A "Free meetup": nobody gets knocked out or sits at the bottom of a table, people simply play whoever they like.
The list shows everyone's rating and your history with them - it is easy to pick an equal rather than a master.
No chess clocks? "Open the timer" turns a phone into a clock with the players' names and the right time control.
Everyone starts at 1200, and after one evening you can see how far it has gone up. For a beginner that is the best reason to come back.
"I won", "Draw", "I lost". The opponent can object - no need to argue with an arbiter.
A small round robin for six: everyone plays everyone, and nobody is knocked out.
People can join a free meetup after it has started - a beginner does not feel they are late for an exam.
Everything runs through the Telegram bot @vibechessbot, and from a computer through the web version.
Open the Vibe Chess bot and its app button, or the web version. "Create your game". For a first evening choose "Free meetup": no rounds and no pairings, people sit down with whoever they like, and there is no limit on the number of players.
The venue is a café, a board-game café or a club, then the date, time and time control. Beginners need time in hand: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds a move, so they can think instead of panicking about the clock. Tables - as many boards as you have. Better leave the "No joining after the start" toggle off: people can turn up later, and that is a good thing.
The meetup card has an "Invite a friend" QR code: point a camera at it, the bot opens and the person joins the meetup. You can also send the link to a chat, on Telegram or VK. An open meetup appears in your city's feed in the app - that is how people you do not know yet find it too.
Once people have gathered, the organiser presses "Start the meetup". From then on they can play as well: the meetup runs without their help.
On the "Now" screen everyone sees the list of players: who is free, what their rating is, whether you have already played and with what score. The app gives a direct hint: "Pick a free opponent and sit down to play. Mind the ratings, so the game is interesting for both of you." Tap "Pick" next to a free opponent and you are sent to a free table.
The clock in the app already knows the meetup's time control and the players' names. If a game ends by flag on the clock, the result is recorded automatically - nothing to report. There is also a separate clock on the website - online chess clock.
When the game is over, one of the players presses "I won", "Draw" or "I lost". The opponent sees the report and has 15 seconds to dispute it, otherwise the result is accepted automatically. Reporting your own loss is accepted at once. After the game both players are free again and pick their next opponent.
Every meetup game counts towards the Vibe Chess rating. Everyone starts at 1200, and by the end of the evening you can see it move: the winner goes up, the list says "played on September 29, 1–0", and your own screen shows the evening's score, something like "+3 =1 −0". How the rating is calculated - see the Elo rating explained.
The organiser sees which games are in progress and at which tables, and can set the score themselves if the players forget. "Game results" shows the evening's totals: how many games each player played, everyone's score and every game with its time. "Close the game" stops new games, but the meetup can be reopened, while "Finish the meetup" sends it to the archive.
Once people have played at a couple of meetups, you can run a first tournament. For beginners a round robin for six to eight players works best: everyone plays everyone, nobody is knocked out, and nobody meets the same strong opponent twice. The form asks for the number of players, and the app works out the rounds itself: five for six players. How the schedule works - see Berger tables.
Players report results just as at a meetup, rounds are announced automatically, and the final standings and a PDF results sheet appear after the last round. If there are more than ten beginners, a Swiss system is the better fit - a detailed walkthrough is in a Swiss-system tournament in the app.
A meetup has no rounds, no pairings and no standings table: everyone picks a free opponent themselves and plays as much as they like. In a tournament the app makes the pairings, and at the end there are places and a winner.
Yes. Every game at a free meetup changes both players' Vibe Chess rating. Everyone starts at 1200.
Not necessarily: the "Open the timer" button turns a phone into a clock with the meetup's time control and the players' names. If a game ends by flag, the result is recorded automatically.
Yes, you can join a free meetup after the start - unless the organiser has switched on "No joining after the start".
15 minutes plus 10 seconds a move: enough time to think, and the game does not drag on. Blitz is usually too fast for a first evening.
A round robin for six to eight players: everyone plays everyone, and the app works out the number of rounds itself. For bigger groups - the Swiss system.
The app is free. It runs inside Telegram through the @vibechessbot bot, and on a computer at vibechess.ru/app.
Pairings are computed by bbpPairings, an open-source engine implementing the Dutch system by FIDE rules: score groups, floats on an odd field, colour alternation. Free to use.
The bot is constantly improved based on real tournaments. If you need a feature that isn't there yet, message the developers right inside the bot with the /support command. Many features appeared exactly because organizers asked for them, and useful ideas get added quickly.
With no app involved - chess tournament for beginners and the rules of chess. The same app for the office - corporate chess tournament in the app. For a university - student chess tournament in the app. For the courtyard - neighbourhood tournament in the app.
At the board since childhood: hazy about his rating, precise about every rook he has blundered. Counts an evening as a good one if the opponent stayed to talk afterwards instead of rushing off to check with an engine. Message →
