Play chess with a friend online
On Blitzmate you challenge a friend by their username and play a full game of chess together. It is two player chess in the plain sense: two people, each on their own phone, tablet or computer, wherever they happen to be. Nobody passes a device back and forth.
Free account · Browser, iOS and Android · 13+ · Coins have no cash value
What you both need
Each of you needs a free Blitzmate account, and an email address is enough to make one. Blitzmate is for players aged 13 and over, or the minimum age in your country if that is higher.
Play in a browser on a laptop, tablet or phone, or in the Blitzmate app for iOS and Android. It is one account everywhere, so you can be on your phone while your friend is on a laptop. The game screens are in English.
Sending a challenge
Open Challenge and type your friend’s username. Pick a clock and how many coins you each put in, then send it. Your friend sees the challenge in Blitzmate, and the game starts the moment they accept.
Not on Blitzmate yet? The same screen can send the invite to an email address instead. It stays valid for seven days, and the game starts once your friend has made an account and opened it.
Pick a clock
A challenge offers the same twelve clocks as matchmaking:
- Bullet: 1+0, 2+0, 1+1 or 2+1.
- Blitz: 3+0, 5+0, 3+2 or 5+2.
- Rapid: 10+0, 15+0, 10+5 or 15+5.
The first number is the minutes each player starts with. The second is the increment: the seconds added to your clock after every move you make. Zero means no increment.
Coins in a game between friends
A challenge is staked like any other game, and you both put in the same number of coins, so nobody can buy an edge. Say you agree on 10 coins each. The pot is 20 coins, the winner takes all 20, and a draw gives each of you your 10 back.
Every game needs at least 10 coins from each player, and nobody can stake more than their balance.
Coins have no cash value and cannot be withdrawn or exchanged for money. Play responsibly. They cannot be transferred between accounts or exchanged for goods or services either.
When your balance runs out
Your balance does not refill automatically. New coins come from the daily bonus, which starts the day after you sign up, from winning games, and from partner offers and surveys in Wallet → Free coins. Buying coins is optional.
Questions
Can we play on one device?
No. Each player signs in on their own device. That is what makes it work from two different rooms, or two different countries.
Is it fair if my friend sent the challenge?
Yes. Every move, both clocks and every coin movement are checked on our servers, so neither device decides anything. A brief network drop does not cost you time you were not using.
Can I play other people too?
Yes. Skip the challenge and ask for a match, and Blitzmate pairs you with another person who wants the same game. Live chess by time control explains how each clock plays.
Keep reading
How a game is paired and settled is on play chess online, and anything else is probably on the support page.