Team management

Teams are a great way to organize groups of like-minded chess enthusiasts. Here we explain the process.

How do I play with someone on my team?

Assuming you and a friend are now members of the same team, it’s time to play.

To play, you both need to be online and logged into multiplayer. Here are the steps:

  • Log in to multiplayer mode, and you’ll see a list of Playing Areas. At the top you will see “My Team (visible to members only)”. All team members should enter it.
  • The invitation window will be displayed. All available (currently online, not playing) players are listed here.
  • Simply click on any player to invite them to play. From this window you can also watch the matches live as they happen.

What are the time controls for my team?

All games played in your team’s play area will be subject to the team’s time control.

There are two types of time control:

  • Time per move: this is simple and intuitive for new players. Players must make each move within the allotted time, expressed in seconds. So, if you enter “60” in the time control, players must make their move within 60 seconds.
  • Total Time + Bonus time. This is how games in tournaments work. There is a total time for each player (in minutes) and an additional “bonus time” after each move (in seconds). So a time control of “10/5″ means that each player has 10 minutes to play at the start. They have to manage it – if they think too much on the first moves, there will not be enough time for later moves! After each move, the bonus time is added. Example: White starts with 10 minutes. White takes 30 seconds for the first move. White has 9’35” for the second move (10 minutes – 30 seconds thinking time + 5 seconds bonus).

How do I join or leave a team?

To join a team:

  1. Once you’ve logged into multiplayer and entered a Playing Area, you’ll see the invitation window with a couple of buttons at the bottom.
  2. Click/tap on the Teams button and a team list will appear.
  3. Click on any team to see its details. Now you’ll see the team details, including stats and a list of members.
  4. Click the Join Team button at the bottom. Your request will be sent to the team’s administrator for approval. It’s up to them to approve your request or not, but you can make further joining requests.

Note: If you make a new join request for another team, the old request will be deleted! You cannot belong to more than one team at the same time.

To leave a team:

  1. Click the Account button in the invitation window. At the bottom of the account window you’ll see some buttons.
  2. Click on Team. Now you’ll see the page of your team with the name, description and a list of members.
  3. Click on Leave Team button at the bottom of the list.

How do I add, approve or remove members on my team?

For security and privacy reasons, players must personally ask to join a team. You can send them instructions on how to do this.

If you’re a teacher or chess instructor, please contact us. We have a platform where you can add users, assign them to your team, and more!

When users request to join your team, they must first be approved by you. To approve them, you’ll need to do the following:

  1. Click the Account button in the invitation window. Your Account Window will be displayed.
  2. At the bottom of the Account Window, you’ll see some buttons. Click on Team.
  3. Now you’ll see your Team page, with its name, description as well as a list of existing (and pending) members.
    • Pending members are shown first, along with some brief statistics, highlighted and with two buttons next to them: a “check mark” for approval and a “cross” for rejecting.
    • To remove (“kick”) an existing player from the team, click on it on the list. A “cross” icon will appear. When you click it, the player will be removed from the team. Note: you cannot remove yourself in this way!

How do I edit or delete a team?

If you are the team owner, you can edit it just the way you created it.

  1. Click the Account button in the Invitation window. Your Account Window will be displayed.
  2. At the bottom of the account window you’ll see some buttons. Click on Team.
  3. Now you’ll see your team page with the name, description and a list of existing (and upcoming) members.
    • Click on Edit to make changes. Once you click Save, the changes will be sent for approval. You cannot make any more changes until the existing ones are approved (this usually takes less than one business day).
    • Click Leave Team to, well, leave. Since you’re the team owner, all other team members will be removed and the team itself will be deleted. Note: this action is permanent – there’s no way to undo it!

How do I create a team?

Creating teams is only possible in SparkChess Premium (paid version).

  1. Once you log in to multiplayer and enter a Playing Area, you’ll see the invitation window with a couple of buttons at the bottom. Click/tap on the Teams button
  2. This will bring up a team list. At the bottom of the list there’s a Create button. Click/tap it. Note: The button is disabled if you’ve already created a team or joined an existing team. You must first leave a team to create a new one!
  3. Upon clicking Create, you’ll be presented with a very short form. Just enter the team name, a description, and optionally the URL of a website (if your team has a website, Facebook page, Twitter page, or something similar). The time control settings are explained explained separately.
  4. Click Save. Your form will be submitted for approval by the SparkChess team. Teams are usually approved in less than one business day. You cannot make any changes until your team is approved.