It works like a chess table in the park: one titled player sits down, anyone can step up for a game, and everyone else watches. Two kinds of people sit at this table — titled players (GM, IM, FM and so on, verified) and challengers (everyone who pays to play them). The rules below say which side they're for.
Not a gambling site — read this first
You pay for the game, never on the result. A challenger pays a fixed price to play a titled player. Nobody wins money for winning, nobody loses money for losing, and there are no prizes, pots or side bets of any kind. Win, lose or draw, the price is the same and the titled player is paid the same.
What you're buying is the experience — a real game against a real master, and the record of it. Think of it as a paid practice game or a lesson without the lecture, not a wager.
Please don't propose stakes to a titled player, on the table or off it. It puts them in an awkward position and it's against these rules.
The games — both sides
Time controls. 3, 10 or 30 minutes each, no increment. Each titled player sets their own price per game for each time control — you see the prices before you sit down. The clock starts after White's first move. Colors are assigned at random.
Standard chess rules apply, including all draws (stalemate, threefold repetition, insufficient material, 50-move rule). Either player may offer a draw; making a move declines it. Either player may resign.
No takebacks. A move made is a move played, including mouse slips. That's blitz.
Losing your connection is not a free pause. If you drop mid-game you keep your seat for 20 seconds while your clock keeps running; if you're not back by then, you forfeit. Play on a stable connection.
No engines, no outside help of any kind, on either side. Titled players stake their name on this table; a customer caught using an engine is refunded nothing and not welcome back.
For challengers — paying and the line
Challengers put money on the table first — $5, $15, $25 or $50 (the larger amounts carry a small bonus). Each game is deducted from that balance at the seated titled player's price. Whatever you don't use stays for next time, and unused balance is refundable on request.
When a titled player is seated, pick a time control and you join the line and play in order; you can see how many are ahead of you and roughly how long the wait is.
If no titled player is seated, pressing a button reserves the game's price from your balance — the house price shown on the empty table, which is what you pay whoever answers — and pings our titled players. You can leave the page — we'll reach you at the phone or email you gave when one sits down, and your place is reserved for 10 minutes. If nobody sits down within 30 minutes, the money goes straight back to your balance automatically.
Refunds. If the titled player leaves before your game, the game's price goes straight back to your balance. If you leave the line yourself before you're seated, same. Once your game has started there are no refunds — a lost game is still a game.
Want another? Press "Rematch" after the game and you're back in line at the front.
For titled players — sitting down and getting paid
Your seat is a private link. Open it and you're seated as yourself; opponents rotate in automatically from the line. Never share the link — if it leaks, ask us and we replace it instantly.
You set your own prices per game for 3, 10 and 30 minutes, and can leave out any time control you don't want to play. Challengers see your prices before they sit down. One exception: when you answer a ping, the people already waiting paid the house price shown on the empty table (they didn't know who'd come), so those games are at that price; everyone who joins after you're seated pays yours.
You're pinged when people are waiting — by email for now (WhatsApp and text to come), never more than once every 10 minutes — with how many are waiting and what the games are worth. Tap the link to sit; the first titled player to sit gets the table.
Leave when you like. "This is my last game" finishes the current game and closes the table; anyone still in line is refunded automatically. Please don't abandon a game in progress — a titled player who disconnects forfeits like anyone else.
Getting paid. You earn the price of every game you play, less our commission. Payouts run through Stripe where it's available in your country, otherwise by arrangement with us. Your earnings and game history are always visible to you.
Conduct — both sides
Be a good opponent. During the game you can send quick reactions ("Well played", "GG"); afterwards each player may leave one short note. There is no live chat, on purpose.
Abuse, harassment or threats toward a titled player, in any channel, ends your game with no refund and gets you barred.
Titled players agree to play real games under their real name and title, to finish the games they start, and to treat every opponent — 800 or 2200 — as the paying guest they are.
The game record — both sides
Every game is recorded as a standard PGN, with names, titles, ratings (if a lichess or chess.com username was given) and any post-game notes. It's shown to both players when the game ends and emailed to the challenger. Either player may keep, post, or analyse it.
Age and privacy — both sides
Challengers must be 13 or older; under 18, please play with a parent's permission and card. Titled players must be 18 or older to receive payouts.
We store only what the table needs: the name you type, the phone or email you give us so we can tell you when a master sits down and send your game record, your chess username if you provide one, and your games. Card details are handled entirely by Stripe and never touch our servers. We don't sell or share any of it. To have your information removed, email us.
Questions or a problem with a payment? Email help@playachessmaster.com. These rules may be updated; the current version is always at this address.