Where I play

The last time I played a rated USCF game was at the 1984 World Open in Valley Forge, PA. The last time I played a rated FIDE game was at the 1990 Paris Open in Paris, France.

As many keen amateur players eventually discover, serious OTB chess is not compatible with the demands of a family and a career. Wanting to get back into chess play, I started playing email chess in 2001. I joined a free tournament that the ICCF set up to celebrate its 50th anniversary...

EM / J50 / P198
http://tables.iccf.com/email/j50/j50p198.htm

...and have been happy with email chess ever since. It is a good complement to the demands of the real world. Moreover, it allows me to penetrate to the deep secrets of a chess position in a way that is not possible when playing OTB.

While I still play in the ICCF, I have also tried many other email chess services. I should have a lot more to say about email chess in future posts.