Debate: What to call "Online Chess"...

James: Ahem. Correspondence chess began with the telegraph. Postcards were much later.

I never said or suggested otherwise. BTW, I had a commercioal radiotelegraph license (also radiotelephone and radar)...but I don't predate Marconi (lol)

No, I have no problem with the word "correspondence"...except that it is no longer accurate to describe what is going on, it is mostly archaic (not entirely...just as is Morse code but not entirely).

So, I stand by what I said. I think that as we now have tweets (we have always had twits), skype, facebook, email, etc...those could also be called "correspondence" but most people would have a good laugh...some updating of the terminology is, I think, needed.

Of course, chess is still chess. That word...old as it is...still reflects what it did hundreds of years ago. "Correspondence" does not.

I win.

So it's not an official term of online chess here, but a popular term of the older distance message based chess. None of which resembles online chess here as a distinguishing facet amongst the other game types that can be played here.

How does cheating factor into the terms usage? Anyone can cheat in live chess just as easily. Less so with one minute chess.

As this site has clout and doesn't use that term, I guess it's not so official.

This type f chess is not always daily. It could be weekly or biweekly as well, so that's not a good choice IMO. Correspondence still works and no one has said why it's a bad name

Perhaps, "On-line Cheats"  ?

Except Chessplayer11 doesn't like it ?  (correspondence). Don't know why not nor do I know what he does like.

What about cheety chess? Perhaps with a stylised cheetah as a logo!

Not terribly constructive.

Nor the least bit funny.

how about long term chess

Maybe you should read though the posts again. I've given my suggestions and what I didn't like in various posts. They're not hiding.

Correspondence refers to distance and/or notification. Neither of which are the cornerstone of what's played here. You always set the game in number of days. Online chess is temporal based and thought of more that way than either distance or notification based. Multiple day chess or multi-day chess has been suggested and in fact is how it is primarily described when explained to others.

I've asked why correspondence is an accurate term for what's played here and I've only gotten varied answers including tradition. But nothing that relates it to what is actually played here now. Chess 960 is identical to what is online chess here if you think of it in terms of notification.

I have also played entire games without ever checking my email. The last remnant of what even make it correspondence. I haven't found a single post that explains how it is correspondence. I can play without checking my email, and against someone in my own house.

The defining factor is the length of time.

In 5 to 10 years from now, it will continue to expand in ways that haven't yet been though of, and the only factor of this style of game that will remain the same is the temporal aspect.

Plus the term Correspondence Chess still exists as much as pen-pals do. Pen-pals communicate with distance others via postal mail.  Email and other similar systems were never called pen-pal because they just weren't that, and pen-pal writing does still exist. In deference to correspondent reporters, they no longer submit their news stories via mail. There's no overlapping of different systems as one completely replaced the other.

Perhaps other servers are closer to what it once was, but here it's not and to reiterate... it's never been called that here. So to say we should stick with it(???), makes no sense.

Chessplayer11. I noticed you in the forums the other day looking for obscure chess-software/German hardware ? Assumed you had strong interest in the computer-analysis side of chess which was why against what you perceive old-fashioned name ?

Sorry I never read your posts they are way too long...

You're confusing me with someone else. I rarely post in forums on here. Apparently even my screen name is too long.

:) okay...

You're probably thinking about chessplayer12 -- the sequel featuring the addition of Andy Garcia.

In 3D like avatar was ? Yes possibly..

"K279 wrote: Correspondence chess - official term.

"chessplayer 11 wrote: What group made that "official". And what clout do they have?

Correspondence Chess League Of America. Founded in 1909.

International Correspondence Chess Federation. Founded in 1951.

From ICCF web site:

"Correspondence chess is a type ofthe world wide, well known game of chess, which has been played between town, chess clubs, and/or individuals by using:

1. Traditional postal transmissions.

2. Modem ways of transmission using a dedicated webserver."

I meant, how is it an official term for the modern way it's played here. No one is disputing what it was called back in 1909.

Thank you, jbird39...

The ICCF is a current organization.  I'm sure they added the "webserver" verbiage sometime after being founded in 1951....