The Case for a True Modern Correspondence Chess Tournament

A proposal for Chess.com and the wider chess community

For years, daily chess formats have grown massively in popularity. Tournaments like “Register Now for the 2026 Daily Chess Championship!” bring thousands of players together. But we all know the truth: the daily format, in its current form, is vulnerable. It blurs the lines between pure human play and outside assistance. It creates environments where a player’s rating doesn’t always match the quality of their moves. And worst of all, it undermines fairness for those who want a truly honest human-vs-human experience.

But instead of fighting human nature or pretending engines don’t exist, there is another path—a better path.

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A New Proposal: A Fully Transparent Correspondence Chess Tournament

A format where all external aids are allowed, openly and without shame:

• Opening books

• Databases

• Coaches & friends

• Personal notes

• Deep analysis

• And yes—even chess engines

Not hidden.
Not disguised.
Not suspicious.
But accepted, structured, and encouraged.

This is the modern evolution of classical correspondence chess.

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Why This Format Matters — and Why Chess.com Should Lead the Way

1. It Generates the Deepest Games Ever Played Online

Imagine thousands of games analyzed with:

• layered plans

• long-term strategies

• model endgames

• deeply researched openings

• human-engine hybrid creativity

The result?
A treasure trove of master-level games that would instantly enrich Chess.com’s database, lessons, puzzles, and future opening explorers.

This would become the richest bank of analyzed games in modern online chess.

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2. It Provides a Legitimate Outlet for Engine Users

Let’s be honest: some players want to study with engines.
Some want to test ideas.
Some want to create opening novelties.
Some simply enjoy deep analysis more than over-the-board intuition.

Right now, those players are forced into the shadows—using external aids in formats where it’s not allowed.

A transparent, “all tools allowed” tournament redirects that energy into a clean, honest space, removing the temptation to cheat elsewhere.

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3. It Restores Fairness to Other Chess Formats

When there is a dedicated format where engine-assisted games are meant to happen, the incentive to cheat in traditional daily or rapid formats goes down dramatically.

Chess.com wins.
Fair players win.
Serious competitors win.
Everyone wins.

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4. It Honors Chess History

Classical correspondence chess—especially in the 20th century—was the birthplace of:

• theoretical novelties

• opening ideas

• deep positional masterpieces

Players learned from books, friends, coaches, and long-term analysis.
It was the laboratory where chess knowledge evolved.

This proposal revives that tradition but with a modern twist.

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Inviting the Veterans and Innovators

This tournament could become a new frontier for:

• titled correspondence players

• ICCF veterans

• theorists

• analysts

• engine-opening specialists

• creators of repertoires

• ambitious amateurs with research passion

They could host events under this structure—
but the true beauty, the true legitimacy, would shine brightest if this format carried:

the official seal and blessing of Chess.com.

With Chess.com’s support, this becomes more than an idea.
It becomes a movement.
A shift in how we understand fairness, creativity, and transparency in long-format chess.

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A Tournament That Honors BOTH Worlds

By creating this event, Chess.com would officially support two noble pillars of chess:

✔ Pure, traditional human play (Daily, Rapid, Blitz)
✔ Deep, research-based modern correspondence play (All tools allowed)

When both forms are separated and respected, the entire chess ecosystem becomes healthier, clearer, and much more exciting.

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Closing Thoughts

This isn’t just a tournament proposal—it's an evolution.

A chance for Chess.com to:

• innovate,

• reduce cheating temptations,

• enrich its game database,

• and pioneer a new era of transparent correspondence chess.

The community is ready.
The tools are here.
The moment is now.

Let’s build a format where deep thinkers, researchers, engine-lovers, and theoreticians can shine openly—proudly—and contribute to the future of chess.

And hopefully, with the official Chess.com seal of approval.

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