2017-12-31
INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE CHESS FEDERATION
Eric RUCH
ICCF President
Email: eric.ruch@iccf.com
To all Correspondence Chess Friends,
As 2017 ends, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to you and all those dear to you for a very healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to all officials and delegates for their devoted work on behalf of ICCF during the last year.
A major upgrade of the server has been released in December, surely the most important in the last decade. It will ease the daily work for many officials with the introduction of the automated withdrawal process and the enhancement of the adjudication process (players will also take benefit of it). The players will now be able to test the new Triple Block time control system, and I invite all of them to give us their feedback after a few months of test. If adopted by a future Congress, it will be a major evolution for ICCF, alongside the already implemented norms, titles system, and the development of the rating system which is still under evaluation.
Players and officials will also appreciate the new “ICCF Rules Document” which compiles rules information previously listed in 8 separate documents!
The venue of the 2018 ICCF Congress will be decided in January after the review of the bids submitted by three Member Federations (Poland, South Africa and Wales).
Last month, we suffered the loss of two friends, ICCF Honorary Members Carlos Flores Gutiérrez and George Pyrich. Many of you have met them during the numerous congresses they have attended ‒both taking care of the ICCF finances during the last two decades. Requiescat in pace, dear friends.
In closing, let me once again extend to you my best wishes for the New Year. I hope that 2018 will bring satisfaction in all your endeavors, personal, professional, and chess!
Amici Sumus,
Eric Ruch
ICCF President