Email Chess Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) have been documented here. If there is something regarding Email Chess that you are unsure about, please take the time to read these FAQ's before sending questions via email.

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What is Email Chess?

Email Chess is a two-player chess program that can be played via email. Each player makes a single move on the chess board, and then emails a Chess Code to their opponent. The opponent then uses the Chess Code to bring up the chess board, and make an opposing move.

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What is a Chess Code?

A Chess Code is a string of text as shown below:

CHESS-CODE:qg4h4hmhq242c363c3s4d4k5k6o8hq8b8c0c9tgdoeqvoo0

The Chess Code contains a coded representation of the entire chess board. This includes the location and colour of each piece on the board. The Chess Code is sent between players using email to continue a game. As you move a piece, the Chess Code is altered, and you send it back to your opponent.

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How Do I Get Started?

Start by selecting Email Chess from the Start => Programs Menu. Once Email Chess has started, you will be presented with the following window:

Simply click on the New Game button to start a new chess game. You will notice that a new chess board is set up.

Make your first move by using the mouse to drag and drop a piece, and then press the Send Move button. You will see a message telling you that your Chess Code is now stored in the Windows Clipboard:

You are now ready to email the Chess Code to your opponent. Start your email program up, and create a new email message. Now use the Paste operation to Paste in the Chess Code. You can do this by pressing Control+V, or by selecting Edit => Paste from the menu.

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Receiving a Chess Code

When your opponent sends you a Chess Code in an email message, you must first Copy the Chess Code to the Windows Clipboard. Do this by highlighting the Chess Code text (using click-and-drag with the mouse), and press Control+C to copy the text (or select Edit => Copy from the menu). Now you simply start Email Chess, by selecting it from the Start => Programs menu. The chess board will automatically display (using the Chess Code in the Windows Clipboard).

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What is the Windows Clipboard?

The Windows Clipboard is an area of memory that Windows uses whenever you perform a Cut, Copy, or Paste operation in any Windows program. When you Cut or Copy some text or an image, it is stored in the Windows Clipboard until you decide to Paste it somewhere. Email Chess makes use of the standard Copy and Paste operations of the Windows Clipboard to transfer the Chess Codes to and from email messages.

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