User Guide
Everything you need to play in or run a chess tournament. Start with the Quick Start below, jump to a topic from the Contents, or open the FAQ at the bottom.
⚡Quick Start
Players
- 1. Sign in (Google, Email, or Passkey)
- 2. Set timezone & availability in Profile
- 3. Join an Open tournament
- 4. Propose/accept match times in match chat
- 5. Play, report result, check dashboard
Tournament Organizers
- 1. Create tournament (Draft)
- 2. Add participants
- 3. Set deadlines and start
- 4. Monitor progress
- 5. Complete when done
Club Organizers
- 1. Create a club
- 2. Invite members
- 3. Create club tournament
- 4. Only members can join
- 5. Manage from club page
Creating an Account
Sign in with whichever method suits you:
Google Sign-In
Click Continue with Google → Choose your Google account → Done.
Lichess Sign-In
Click Continue with Lichess → authorize on Lichess → Done. Also auto-fills and verifies your Lichess username.
Email Code
Enter your email → Receive a 6-digit code → Enter code to verify.
Passkey
Once registered, tap "Sign in with passkey" → confirm with biometrics or PIN. See Passkeys below.
Account Approval
After signing in for the first time, you land on the waitlist. Pick your role (Player, Organizer, or Both) and add a short introduction — this helps admins review your request faster. You’ll get an email the moment you’re approved.
Joining via a club invite link skips the waitlist entirely — you’re approved automatically. Ask a club admin for their invite link if you have one.
While on the waitlist you can browse tournaments, view clubs, and edit your profile, but you can’t join or create tournaments yet.
Passkeys
Passkeys let you sign in with your device’s biometrics (Touch ID, Face ID, Windows Hello, Android fingerprint) or a hardware security key — no email code, no password. They’re tied to a public/private key pair stored on your device or synced via iCloud Keychain / Google Password Manager.
Register your first passkey
- Sign in once with Google or email code (passkeys can only be added to an existing approved account).
- Open Profile → scroll to the Security section.
- Click Register a passkey — your device prompts you to confirm with biometrics, PIN, or a security key.
- You’ll see a “Passkey registered” toast and the new entry in the list with its device hint and creation time.
Sign in with a passkey
- Open the login page.
- Click Sign in with passkey (the indigo button below “Continue with Google”).
- Confirm with biometrics, PIN, or security key when your device asks.
- You’re signed in — no email lookup, no code entry.
Manage your passkeys
| Rename | Click the pencil icon next to a passkey to give it a friendly name (1–100 characters), e.g. “Work laptop” or “Personal YubiKey”. |
| Revoke | Click revoke and confirm — the passkey is removed immediately and can no longer sign you in. |
| Device hint | Shown automatically based on the authenticator (e.g. “iCloud Keychain”, “Windows Hello”, “YubiKey 5”). |
| Last used | Each row shows when that passkey was last used to sign in — handy for spotting unused devices. |
Supported platforms
| iPhone / iPad / Mac | Touch ID, Face ID, or device passcode — synced via iCloud Keychain across your Apple devices. |
| Windows | Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, or PIN). Modern browsers on Windows 10+. |
| Android | Fingerprint or screen lock — synced via Google Password Manager. |
| Security key | USB / NFC / Bluetooth FIDO2 keys (YubiKey, SoloKey, etc.) — touch the key to confirm. |
Synced passkeys (iCloud Keychain / Google Password Manager) roam between your devices automatically. Hardware keys and device-bound passkeys do not — register a separate passkey on each device you want to sign in from.
Troubleshooting
| “No passkey found for this site” | Your device has no passkey for this account — either you cancelled the prompt, or you’re on a device where you never registered one. Sign in with Google or email instead, then register a passkey from Profile → Security. |
| “Passkeys aren’t supported” | Your browser or OS doesn’t support WebAuthn yet. Use Google or email sign-in, and consider updating your browser. |
| “Sign-in with passkey failed” | Something went wrong during the ceremony — try again, or fall back to another method. If it keeps happening, revoke the affected passkey and register a fresh one. |
| Lost or stolen device | Sign in via Google or email code, then revoke the lost device’s passkey from Profile → Security. Existing sessions on that device aren’t revoked automatically — use Sign out of all devices if available. |
Passkey registration is rate-limited to 5 attempts per minute. If you hit the limit, wait a minute and try again.
Linked Sign-In Methods
You can use more than one way to sign in, and they all reach the same account. Connect Google or Lichess from your profile so email, Google, and Lichess sign-in all land on one account.
| Connect Lichess | Profile → Linked Chess Accounts → “Link via Lichess sign-in”. Authorize on Lichess and it’s connected — this also auto-fills and verifies your Lichess username. |
| Connect Google | Profile → “Connect Google”. Authorize with Google and both Google and email sign-in reach the same account. |
| Disconnect | Click “Disconnect” next to a connected method anytime. Email sign-in still works, and your Lichess username stays on your profile. |
Already have an account? If you click “Continue with Lichess” on the login page but that email already belongs to an account, we won’t merge it in automatically — a Lichess email can’t be confirmed as verified on our side. Sign in with your existing method first, then connect Lichess from your profile.
The login-page buttons are best for a brand-new account, or an account already linked to that provider. To add a provider to an existing account, connect it from your profile.
Setting Up Your Profile
| Display Name | Your unique username — shown throughout the app |
| Chess.com | Your Chess.com username — validated against the platform |
| Lichess | Your Lichess username — validated against the platform |
| Timezone | For displaying times in your local timezone |
Click "Detect" to auto-detect your timezone from your browser.
Your profile shows a completeness progress bar (25% per field). Chess.com and Lichess usernames must be verified against the platform to count toward completeness.
Privacy Settings
Control who can see your profile information:
| Profile Audience | Everyone, My Clubs, My Tournaments, or Nobody |
| Timezone Visibility | Toggle whether others can see your timezone |
| Searchability | Opt out of player search — organizers in your tournaments can still find you |
Availability
Set your weekly availability so opponents can find times that work for both of you. The availability editor shows a grid of 7 days × 2-hour blocks (06:00–24:00). Click cells to cycle through three levels:
| Preferred (green) | Best times to play — most likely to accept |
| Conditional (yellow) | Available with caveats — may need advance notice |
| Unavailable (red) | Cannot play during these times |
Unmarked slots are treated as unspecified. When viewing an opponent’s match chat, an overlap visualization highlights the times you’re both available — making it easy to propose a time that works.
You can also add free-text scheduling notes below the grid to share additional context (e.g., “I’m flexible on weekends” or “Prefer mornings”).
Your availability is shown in your timezone. It’s automatically converted for opponents in different timezones.
Mailing List Preferences
Control which mailing lists you’re subscribed to from your profile:
| Product Updates | New features, improvements, and release notes |
| Community & Tips | Tournament organizing tips, guides, and community highlights |
| Marketing | Promotions, partnerships, and sponsored content |
All lists are opt-out — you’re subscribed by default and can unsubscribe at any time.
Theme
Switch between Light, Dark, and System (follows your OS preference) themes using the toggle in the navigation bar.
Data Export
Download a copy of all your data — profile, tournaments, matches, messages, and availability — as a JSON file from the "Your Data" section at the bottom of your profile page.
If you navigate away with unsaved profile changes, you’ll see a confirmation dialog. Save or discard your changes before leaving.