Play chess with friends online
Send one link. Your friend opens it, the cameras connect, and you are playing. For a group, open a lobby instead.
- One link, no code to read out
- See each other while you play
- Lobbies and tournaments for groups
ChessChatThe short answer
To play chess with a friend online on ChessChat, create a challenge and send them the link. When they open it you are paired straight into a game with live video on both sides, and you agree on bullet, blitz or rapid together. Games from a challenge are casual and do not affect either rating. For more than two people you can open a lobby, public or private, and run it as a casual pool or a timed tournament.
Three ways to play a friend
Send a challenge link
Open a challenge, copy the link and send it however you already talk. Whoever opens it first plays you. An open link stays live for ten minutes, which is about as long as anyone waits.
Challenge someone by name
If they have a ChessChat account, challenge them directly and they get told: a toast if they are online, a push or an email if they are not. A challenge to someone who is away waits up to twelve hours.
Open a lobby for a group
A lobby gives everybody one place to be. Public or private, a casual pool where people pair off as they arrive, or a timed arena with a leaderboard at the end.
The fastest way: one link
Most attempts to play chess with a friend online die in the arrangements. Make an account here, add me as a friend, tell me the code, no the other code, is it your move. By the time it works the evening has moved on.
A challenge link removes all of it. You create one, you paste it into whatever chat you are already having, and the first person to open it is your opponent. You do not pick a time control up front: the speed is agreed between the two of you once you are looking at each other, which is quicker than it sounds and settles arguments before they start.
When your friend is not around right now
A challenge aimed at a specific person behaves differently from an open link, because the situation is different. If they are online they get it immediately. If they are not, it waits up to twelve hours and reaches them by push notification or email, so a challenge sent at midnight is still there over breakfast.
Nothing is lost if it goes unanswered: challenges expire on their own, an unanswered one costs neither player anything, and you can withdraw one whenever you like.
More than two of you
For a group, a lobby is the better shape. Everyone joins one place, and pairings happen inside it rather than across the whole site, so you only ever play the people you came with. A private lobby is reachable only by its link, which is what you want for a work team or a group of friends.
A lobby can also run as a timed arena: you set the length, people play as many games as they can fit, and it ends with a standings table. Finished tournaments keep their results, so there is something to point at afterwards.
Ratings, rematches and keeping score
A game from a challenge link is casual: it does not move either player's Glicko-2 rating. That is deliberate. A game against a friend should be able to be a bad game. If you want a rated one, both of you can go through matchmaking instead, or a lobby can be created rated.
Rematching takes one tap, and ChessChat keeps the head-to-head record between the two of you, so the running score exists whether or not the rating does.
Playing a friend, in short
- Price
- Free. No subscription, no paid tier.
- How to invite
- A challenge link you send, or a challenge by name to a ChessChat account.
- What they need
- A free account and a browser. No download.
- Link lifetime
- An open link stays live for ten minutes. A challenge to someone who is away waits up to twelve hours.
- Rating
- Challenge games are casual. Matchmaking games are rated.
- Groups
- Lobbies, public or private, as a casual pool or a timed arena tournament.
- Video
- Two-way live video and voice, and the camera can be switched off.
- Account
- A free account is required. ChessChat is for adults aged 18 and over.
Frequently asked questions
How do I invite a friend to a game of chess?
Create a challenge and send the link. The first person to open it is paired with you and the game begins with video on both sides. If your friend has a ChessChat account you can challenge them by name instead, and they are notified directly.
Does my friend need an account?
Yes, a free one. Accounts are what make a rating, a report and a block mean anything, so ChessChat does not have anonymous guests. Signing up takes a moment and the challenge link waits.
How long does a challenge link stay active?
An open link that anyone can take stays live for ten minutes. A challenge aimed at a specific player who is currently away stays open for up to twelve hours, so a push notification or email has time to be seen.
Do games against a friend affect my rating?
No. A game started from a challenge is casual and leaves both Glicko-2 ratings alone. If you want the game to count, play through matchmaking, or create a lobby with rating switched on.
Can more than two of us play?
Yes. Open a lobby and share it. Everyone in the lobby is paired with each other rather than with the rest of the site, and you can run it as a casual pool or as a timed arena that finishes with a standings table.
Can we keep the game private?
Yes. A private lobby is reachable only through its link and is not listed publicly, and a challenge link is only as public as the place you paste it.