chuckventimiglia
♡ 157 ( +1 | -1 ) Live and Learn!!!!I recently was entered into 2 Master tournaments in ICCF. The first match does not "officially" start until 10/20 and that is awfully lucky for me.
I have been playing chess quite a number of years and I have been playing internationally for about 8 years. I thought I have seen it all but apparently I have not. :-)
Today one of my opponents sent his opening move to me. The move was 1.5254
So I sent him an email back asking him why he was sending that message to me.
So he sent another message with 1.5254
So I wrote the TS and asked him why was my opponent sending jibberish to me? The TS wrote me back and told me that he was sending his move. I said "What move? I do not see a move. Can you see a move?"
The TS wrote me back and told me that he did not understand why I could not see the move. So he made a screen shot and sent that.
In his screenshot he sent: 1.5254
I then wrote a friend of mine who is in the same tournament and asked him to please look at these messages and tell me what is going on.
He wrote back and said "He is using International Notation mate." He is in New Zealand. :-)
I thought ot myself what is international notation.
So I went on the web and found a site that explains it. It is a good thing that the match does not begin until 10/20.
So 1.5254 is 1.e4 [I think] but then I thought to myself "Isn't 1.e4 a lot easier?"
Anyhow, I have to learn that notation. The web page says it is very easy but I think there has been a new way for me to lose the match.
I wonder if Smoke Signals are not used somewhere? :-)
Anyhow, I felt like a total fool for not knowing this notation but it is a first for me. Chuck
baseline
♡ 14 ( +1 | -1 ) lolI played postal chess thru ICCF back in the 70's using that notation, Its really not a big deal. you'll have no problem with it! :o)
muppyman
♡ 40 ( +1 | -1 ) Hey chuckIt's new to me too, and as you know, I am also in New Zealand. I guess its yet another way of saying pawn to king four. Why don't you invent a new and hopelessly cryptic notation code and send him a reply move. Be interesting to see what his reaction might be. :)) Good fortune in your games. By the way, I hope nobody out there is led to think that there is something so primitive about New Zealand that it makes it impossible for a Kiwi to send 1:e4.
kumpan
♡ 46 ( +1 | -1 ) There's nothing exceptionallyThe numeric moves are to avoid better missunderstandings created by the players handmade script. So the fields of the board are called from 11 to 88 (a1 to h8). It is more clear to make the notation 5254 for e2e4. (e can be read easy as a c.) So on the classical postcards for correspondance chess there's a chessboard too to make your move more clear on it. In the e-mail and server-based games this numeric notation is not necessary any more.
soikins
♡ 92 ( +1 | -1 ) he-heIn one OTB tournament I used to write down my moves in this notation. It was fun to watch how players who had to play me wanted to know what will I play against 1. e4. So they took the blanks, looked at the previous rounds and, what the heck? 5254 5756? What on earth is that supposed to mean? Unfortunately there is still opponents blank :( Not always readable, though :)
BTW, knowing this notation helps in blindfold play. You can always quickly check if the square is white or black. Two odd numbers or two even numbers (11, 22, 75) means that the square is black. even+odd or odd+even means the square is white (41; 54; 76). This way I can "see" that bishop from f2 (62) attacks b6 (26) because they both are black. This is also important for the tricky knight moves (knight from a white square can attack only a black square. So, if I "see" that a knight from 45 attacks 63 I'm definately wrong.)
ccmcacollister
♡ 79 ( +1 | -1 ) HaHaThats kinda funny :) I believe numeric is the required notation in ICCF unless other agreed to ?! But it was not really hard to get used to. (What I hate is that "figurine" notation used in some books !!!) The idea behind the numeric is different languages having different names for the pieces....so the moves Qd2, Ra4, Nf3, Bf4 from English would be Dd2, Ta4, Sf3 and Lf4 in German Algebraic for instance, I believe. (D=damsel, T=tower, S=springer, L=Laufer ..... ????....possibly, guessing from seeing it 20 years ago. Someone correct me Please! 8-) But it might be something like that. Anyway its easy to see the point) Good luck (Good Skill !) in your event chuckventimiglia ! And much Congrats on making Master Class!
bonsai
♡ 16 ( +1 | -1 ) I would guess that standard email-chess-software can handle international notation, that would sort out any typo/confusion-errors.
chuckventimiglia
♡ 125 ( +1 | -1 ) Well I have to learn to use it!!Yes, it is mandatory in ICCF unless both parties agree to using short algebraic.
The TD sent me a board with the notation and the guidelines on how to use it. It does not seem difficult it is just different for me.
This is the first time since I have been playing chess that I have ever heard of this. That does not mean that it is wrong or anything all I am saying that it is a first for me.
Muppyman the guy that is using it is not from NZ. The guy that is using it I believe is in Spain. The NZ opponent is the one that "Clued" me in on the numeric notation.
I erroneously gave the guy from Spain a hard time about it only to find out that he was correct and I was "bonkers." Even the TD got a laugh out of it.
Come to think of it a long while back I was playing someone from Romania. I resigned the game after 3 moves. :-) I thought he was sending jibberish. I think he was sending numeric notation but the site I was playing in required algebraic notation.
ICCF is the first site that requires it but not everyone uses it. I have received a few first moves using short algebraic.
Oh well!! Chess to me is new and exciting everyday. At 62 who said you have seen it all. Now to find a way to send smoke signals via the net. :-)
chuckventimiglia
♡ 98 ( +1 | -1 ) Kumpan hello!!!You said that via email that notation is no longer needed.
Well I am playing via email and it is mandatory.
I can't wait till all of their games go on a server. Yes that would be and is a lot easier.
I have played many postal events but never internationally via postal. Except to Canada and Mexico. We always used short algebraic, 1.e4
All the internationa levents that I have played use algebraic.
Anyhow, it will be fun and exciting to learn and use a new system [new to me].
Just imagine when you have a player that does not use spaces between moves. The move record could look like. 1.5254631172111188 etc. :-)
I think they have that solved as well by the "form" that is used that seperates the moves.
I know about Ectool and Mailchess but I never have used it. I use CB 8 to record and manage my games. I will just print out a chessboard with the numeric notation and tape it to my computer desk or over my eyeglasses or something like that. :-)
cairo
♡ 70 ( +1 | -1 ) Great StuffChuck... I got myself a good laugh out of this :-)) LOL
I come to think of, in the days of "the iron curtain" there once was a Danish CC-player, who played a Russian CC-player, all of a sudden all exchange of moves and cards was stopped without any prewarning. The Danish player managed thru the Tournament Director, to find out, that the Russian authorities has stopped, what the called spy-business between the two players, they were convinced that the exchange of the numeric numbers, was a secret code!!!!!!!
It will all be history in a very short time, when almost all CC-games will be played on a webserver!
Best wishes Cairo
chuckventimiglia
♡ 155 ( +1 | -1 ) UPDATE!!!! :-)I have started playing in my first ICCF match and as I explained above the use of numeric notation is mandatory.
So the game started!!
My opponent opened with:
1.5254 to Which I quickly responed 1....5756 He then moved 2. 4244 and I moved 2...4746
Smart move on my part!! Not!! After his next move 3. 7163 I thought to myself I will take his pawn on e4 by moving 3.....4554 What a move that was!!
My opponent is Spanish and he quickly told me in Spanish that my move was impossible.
You see my move 2....4746 I thought was 2.....4745 so my 46 cannot take his 54. :-(
So I had to make a different move 3 since my 3.....4554 is not possible.
So I thought and thought and came up with 3....8786 I still think 3....h6 is easier. :-) He countered with 4. 2123 to which I sent 4.....7866 He came back with 5. 6143
It is my move and I am thinking that someone will yell HIKE!! You know just like in football. What a game!!
To make matters worse my opponent is Spanish and does not use English and my Spanish is very poor but I was able to communicate with him and I told him that this notation was a first for me. He told me it was the best International Notation that there was. :-))
Anyhow, he seems like a nice guy and I am learning a new notation. I made a mistake with my move 2. ...4746 which by the way is 2....d6 I meant it to be 2....d5 which should have been 2.....4745
You see I was trying to play the French and what I have now I have no idea. :-))
ccmcacollister
♡ 15 ( +1 | -1 ) chuckventimigliaActually the first 2 moves do have a name(No Kidding), which I can't tell you since your game is ongoing. That is not to say I'm aware of any books on it ! }8-)
seneca54
♡ 77 ( +1 | -1 ) Hello Chuckwhy don't you use mailchess or the new chessbase 9 - both can read cc-mails and they switch it into your used format. When sending your mails they switch it into the international code.
I understand you perfectly well because I hate this notation as well but I learnt this is an agreement on international base and it helps people from all over the world playing together. e.g. I couldn't play with Russian or Arabian people if we hadn't had this convention (and I can't expect people all over the world to speak English). Or kids f.e. (my son can't speak English - he is asking what is Be6, because in german it is Le6).
anyway as you do, I definitely prefere serverbased chess ! And I think it is just a question of time until it will dominate the world.
many greetings Jörg
chuckventimiglia
♡ 33 ( +1 | -1 ) Hello Seneca!!!Thanks for the advice but I think I have this whipped. I copied a diagram to my desktop and I refer to that.
Yes, server based is the best but until then I will make do. I am actually enjoying this in a way. Nothing has gone "totally" wrong yet so I am lucky.
If I lose the game/games I have a built in excuse. It was the notation. :-)
seneca54
♡ 9 ( +1 | -1 ) Hello Chuckyou are playing so good - you don't need any excuses and of course I will at least not accept the notation one :))
maykx
♡ 22 ( +1 | -1 ) hehehefirst time to hear that there is such kind of notation. I can't take that notation in my brain. Just visualizing where 1.e4 or Nc3 is somehow not an easy task for me! And what more if 1.5254!!!