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 — Sign up
Go to chessvs.club and choose Play Now. You can sign up with:
- An email address, or
- A Google / Apple account
That's it. A secure account is created for you automatically in the background — nothing to install, nothing to manage.
Step 2 — Choose your club
Every player belongs to a club. Your club is your team — 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. 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.
This is the club choice step as it looks in the game, where you tap a card to pick your club. Here on the docs site, click either club to read its page first: Bitcoinia or Etheryst.
Step 3 — Player Registration
Player Registration is the universal sign-up event. Every player who joins ChessVS completes it once. Registration gives you:
- A permanent username — yours forever, can never be transferred or changed
- A player profile bound to your account
- Access to ranked play, tournaments, and your starter deck
Player Registration opens later this year — the exact date is announced ahead of time in Discord and by email.
Username tiers
Your username is permanent — 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.
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 | 5–9 characters | Free | Paid · a shorter, cleaner name |
| Captain | 3–4 characters | Free | Paid · rare territory |
| Genesis | Any length, and the only way to a 1–2 character name | Not in the alpha | Paid · 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 — 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?
Because in ChessVS, your name is your reputation — 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 — 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 — a Woodpusher with a ten-letter name and a sharp opening will beat anyone. The tiers are about identity, not power.
ChessVS usernames cannot be changed, transferred, or upgraded after registration — 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.
Genesis
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 the Genesis Founder's Card (a unique permanent Battle Card), a collector-grade in-game board with a low serial number (1 to 350 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 — it's the founder's seat: the one tier whose artifacts say "I was one of the first."
The Oracle Pass
The first 10,000 players to complete Player Registration during the registration window also receive an Oracle Pass — a separate scarce credential, capped at 10,000 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 — Run the tutorial
The in-app tutorial walks you through:
- Making a chess move
- Activating your first card
- Reading the Tension Gauge
- Winning by checkmate
You earn your first XP here, which starts you on the XP Rank ladder. (XP & Rank Tiers →)
Step 5 — Play your first match
New accounts start in ranked matchmaking — short, low-pressure matches against players near your skill. You begin with a free starter deck, so you can play immediately without spending anything.
What you get for free
| Free on every account | Notes |
|---|---|
| Starter deck of cards | Enough to play ranked matches |
| Practice room | The Sparring Room lessons, replayable any time |
| Ranked matchmaking | Short matches for new players |
| Quests | Earn XP and in-game currency |
| Tutorial rewards | First cards and a small FOCUS balance |
You can play, climb, and compete without buying anything. Purchases are about collecting and customizing — never about being allowed to play.
Next step
→ Your First Season — what to expect in your first weeks