Chess is a turn-based strategy game with origins dating back to the 6th century and official tournaments occurring in the mid-1800s.
What is the game objective of Chess?
The objective of Chess is to outmaneuver your opponent's pieces and ultimately checkmate their king by placing it in check with no further legal moves. Players strategically deploy their pieces across the board, balancing offense and defense while anticipating their opponents' moves. Success hinges on a blend of strategic planning, positional understanding, and the ability to capitalize on opportunities that arise!
What is the match format?
Teams of three players will compete in best-of-three (Bo3) games to determine the overall winner of a match. Using Chess.com (or ChessKid.com for Middle School players), each game will consist of three individual, but simultaneously occurring, Chess games between the starting players of each team.
Each team will confirm their starting lineup of Players 1, 2, and 3 (noted below as P1/P2/P3). Once both teams have confirmed their roster order, the match can begin. At the end of each game, players will rotate pairings and ensure that, by default, no two players will compete against each other twice within a single match.
For all PlayVS Chess matches, games will occur in the following order:
Game 1 | Home P1 vs Away P1 Home P2 vs Away P2 Home P3 vs Away P3 |
Game 2 | Home P1 vs Away P2 Home P2 vs Away P3 Home P3 vs Away P1 |
Game 3 (if needed) | Home P1 vs Away P3 Home P2 vs Away P1 Home P3 vs Away P2 |
The team that secures the most individual wins will be awarded the win for that game. The first team to record two game wins will be awarded the win for the match. In the event of a draw, the rulebook will provide detailed tiebreaking steps. Each game will last an average of 15-20 minutes.
What platform will the game be played on?
Chess will be played using a website dedicated to chess competitions.
For High School leagues, players will access Chess.com to play their matches
For Middle School leagues, players will access ChessKid.com to play their matches.
What days will Chess & ChessKid be played on?
Chess & ChessKid’s official match days will be on Tuesdays.
What hardware or software will be required to play?
To play, you need only a stable internet connection and a device to access the website(s) needed for competition.
Do each of my players need to have a Chess/ChessKid account?
Yes. Players will use this account to create/join Chess games for PlayVS competitions.
High School leagues will require players to connect their Chess.com account to their PlayVS Account
Middle School leagues will not require connected game accounts to PlayVS