Create Your Account
Getting into ChessVS takes about five minutes. There is nothing technical to install or understand. Here is the whole process.
Step 1 of 5: Sign up
Swipe through the five steps below, in order, as they look in the game.
Step 1 โ Sign upโ
Go to chessvs.club and choose Join the Alpha. Have a friend's referral link? It gets you in right away; otherwise your invite comes with the next daily group. You can sign up with:
- An email address, or
- A Google or Discord account
That's it. A secure account is created for you automatically in the background โ nothing to install, nothing to manage.
Step 2 โ Choose your clubโ
Every player belongs to a club. Your club is your team โ it sets the look of your cards, your color on the board, and the community you join.
You can change your club freely until your first ranked season ends, then once per season, at the season break. Changing club in the game arrives in a later update. Your club-specific collectibles stay with that club, so pick the one whose style and identity you actually like. See Clubs before you decide.
At launch, the two founding clubs are Bitcoinia and Etheryst. More clubs are introduced over time.
These are the club cards from the club choice step, with the same words as in the game. Tap a card to read its lore, just as in the game, where a Join button under the lore makes your pick. Each club also has a full page: Bitcoinia and Etheryst.
Step 3 โ Player Registrationโ
Player Registration is the universal sign-up event. Every player who joins ChessVS completes it once. Registration gives you:
- A permanent username โ yours forever, can never be transferred or changed
- A player profile bound to your account
- Your tier's rewards
Alpha testers keep their name free for good. Registration opens later, and we'll announce it 30 days ahead in Discord and by email.
Username tiersโ
Your username is permanent โ so the tier you claim is a statement of identity. Usernames are tiered by length: the shorter the name, the scarcer it is, and scarcity is the point. A two-letter name marks you as one of a handful of players in the entire game who will ever hold one.
Choose your name
Claim your identity
This is your permanent ChessVS identity. It cannot be changed, transferred, or taken from you.
3โ20 characters ยท letters, numbers, underscores
Type it exactly how you want it shown in-game โ your capitalization is kept. Names are case-insensitive, so โKnightโ and โknightโ are the same name.
Try a name. Claim it for real in the game.
Type the name you want, watch for the Available check, and remember that the capitalization you enter is exactly how it will appear.
In the alpha (now, until Player Registration opens), every name of 3 to 20 characters is free to claim. One- and two-character names open only through Genesis, at Player Registration. From then on, longer usernames remain free and shorter ones become paid tiers:
| Tier | Length | In the alpha | At Player Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodpusher | 10+ characters | Free | Free, forever |
| Clubmate | 5โ9 characters | Free | Paid ยท a shorter, cleaner name |
| Captain | 3โ4 characters | Free | Paid ยท rare territory |
| Genesis | Any length, and the only way to a 1โ2 character name | Not in the alpha | Paid ยท strictly limited, never reopened |
Why "Woodpusher"? In chess slang, a woodpusher is a beginner who just pushes the pieces around. In ChessVS everyone is one, because it's a brand-new variant nobody has played before. So the free tier wears the name proudly.
Exact tier pricing is published ahead of Player Registration โ in Discord and by email, with plenty of notice. Everything in the alpha is free, including a name of any length from 3 to 20 characters, right now.
Alpha-claimed usernames are grandfathered at Player Registration: you keep your name free, forever, whatever its length, and it keeps the standing of its length's tier (a four-character name stands with the Captain names). A paid tier's bundle, its card boxes, Pass Seasons, Flame and Discord role, comes only with a paid registration; an alpha name brings the free tier's rewards, the founding-alpha starter pack and badge. Alpha accounts also receive the Oracle Pass when Player Registration opens (see below). The paid tiers apply to new registrations once the alpha ends. Claiming early isn't just bragging rights; it's the founding-member deal.
Why claim a shorter name?โ
Because in ChessVS, your name is your reputation โ and it's everywhere. It's what your opponent sees across the board, what climbs the leaderboards, what gets called out in tournament brackets, rivalry posts, and season recaps. And it's permanent: never changed, never transferred, never re-issued to anyone else.
That permanence is what makes short names matter. There are only so many two-letter combinations in existence โ whoever registers KA or Z9 holds it for the lifetime of the game. When a two-letter Genesis name appears at the top of a bracket, everyone knows exactly how early that player was. A short name isn't a cosmetic; it's proof you were here first.
There's no gameplay advantage at any tier โ a Woodpusher with a ten-letter name and a sharp opening can beat anyone. The tiers are about identity, not power.
ChessVS usernames cannot be changed, transferred, or upgraded after registration โ by design. A name that can't be swapped is a name worth carrying. The only way to use a different name is to create a new account, which means losing the original account's stats, rating, cards, and history. Choose carefully.
Genesisโ
Genesis is the highest registration tier, strictly limited per launch club, and the only way to register a one- or two-character name. Genesis-tier registrants receive a claim to the Genesis Founder's Card, a unique permanent Battle Card you choose once its designs are released, plus a collector-grade in-game board with a low serial number (1 to 500 per club, reserved at registration; it earns its history through play), and a starter rewards package. Hard-capped, never reopened. Genesis isn't a bigger username โ it's the founder's seat: the one tier whose artifacts say "I was one of the first."
The Oracle Passโ
Players who complete Player Registration during the registration window also receive an Oracle Pass โ a separate scarce credential, with a capped number for the lifetime of the game. Pass holders are addressed collectively as The Circle, and the in-game AI persona that speaks to them is ORACLE.
Free Woodpusher-tier registrants count toward the cap on equal footing with paid tiers, first come, first served. Accounts created during the alpha receive the Pass when Player Registration opens, inside the same cap. A free or alpha Pass becomes permanent after one match within 30 days. (One Pass per real human.)
Step 4 โ Start Battle Schoolโ
New accounts start in Battle School. Finish Basic Training, a few short lessons with a quick quiz after each, and your first match unlocks. The Sparring Room in the lobby is still there any time you want to practice a fight between pieces, firing a card, or the Honeypot.
Your first XP arrives with your first completed match: a one-time +500, which starts you on the XP Rank ladder. (XP & Rank Tiers โ)
Step 5 โ Play your first matchโ
Pick a queue from the lobby: Quick (5+3, chess with fights, no cards), Casual (10+5, with cards) or Ranked (10+5, with cards, the biggest FOCUS payout). Your three starter Battle Cards, Leaping Strike, Battering Ram and Defiant Step, arrive when you finish your first match, so you can play right away without spending anything.
Your profile pictureโ
Every player starts with their club's sigil as their picture. You can swap it for your own image anytime.
- Tap your picture, the one with the small camera badge, in the top bar or on your profile.
- Choose an image (JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB), then drag and zoom to frame it in the circle.
- Confirm. Your first picture is free, and each change after that costs 100 FOCUS.
You can change your picture up to 3 times in 24 hours.
Your picture shows on your profile, in the top bar, beside your name in matches, on leaderboards and on the results screen.
See a picture that doesn't belong? Open that player's profile and tap Report picture. Every report is reviewed, and a removed picture goes back to the club sigil.
What you get for freeโ
| Free on every account | Notes |
|---|---|
| Three starter Battle Cards | Granted after your first match |
| Practice room | The Sparring Room lessons, replayable any time |
| All three queues | Quick, Casual and Ranked, open to everyone |
| Quests | Earn XP and in-game currency |
| First-match bonus | +500 XP, one time |
You can play, climb, and compete without buying anything. Purchases are about collecting and customizing โ never about being allowed to play.
Next stepโ
โ Your First Season โ what to expect in your first weeks