How Seasons Work
ChessVS runs in seasons — competitive cycles, each with its own theme, card collection, club spotlight, and championship.
Each season spotlights a club, and rivalries between clubs can carry across seasons. The game rolls out in phases, beginning with the web-based competitive game and expanding features and clubs over time.
The season cycle
Each season runs for a set number of weeks, followed by a short off-season.
| Phase | What happens |
|---|---|
| Opening week | New card collection drops, the season opens |
| Mid-season | The ranked ladder runs, with a community event almost every week |
| Final week | The season championship — the season finale |
| Off-season week | Season settles, rewards are distributed, the next season prepares |
A typical season's events
| Stage | Event |
|---|---|
| Opening | Collection drop |
| Early season | Featured-club card drops |
| Early season | Puzzle event — bonus FOCUS |
| Early season | Story content for the spotlight club |
| Mid-season | Mid-season tournament |
| Late season | Cross-club team tournament |
| Late season | Late-season tournament |
| Finale | Season championship |
The off-season
The week between seasons is when everything settles. Ranked play pauses (casual play stays open), and behind the scenes:
- Final season rankings are locked in and rewards distributed.
- Your card collection carries over to the next season.
- The community votes on aspects of the next season.
- The next season's content is deployed and patch notes are published.
What resets, what stays
| Changes each season | Stays forever |
|---|---|
| Gauge Start drops one level | Your XP and XP Rank — a career total |
| Rank tier rewards are claimed per season | Your ELO rating |
| The ELO-gain leaderboard starts over | All your cards |
| Milestone badges and your founding cohort designation |
Every season is a genuine competition with a real finish line, but nothing you earned is taken away to make that true. The season is ranked on ELO gained, so a newer player who improves a lot can finish above a veteran who barely moved — which is the fair shot the old XP wipe was reaching for, without deleting anyone's history to get it.
Balance changes get advance notice
Significant gameplay balance changes get a 14-day preview before they take effect, shown in-game as "upcoming adjustments." You're never surprised by a major change mid-season.