Play chess with a friend
One link, one game, two people. You send it, they open it, and you are playing. The person you invite does not need an account, does not need an app, and does not need to sign up for anything to beat you.
Loading…
How it works
- Make the link. Pick a time control and press the button. You get a URL with a code in it.
- Send it. Message, email, whatever you already use. The share button opens your phone's own share sheet where there is one.
- They open it and play. The game begins on their first tap. Colours are drawn at random, and the clock does not start until somebody actually moves.
A link is good for an hour and works once. That is deliberate: an old link sitting in a group chat should not turn into a game three days later, and a link two people can both accept is a link that produces two games and one confused opponent.
Your friend does not need an account
This is the part most sites get wrong. If somebody has to make an account before they can play the friend who invited them, most of them close the tab, and the game that was one tap away never happens.
So a guest can play straight away. The trade is honest and it is stated on the screen: a guest game is unrated, because a rating has to belong to somebody. If they want it to count they can sign in during the game — the game moves across to their account and carries on from the position it was in.
A real person, and we will say which
Elsewhere on this site you may be matched with AI players. Here you are not: a challenge link pairs the two people holding it, and nothing else can join. It is the one place on the site where "a real opponent" is a claim we are able to make, which is exactly why it is not made anywhere it would not be true.
The clock is kept on the server
Both sides of a game between two people have a reason to shade the truth, so neither browser is asked to referee. The server holds the position, checks every move as it arrives, and keeps both clocks against its own time. A flag claim is measured against those numbers rather than against the number the winner reported.
In practice that means a lost connection cannot cost you the game by accident, and cannot win you one on purpose. Close the tab and reopen the link: same position, same clocks, same game.
What to play
Blitz at 5+0 is the default because it is the most common answer to "one quick game" — five minutes each, no increment, done inside a coffee break. If you are playing somebody who is still learning, 10+5 gives them room to think without the game sprawling, and the increment means neither of you loses on time in a position you were about to win.
- 1+0 to 30+20 eleven time controls
- No account for the person you invite
- One hour before a link expires
- Free, no ads, nothing to install
Common questions
Can I play a friend without signing up?
If they send you the link, yes — open it and press play. Making a link of your own needs an account, because the game has to know whose rating it is touching, and it is free.
What if nobody opens the link?
Nothing happens. It expires after an hour and no game is created. You can make another one whenever you like.
What if we both stop playing?
A game nobody has moved in is dropped after twenty minutes and nothing is rated. Once the game is under way it is a normal game: whoever's clock runs out loses it, which is what the clock is for.
Does this work on a phone?
Yes, and it is built for one first. Drag a piece or tap the square you want it on; both work.
Not ready to play a person yet? The app has 87 skills and more than 10,000 puzzles, from your first checkmate to rook endgames. Free, no ads, works offline. Open Reflex Chess