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 are announced on the official Discord 14 days before they take effect. You're never surprised by a major change mid-season.