How it works: recording a chess game with a camera, step by step

1. 1

   Open the app

   In Telegram open @vibechessbot, in a browser - playvibechess.com/app. Sign in with Telegram.

   
2. 2

   Create a game or a tournament

   Games → Create your own game → One-on-one game for a single game. For a tournament - Swiss, round robin or a meetup.

   
3. 3

   Phone 1: open the timer

   One player opens the game and taps Open the timer. This phone sits next to the board - it is the chess clock.

   
4. 4

   Phone 2: turn on the camera

   The other player opens the same game on their phone and taps Record the game with camera.

   
5. 5

   Put the phone on a tripod

   Beside or above the board, so all 64 squares are in the frame and the board fills it as much as possible. Any tripod or holder will do.

   
6. 6

   Set up the pieces and wait for the green grid

   The app finds the board by itself. A green grid on the squares means the board is recognised and the recording is waiting for the clock. Nothing else to tap.

   
7. 7

   Start the clock - recording begins

   The first press of the clock starts recording on the camera phone. Whoever presses first plays Black; in a tournament colours come from the pairing.

   
8. 8

   Play - moves record themselves

   Play as usual and do not watch the camera. The game record grows under the frame, and the Board tab shows the position.

   
9. 9

   End of the game

   The app spots mate or stalemate by itself - recording stops and the result is saved. Otherwise - Finish game or the result on the clock.

   
10. 10

    Review the game

    The game card has every move with navigation and a Game analysis button: players' accuracy, mistakes and best moves.

    

• • two phones - usually the two players' phones: the clock on one, the camera on the other;
• • internet on both - the "clock started" signal reaches the camera phone through the server;
• • a tripod or holder - any, as long as the phone stays still;
• • a board and pieces - ordinary ones, no electronic board needed;
• • charge - the camera runs for the whole game, keep the phone charging for a long game.

• • in the frame - the whole board, all 64 squares and a little of the table around it;
• • the board as large as possible: the bigger the squares on screen, the more accurate the recording;
• • do not hold the phone or move it during the game; if it gets knocked by accident, recording continues;
• • even light without harsh shadows or glare on the board.

While the board is not found, the top says "Looking for the board…". As soon as the grid turns green, the board is recognised and recording waits for the first press of the clock. More about the recording itself - recording a chess game with a phone camera.

• • play as usual and press the clock after every move - no need to watch the camera;
• • the Camera tab shows the camera view and the move record, the Board tab the current position;
• • the app notices an illegal move and does not write it into the game;
• • castling, en passant and promotion are recorded like ordinary moves.

• • Mate or stalemate - recording ends by itself, the result is final, and the app opens the game page.
• • Resignation, a draw, a flag - enter the result on the clock or with the I won, Draw, I lost buttons; the recording is saved by itself. You can also tap Finish game on the camera phone.
• • The next game - reset the clock of this game: the camera phone goes back to recording and waits for the clock to start again. No need to move the tripod.

How the result gets into the table and the rating - how chess game results are recorded.

The recorded game is kept in its card: every move with navigation and a Game analysis button. The engine calculates each player's accuracy, marks inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders, and shows the best move in every position.

And while the game is in progress, it can be watched online at live.playvibechess.com: the board, the players and the latest moves. More - chess game analysis in the app, how to record and broadcast your own game.

At a casual meetup and in a tournament it is all the same, only there is no game to create: the pair already has it. On the meetup or round screen, under Open the timer, there is the same Record the game with camera button. In a tournament the pairing assigns colours, and after mate the result goes straight into the round table.

How to run a tournament where every game is recorded and broadcast - a live chess tournament broadcast.