Correspondence chess

Correspondence chess is a format where each player has days — not minutes — to make each move. It's the same idea other platforms call "daily chess". Players use it to think deeply about positions, play across time zones, and fit chess around the rest of their lives. ChessHere supports time controls from one day to fourteen days per move.

A typical game runs two to four weeks at three days per move. Faster time controls (one day per move) can finish in a week, and slower ones (five or seven days) can run a month or more. Most players move several times per day in practice, so games often complete well before the time control would force them to.

Yes — most serious correspondence players run between five and twenty games at once. The My Games dashboard sorts active games by whose turn it is, so you always see the boards waiting on your move first. There is no per-account limit on simultaneous correspondence games on the free tier.

Conditional moves let you queue up replies to your opponent's likely next moves, and ChessHere plays them automatically. Set "if they play X, I play Y" from the game board and the move runs the moment your opponent plays the trigger. This is particularly useful in deep opening lines where the next several moves are forced — you don't have to be online to play them.

Vacation mode pauses the clock on every correspondence game you're playing, with a single switch. Use it for travel, illness, or any stretch where you can't move. The free tier includes a yearly vacation budget that's enough for normal travel; usage is tracked per account so it can't be exploited to stall games indefinitely.

If your time-per-move clock reaches zero, you lose the game on time. The opponent doesn't have to claim it manually — ChessHere ends the game automatically. Vacation mode pauses your clock if you turn it on before the deadline. Repeated time-outs across many games can flag your account for the auto-pairing system, which deprioritizes you from new correspondence pairings.

No — ChessHere prohibits engine assistance in all rated games, including correspondence. Although correspondence chess historically allowed reference books and openings analysis, modern computer engines fundamentally change the game and using one against an unaware opponent is cheating. The anti-cheat system monitors correspondence games specifically because the slower pace makes engine use easier to attempt.

Yes — the mobile app has full correspondence support. The My Games dashboard, conditional moves, vacation mode, and tournament play all work the same as on the web. Push notifications alert you when it's your turn, and deep links from notifications take you straight to the right game. Most correspondence players use a mix of web and mobile across the same account.