Abstract. We consider a fault with two asperities embedded in a shear zone subject to a uniform strain rate owing to tectonic loading. The static stress field generated by seismic events undergoes viscoelastic relaxation as a consequence of the rheological properties of the asthenosphere. We treat the fault as a dynamical system whose basic elements are the asperities. The system has three degrees of freedom: the slip deficits of the asperities and the variation of their difference due to viscoelastic deformation. The dynamics of the system can be described in terms of one sticking mode and three slipping modes, for which we provide analytical solutions. We discuss how the stress state at the beginning of the interseismic interval preceding a seismic event controls the sequence of slipping modes during the event. We focus on the events associated with the separate (consecutive) slips of the asperities and investigate how they are affected by the seismic efficiency of the fault, by the difference in frictional resistance of the asperities and by the intensity of coupling between the asperities.