CORRESPONDENCE chess began in the 19th century as chess-by-letter and was popularized by the penny post card.
Each advance in technology has created a new, faster and often cheaper form of competition.
Moves have been sent from player to player by means of telephone, transatlantic cable, radio, fax, telex and e-mail.
And now comes “mchess,” played by mobile phone.
The world chess federation (FIDE) launched its new project at a trade fair this month in Moscow, where FIDE officials said they had authorized a Scottish-Russian firm, Runix, to develop software.
Mchess could be easier to play than e-mail chess because you aren’t tied to a computer. Instead, you send your moves as SMS text messages from virtually anywhere you go.
This is a way for organized chess to recapture control of the game from the Internet.
More chess is being played today on the ‘Net than over-the-board, but so far FIDE and national chess federations have been largely left out.
Now FIDE hopes to organize the first mobile chess tournament in June, and eventually award ratings. Someday soon, there may even be a title of “MGM” – mobile chess grandmaster.