Unrated games
In all rated games on Chess.com, colors are assigned randomly to ensure fairness. If you’d like to choose your color, you can do so by playing unrated games. Here’s how:
Hover over 'Play' in the left-side menu of any Chess.com page and select 'Play.'
Click 'Custom Challenge.'
Turn off the 'Rated' toggle to unlock the option to pick your color.
After selecting your color, time control and game type, click 'Play' to start searching for a match.
Finding an opponent might take a little longer, as fewer players choose to play unrated games.
FAQs
Why am I getting the same color repeatedly?
While it can sometimes feel like you're getting one color more often, over time it balances out to about 50% for each color.
You can check your Stats page to see your color distribution across games.
I don't want to wait for a match, what are my options?
You can play against one of our bots! When you play a bot, you can choose your color and select different personalities and ratings. This is a great way to practice without the wait!
Check out this article to learn how to play against the Bots: How can I play against the Chess.com bots?
Can I choose my color in Daily Games?
Yes, as long as they're unrated!