Daily chess

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Daily chess represents the adaptation of traditional correspondence chess to the digital realm of the Internet. It is often characterized as a fusion of online chess and correspondence chess. The dynamic nature of daily chess borrows key elements from both online and correspondence chess. The immediacy and real-time interaction reminiscent of online chess are combined with the more contemplative pace and turn-based structure found in traditional correspondence chess. This amalgamation allows players to engage in matches with opponents from around the world without the pressure of immediate time constraints, a hallmark of traditional over-the-board: chess. In its fundamental form, daily chess requires players to complete each move within a strict 24-hour timeframe, as implied by its name. The precise measurement of time is facilitated through dedicated chess servers, rendering postal play impractical .

Popularity

The popularity of Daily Chess has significantly increased in the second decade of the 21st century, attracting thousands of new players each year. The increasing interest in this discipline is reflected in the number of participants in the Daily Chess Championships organized by chess.com since 2018. While the first edition had just over 7,000 players , in 2023, due to the significant interest in the event, the organizer had to limit the number of participants to 35,000 . The name daily chess came into everyday use thanks to numerous tournaments organized by this platform.

Concept

The fundamental idea of daily chess is to allow chess players from around the world to play chess games with each other without time pressure and without the need to travel to a tournament hall or even to the post office. This was also offered in the past by correspondence chess, but with the development of technology, the mode of communication changed. Traditional mail, telegraph, or later email were replaced by dedicated servers for playing chess games.
This allowed more efficient organization of tournaments and significantly shortened the duration of the games. Additionally, many players now participate in several daily chess tournaments simultaneously. Considering that players often engage in multiple tournaments simultaneously, each with several opponents , this often results in dozens of games played in parallel. In traditional correspondence chess, this would be logistically challenging .

Time Control

In the past, games exchanged through mailed envelopes with stamps could take months or even years.
In daily chess most games are played at a pace of one move per day or several days. The most popular variants of daily chess include:

• One move per day. The most common form of daily chess. This means that when a move is made by the first player, the clock for their opponent starts. They then have exactly 24 hours to respond. Being late means losing. In practice, this often means having to make a minimum of 2 moves per day. For example, if one decides to make moves only in the evening, the opponent might respond immediately. Then, trying to make the next move at a similar time the next day may result in being late and losing on time. Therefore, a common practice is to make moves in all ongoing games in the morning and then in the evening.
• One move every 3 days. The second most popular option. This is the optimal time for people with limited time resources. It is enough to make all moves once a day at any time to be sure not to lose on time. Additionally, games can also be played every two days.
• One move every 7 days. It is not very popular due to the very long duration of the games.
• One move every 14 days. It is the longest daily time control offered by most of sites.
• Variants with a time reserve are also encountered. This means that a player has a few extra days, and in case of exceeding the basic time, they can still use these additional days. Another formula is, for example, several dozen days for a specified number of moves.

As an additional aid, chess portals allow setting notifications in the form of emails or app notifications (for smartphones). In such cases, players are informed that in a certain number of hours, they will exceed the time limit in a given game.

Rules

The general rules regarding the course of daily chess games are identical to those of other online chess games and comply with FIDE regulations. A significant difference and at the same time convenience offered by most services is the ability to switch to analysis mode. In this mode, players can freely review and optionally record variations without having to set up pieces on the chessboard. Of course, there is no possibility to use chess engines. Another often-used option is move confirmation, which prevents accidental piece movement and allows for a final verification after the initial move.

Legacy of Correspondence Chess

Chess is a game with great traditions dating back to the late sixth century. Therefore, efforts have been made to transfer as many features of correspondence chess to daily chess as possible:

• Allowing the use of opening books in paper form. . Larger platforms also allow the use of electronic opening libraries and even offer built-in opening trees available during the analysis of a played game. In general, reviewing games played only by people is allowed. Libraries with games played by chess engines are prohibited.
• Introducing the possibility of providing entire variations. In the 20th century, to save the number of sent letters, players sometimes, in addition to their own move, sent conditional variations. They provided their next move in case of a specific response from the opponent. Current applications for daily chess allow entering entire variations. They are invisible to the opponent. However, if they make a move from the entered conditional variation, the application automatically sends the next move.
• Prohibiting the use of chess engines.

Chess engines

The decline in the popularity of traditional correspondence chess occurred at the end of the 20th century. This is also when chess programs became widely accessible, and their playing strength soon reached the level of grandmasters. In the case of Over-The-Board Chess competitions, the position of all chess organizations is consistent and strictly prohibits the use of any electronic devices. The situation is not as clear when it comes to correspondence chess. There is no unequivocal stance either prohibiting or allowing the use of chess programs during the games.

• Daily chess rules strictly prohibits the use of chess engines. Chess services currently place a strong emphasis on fair competition. This is especially noticeable during daily chess tournaments, where it is not uncommon to exclude a player from the tournament due to a violation of Fair play rules. For example, during the Daily Chess Championships, all winners' games are subject to computer analysis for Fair play. Below are the rules for participating in daily chess tournaments on the chess.com platform:

The use of engines and tablebases is never permitted, but opening databases and opening books are allowed due to the nature of daily chess. All section winners will be subjected to fair-play analysis to ensure the integrity of the competition.

• Similar stance is taken by the United States Chess Federation, which in its regulations also explicitly prohibits the use of chess programs :

You may consult chess books and periodicals but not other players. You cannot use a computer or computer program (chess playing algorithms) to evaluate a game, but you may use computers for record keeping and databases.

• A significantly different approach to the use of chess engines is taken by the International Correspondence Chess Federation, which allows for collaboration between humans and computers even during the World Correspondence Chess Championship

The International Correspondence Chess Federation allows players to consult engines during their games, making the matches a hybrid competition that involves the strategy and planning of humans guided by the accuracy of machines.

Daily Chess Championships

Daily Chess Championships have been held on the Chess.com platform since 2018 . The competitions, due to their open formula, have attracted thousands of chess players from the very beginning, and this number grows every year. The tournament always starts on January 1 and, depending on the number of participants, consists of 4 or 5 rounds . All players are divided into groups (up to 12 people ), and only the winners advance to the next round . Players play in each round a maximum of 22 games simultaneously (with each opponent as White and Black), with a maximum of one day allocated for each move. The winner of the Championships is the player who accumulates the most points in the final round.

Platforms for Daily Chess

The vast majority of chess platforms that enable playing chess also provide access to daily chess. However, not all of them allow switching to the analysis mode or offer a built-in library of openings or entire games.
Here is a list of the most popular platforms for daily chess as of 2023 - the majority of both amateur and professional chess players use the following platforms:

• chess.com
• lichess.org
• chess24
• Internet Chess Club (ICC)
• Playchess
• Daily Chess - site dedicated only to daily chess

See also

• Correspondence chess
• Online chess

This article "Daily chess" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Daily chess. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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