Play US Chess Rated Correspondence Chess on ICCF

US Chess is excited to announce a new, entry level US Chess rated correspondence chess (CC) event, to be held on the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) web server. If you've ever wanted to try out correspondence chess and get an official US Chess CC rating, now is the time to do so!

The Victor Palciauskas ICCF Round Robins are 7-player events paired in class rating groups where players will play against six opponents in a round robin format. With the games being played on ICCF, there are no postage costs and the administrative burden of keeping track of the moves and reflection time, as required by the CC rules, is reduced as the server does all of that work for you.

US Chess CC is a great way to improve your game and have fun. You don't even have to leave home! The time control for these events is 30 days for each 10 moves, allowing you ample time to really study each position in full, getting to know your openings deeper, improve your middlegame analysis and find all the nuances in the endgame. However, US Chess CC does NOT allow the use of computer programs or algorithms to come up with moves for you, you must do that by yourself.

The entry fee for this tournament is just $5 and the winner of each round robin will receive a commemorative certificate signed by former ICCF World Champion, Correspondence GM Victor Palciauskas.

The rating classes for each event will be as follows:

• Class A: 1800 and above
• Class B: 1500-1999
• Class C: 1200-1699
• Class D: 1399 and below

If you do not have a current CC rating, it is requested that you estimate your current playing strength by listing your class in the notes with your entry. Entry is available to current US Chess members only and this event is not ICCF rated.

You can enter this tournament online by visiting https://secure2.uschess.org/webstore/tournament.php. Select the "Victor Palciauskas ICCF Tournament" from the list of CC events available.

Please note that an ICCF account (free to obtain) is required to participate in this tournament. If you do not already have an ICCF account, it is recommended to sign up for one prior to registering for these events. Please follow these instructions:

1. Visit https://www.iccf.com/Signup.aspx and sign up for an ICCF account. On the main registration page, in the Message section please enter “I have signed up for a US Chess correspondence chess event.”
2. You will receive a confirmation email from ICCF. It is very important you respond to this email and confirm your account within 24 hours.
3. Once your account is confirmed as set up, you will receive a final email from ICCF on which the US Chess CCD will be copied. After this step is complete you will be available to be assigned to US Chess ICCF events.

You can find information on all the CC events US Chess offers by visiting our dedicated Correspondence Chess Page at https://new.uschess.org/correspondence-chess. For questions about this event, please email the US Chess CC Director at Click here to show email address.