1. Games shall be played in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess where applicable.
   
   
2. A Tournament Director shall be appointed who shall be responsible for the conduct of the tournament and progress of the games.
   
   

1. Moves shall be numbered and sent
   
   
2. in the numeric or a mutually agreed notation
   
   
3. using postcards (or letters)
   
   
4. bearing the name and address and signature of the sender and
   
   
5. a correct repetition of the opponent's latest move and confirmation of the postmark date.
   
   
6. The sender shall record on the reply
   
   
7. the date on which the opponent's latest move was delivered and
   
   
8. the expected postmark date of the reply.
   
   
9. Failing this, reasonable dates shall be assumed by the recipient and notified with the reply move.
   
   
10. When the expected postmark date does not agree with the postmark, this shall be corrected by the recipient and the sender informed with the reply move.
    
    
11. The time used for the move (see Rule 6d) and accumulated time for the game shall also be recorded.
    
    
12. Intercontinental games shall be played by first class / air mail but a tournament announcement can make this mandatory also for other games.
    
    
13. If both players agree, moves may be transmitted by email or fax but these rules shall apply.
    
    

1. Should there be no reply to any move within 14 days plus the average time in the post both ways, the full details shall be repeated with an information copy to the Tournament Director. When replying to such a repeat an information copy to the Tournament Director must also be sent.
   
   
2. Games in which no move has been sent for four months may be scored as lost to a player who has not advised the Tournament Director about the delay.
   
   

1. No legal move shall be retracted after posting - clerical errors are binding if they are legal moves.
   
   
2. A correct repetition of the latest move is necessary for the sender's reply move to be valid.
   
   
3. Illegible or illegal moves shall be referred back to the sender for immediate correction but without any obligation to move the piece in question.
   
   
4. A blank card or a card posted without a reply move shall be treated as an illegible move.
   
   
5. The omission or addition of chess indications (such as "check", "captures", "en passant") is without significance.
   
   
6. Proposals of conditional continuations are binding until the recipient makes a different move from that proposed.
   
   
7. Any accepted continuation move shall be correctly repeated with the reply.
   
   
8. When no reply is made to an accepted conditional continuation it shall be treated as an illegible move.
   
   

1. All transmissions from the opponent concerning the game and a record of the moves and dates shall be kept until the end of the tournament and sent to the Tournament Director upon request.
   
   
2. If a player does not answer enquiries from the Tournament Director, that player may be deemed to have withdrawn from the tournament.
   
   
3. Changes of permanent email and/or postal address shall be notified to the Tournament Director and opponents.
   
   
4. The Tournament Director must be notified immediately of any disagreement between competitors about the game.
   
   

1. Each competitor is allowed 30 days for every 10 moves, unless the tournament announcement explicitly specifies otherwise. If, under rule 2, electronic transmission is used, then a mutually agreed different time control may be used, subject to the consent of the Tournament Director.
   
   
2. The time limit may be exceeded once.
   
   
3. Time saved shall be carried forward.
   
   
4. The time used for each move is the difference in days between the date on which the opponent's latest move was delivered and the postmark date of the reply. If, under rule 2, electronic transmission is used, then a mutual agreement on the interpretation of 'delivery date' is permitted, subject to the consent of the Tournament Director.
   
   
5. Time in the post is not counted.
   
   
6. Accepted continuation moves are included in the time taken for the reply move.
   
   
7. A penalty of five days shall be added to the time of a player who sends an illegible, illegal or ambiguous move, incorrectly repeats the opponent's latest move or fails to send a move by air mail when this is mandatory.
   
   

1. Claims that the time limit has been exceeded shall be sent to the Tournament Director with full details at the latest when replying to the 10th, 20th, etc. move.
   
   
2. At the same time, the opponent shall be informed of the claim.
   
   
3. Any protest shall be sent to the Tournament Director within 14 days of receiving the information otherwise the claim shall be deemed to be conceded unless the claim is clearly unfounded.
   
   
4. The Tournament Director shall inform both players of the decision.
   
   
5. If the Tournament Director upholds a first claim, a new count of the opponent's time shall begin on the date the information about the claim was received.
   
   
6. A competitor who has exceeded the time allowed for the second time shall forfeit the game.
   
   
7. If the Tournament Director dismisses a claim as being unfounded, he may rule that no further claim by that player during the current time control period shall be accepted.
   
   

1. Each competitor may claim up to a total of 30 days leave during each calendar year.
   
   
2. Players taking leave must inform in advance their opponents and the Tournament Director.
   
   
3. In addition, the Tournament Director may grant up to 30 days' additional leave per annum which in exceptional circumstances may be back-dated and/or extended.
   
   

1. In the event of withdrawal or death, the Tournament Director shall decide whether all the games shall be annulled or the remaining games adjudicated or scored as losses.
   
   

1. If no result has been agreed by the date set for close of play, both competitors shall submit to the Tournament Director within 30 days, a record of the moves played
   
   
2. the position reached and
   
   
3. a statement claiming either a win or a draw which may be supported by analysis.
   
   
4. Competitors not wishing to submit analysis forfeit the right to appeal.
   
   
5. The Tournament Director shall notify the adjudicator's decision to both competitors indicating whether or not it is subject to appeal.
   
   

1. Any appeal against the adjudicator's decision must be posted to the Tournament Director within 14 days of receiving the notification,
   
   
2. whereupon the Tournament Director shall obtain a ruling from another adjudicator and notify the result to both competitors. The ruling is final and no further appeal shall be accepted from either player.
   
   
3. For an appeal, additional analysis may be submitted by both players.
   
   

1. As soon as possible after ending a game, the result and a clear record of the moves played shall be sent to the Tournament Director by both players.
   
   
2. The result is officially recorded only after receipt of this record.
   
   
3. Should no record be received from either player, the result may be scored as lost by both.
   
   

1. The Tournament Director may penalise or disqualify competitors who break these rules and
   
   
2. any matter not covered in them shall be decided by the Tournament Director according to the principles stated in the Preface of the FIDE Laws of Chess.
   
   
3. Any competitor may appeal within 14 days of receiving a decision of the Tournament Director to the chairman of the ICCF Appeals Commission, whose ruling shall be final.
   
   

[These playing rules were adopted by the ICCF Congress, Daytona Beach, 2000 and take effect from 1.1.2001.]