Play chess with friends

How it works

1. Choose the clock and your color, and type what you'd like to be called.
2. You get a link and a QR code. Send the link, or let your friend scan the code with their phone camera.
3. When your friend takes a seat, the game begins. White moves first.

With or without a clock

Without a clock, you take all the time you like. With a clock, each of you has your own time for the whole game, and it runs only while it's your move. At 3 + 2 you get three minutes, plus two extra seconds after every move. The clocks start once you have both made your first move.

The time is kept by our server, not by your phones. Whoever runs out of time loses, except when the opponent has only the king left: a lone king can't mate, so then it's a draw.

If someone disappears

If someone loses the connection, the game waits for a while. After a minute, the one still there can take the win or call it a draw, and after five minutes the server ends the game as a win for whoever stayed. Before you have both moved, either of you can call the game off with no result.

Safe for children too

There's no chat. You can only send ready-made greetings, like 👍 Nice! and 🤝 Well played. Every name is checked to make sure there are no rude words, and if a mean one slips through, the other player can replace it with one tap. No account is needed, and the table is cleared away soon after you've both left. More on the privacy page.

No friend around? With Play now, you meet someone close to your level, with the time control you choose.

Would you rather play at a slower pace? Try correspondence chess, with days per move. Or test yourself against others in this week's tournaments.