EFCChess Forum

Some 50 years ago, when postcards were out of fashion and we used window envelopes with scoresheets and address cards to send moves, I was playing two opponents. Let's call them Alan and Andrew.

When their replies came back, I noticed the handwriting was odd on the scoresheets. A quick check revealed Alan's move came back with Andrew's address card in the envelope, and vice versa. Clearly they had somehow sent moves for each other.

A few years later I happened to meet Andrew in an over-the-board game. He told me they knew each other (and played for the same club). A quick phone call and they had told each other what moves to send.

Anything else would have meant paying extra postage. Nobody ever wanted to do that.

Any other stories from the old days?

Dear Peter,

I'm under 60 years old, therefore.... What is a postcard ?

In the old days, we had it tough.

Postcards were small 'postcard-size' pieces of white rectangular card. On one side was usually a picture - but chess players left that blank.

On the right you wrote the name and address by hand.

On the left you wrote a copy of your opponent's move, and the date it arrived. Then you added your move. Either in P-K4 notation, or for international games, 52-54 notation.

You added a postage stamp and stuck it above the address. Postage stamps cost a few denarii - old coins that were replaced in 1971.

Oh, and you had to lick the stamp to make it stick to the card. They tasted funny . Wonder what they taste of now?