Team chess
Team chess is chess where a whole team plays one side. On your team's turn, everyone picks the move they want, and the move with the most votes is played. (It's also called vote chess.) TeamChess runs it in the browser: one person creates the game and sends one link, and everyone else picks a team. No account, no app, free.
How a game works
- Create the game. Name the two teams, like Kids vs Parents or Sales vs Dev, and choose the settings.
- Send one link. Drop it in the family WhatsApp, Slack or Teams. Whoever opens it picks a team and types their name.
- Wait in the lobby. Everyone sees who's on each team and can chat. The game starts when everyone is ready, or at a time you set.
- Vote on every move. On your team's turn, each player drags the piece they want to move on their own phone or computer. Arrows show what your teammates picked and how many votes each move has.
- The most votes play. Once the first person votes, the rest of the team has a few seconds to add theirs, then the move with the most votes is played. If the vote is tied, the team gets 10 more seconds, then the computer picks one of the tied moves, or, if you set it up that way, the move backed by the higher-rated players is played.
Who it's for
Kids vs Parents, or cousins against uncles. Beginners vote next to strong players, so nobody loses alone, and grandparents can play from another city.
One department against another, or your company against a rival. A team-building game that fits in a lunch break, with one link in Slack or Teams.
Class against class, or the whole chess club against the computer. Every student votes on every move and sees what the others picked.
Your city against another: anyone near either city can join their side. The public games are listed on the Cities page.
What you can set
- Team size: up to 10 players a team in a free game, or a smaller cap from 1 to 10. Bigger teams are on the paid plan.
- When it starts: when everyone is ready, in 15 minutes to 2 hours, or on a day and time you pick.
- Time for the first vote: unlimited (only the game clock counts) or 10 to 60 seconds.
- After the first vote: until everyone has voted, the first vote plays at once, or 5 to 30 seconds for the rest.
- If the vote is tied: 10 more seconds to agree (then the computer picks), or weighted by rating: each vote counts the voter’s rating ÷ 1000. If A (1500) and B (1100) vote for one move (1.5 + 1.1 = 2.6) and C (1300) and D (1200) for another (1.3 + 1.2 = 2.5), A and B’s move is played.
- Game clock: 3 + 2, 5, 5 + 5, 10 or 15 minutes a side.
- Who can join: only people with the link, or anyone (the game is listed for others to find).
- Three teams or more: a tournament where every team plays every other once, with a table of results.
- Against the computer: your whole team on one side, the computer on the other, at Easy, Medium or Hard.
Where else you can play team chess
Team chess, often called vote chess, has been around for a long time, and TeamChess isn't the only place to play it.
| Where | What it is |
|---|---|
| Chess.com | Vote chess games between clubs, for Chess.com members. |
| Lichess | A Vote Chess team that plays community games against the Stockfish engine. |
| Democratic Chess | Team vote chess in the browser with short timed rounds. |
| TeamChess | Made for a group that already knows each other: a family, an office, a class or a city. One link, teams you name, a lobby, and settings for how long each vote takes. |
Each site describes its own rules; check them for the details.
A short history
The best-known team chess game is Kasparov versus the World in 1999, played online over four months. Tens of thousands of people voted on the World's moves, and Kasparov won after 62 moves. Chess clubs had played "consultation chess", where a few players agree on each move together, long before that.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. TeamChess is free to play, with no account and nothing to install.
Does everyone need an account?
No. Whoever opens the link picks a team and types a name. An account only keeps your rating and name across devices.
How many people can play?
Up to 10 players on each team in a free game; bigger teams are on the paid plan. The creator can also cap a team at 1 to 10 players.
Can we play on our phones?
Yes. Everyone votes from their own phone or computer, in the browser.
What happens if the vote is tied?
The creator chooses. By default the tie is weighted by rating: each vote counts the voter’s rating ÷ 1000, so a 1500 player counts 1.5 and a 1000 player counts 1, and the tied move with the higher total is played. Or the team gets 10 more seconds to agree, and if it is still tied, the computer plays the strongest of the tied moves.
Can we schedule a game for later?
Yes. Pick a start time when you create the game, and everyone who opens the link waits in the lobby until then.
Can a team play against the computer?
Yes. Your whole team votes on one side, and the computer plays the other at Easy, Medium or Hard.