The article investigates the game mechanism of epistolary dialogue of I.V.Chinnov, the poet of the first wave of Russian emigration in whose lyrics the game poetics is widely used. On the basis of the structural analysis of the language of letters the typology of game forms in Chinnov's epistolary heritage is built. Chinnov uses the mechanism of role game which is potentially contained in any epistolary text. Game consists in conscious inventing of conditional epistolary masks with the underlined exposure of their conditional character. More often it is game at level of nominations. Certain epistolary masks are created, but in the text role relations are supported by separate stylistic markers. As a whole the lexicon remains neutral. The more developed game by epistolary roles is presented in letters, where the definite role-play situation (game in the role of the teacher and the pupil, for example) is modelled. Usually it arises at unequal position of interlocutors. Game becomes the way for saving freedom in a dependence situation. Chinnov parodies dependence relations, bares convention of these roles that moves a situation from reality sphere in game sphere. At last, it is a variant of absolute game freedom which arises at equal position of interlocutors. The situation of friendly dialogue assumes absolute freedom: it is freedom of emotions, judgements and their language expression, it includes a lot of situational verbal games, puns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]