Welcome to the Arena: A New Kind of Chess Tournament!

We’re so excited to introduce a brand new kind of tournament in Live Chess this week: Arena tournaments! What are they all about? Glad you asked!…

First of all, here’s what Arenas are definitely NOT about: waiting for the next round to start. In an Arena, as soon as one game ends, you may opt to be paired again immediately, simply by tapping “Next Game.” There is almost no down-time! All Arenas are Open events, but the server does its best to get you a good match with as little waiting as possible! And that’s not all…

You can join an Arena after it begins, and leave before it’s over — and then come back and play in it again, if you want to! However, please note, when an Arena is over, it’s OVER: All games end immediately when the Arena timer reaches 0:00. Then, when the dust settles, all that matters is who has the most points.

And, of course, the Arena scoring system is exciting too — rewarding players with bonus points when they defeat multiple opponents in a row! Score Arena points as follows:

Loss = +0
Draw = +1
Win = +2
2nd consecutive Win = +3
3rd (or greater) consecutive Win = +4

(Note: To avoid "funny business" with scoring, Arena games require you to play at least 20 moves before offering a draw, or at least 10 before resigning.)

In the Arena, the pace is fast and furious, but you can come and go as you please... Play lots. Win often. Be glorious!