First . . . talk to prison authorities. . . (chief is chief, even if he does not how to read o write his own name)
To do what you suggest, you both will require emails (my guess).....is that permitted in that prison?
As far as I know, and due to the "so much beaten Human Rights" today´s prisions should have Intenert services. . . perhaps this is the best way for you to play chess with your friend.. .
(By the way. Expect rapid solution to his(her) problem).
It has to be via snail mail, email isnt allowed in prisions
I used to play a lot of correspondence chess in the US & almost every group I was in had a prisoner. They have a lot of time to think about their position, so they tend to be very sharp.
A simple postcard with '1.e4' on it would get the game started and you could carry on like that 
In past time when there was no Internet, I used do play "snail" correspomdence chess (that was in USA) by simply sendinng (at least weekly) sort of a postal card with the move. . . (of course, after initial salutes and elementary knowing each other. . . ) and it worked "snaily" fine.
we both are not very good with chess notation, I want something where i can print out the current board and post that to him, he can then mark his move and post it back.......
chesspad is free software which is capable of printing diagrams.
You can use SCID to store the games and to print the current position. It is a free database.
It has to be via snail mail, email isnt allowed in prisions
"snail mail", thats new to me :)
Another way would be a *printscreen* and ctlr-v it in MS Paint, cut it, save and print!
Pigeon post
Now, Witwicki, let us put the feet on the ground. . .You say
. . "we both are not very good with chess notation, I want something where i can print out the current board and post that to him, he can then mark his move and post it back.......
is like asking for a car to drive WITHOUT knowing driving regulations.
You both can learn "chess notation" (classic and algebraic) in less than two ours. . . otherwie forget about chess.
So, as I figure it. . . do not know the type, time, reason, motif, etc. of that "jailing". . . guess you have some "visiting time" (frecuency, lenght, etc,) . . .try and play chess with a portable set. . . (if the guard lets you).
. . much simpler than looking for a special software (as you want it) or learning (and using) Chessplay and similar, PRN, etc.
Yes, the sooner you both learn algebraic notation, the easier it will be for you to play games. No cumbersome printing out sheets of paper, just send him a card with 1. e4 and he can send one back with 1... e5 or whatever. Or, just use the same sheet of paper writing your moves in one column and his in the other and send it back & forth.
If you don't know anything about algebraic notation, get a book on it and read it, then send it to him.
Hello, My friend is in prison and we used to play a lot of chess. I am looking to play postal chess but would like a program to manage the games.
I would want to print off the current board and send it to him, he would mark is move and post the board back. I will then be able to update the game and print a new board.
Can anyone help me with some software that can do that?
Thanks
witwicki
Sorry to hear that. Is your friend still in prison?
Epic thread bump!
Prison authorities really don't like internet inside prisons, or a lot of other forms of communication, staff have to put their mobiles in a locker outside the prison. Learning notation is the best bet, when I played international chess by postcard the stipulated method of communication was using numeric notation. So a1 square is 11 b1 21 etc, and to write e4 is 5254, and the reply c5 is 3735. Also obligatory to repeat opponent's previous move. Good to her that you are supporting your friend.
What happened to the "Chess In Prison--Where Am I Heading?" thread ?
Okay, first: tap the chess board on the "post your reply" box, create a position and then take a screenshot or printscreen. You can print the board from there. There are many other ways too like taking picture of a two-player chess game.
What happened to the "Chess In Prison--Where Am I Heading?" thread ?
It looks like you missed the follow-up:
The idiot who posted that posted another thread a few days ago about going to tournament and seeing globes on the ceiling.
So, either, they have chess tournaments in prison, or he was full of poo-poo to begin with.
I'll let you decide which.
Hello, My friend is in prison and we used to play a lot of chess. I am looking to play postal chess but would like a program to manage the games.
I would want to print off the current board and send it to him, he would mark is move and post the board back. I will then be able to update the game and print a new board.
Can anyone help me with some software that can do that?
Thanks
witwicki