, with each side recording and sending moves rather than making them across a shared board. Games can last from days to several years depending on the transmission method, postal games between distant countries taking the longest, and rules typically require a minimum of one day per move, not counting transmission time. Documented examples reach back to at least 1804, when Dutch military officers played a recorded game this way, and players competing at a high level, including titled masters, still manage several such games simultaneously.