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How do I fix my disconnect/lag issues?

If you're experiencing lag or disconnections, follow these steps to improve your connection on both web and mobile devices.

Updated over a week ago

Improve your connection

If you frequently experience disconnects or lag during your games, please try these steps to improve your connection:

Web

Mobile

  • Clear cookies and cache: Regularly clear your browser's cookies and cache to fix slowness. Follow the steps here and restart your browser.

  • Pause downloads/uploads: Downloading large files consumes bandwidth and can cause lag. Pause these activities while playing.

  • Close streaming tabs: Streaming video or music also uses bandwidth. Pause streaming while you play chess.

  • Disable browser extensions: Extensions may use a lot of memory or interfere with Chess.com. Disable them during your games.

  • Check Task Manager: Close any programs using a lot of memory.

  • Close extra browser tabs: Even non-streaming tabs use memory. Close all except Chess.com.

  • Update your browser: Ensure you have the latest version. If using Internet Explorer, switch to Chrome or Firefox.

  • Use a wired connection: WiFi can be unstable. Try a wired connection or move closer to your router.

  • Close Other Apps: Close any other apps or programs on your device that might be using memory and system resources to ensure the app has the maximum resources available.

  • Use Wi-Fi Instead of 3G/4G: Sometimes an unstable connection can cause issues. Try being closer to your router if possible.

  • Changing your connection settings to a public DNS: If you're having trouble getting matched, this could be worth trying if other troubleshooting steps haven’t worked. Home networks usually use a DNS server provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Switching to a third-party services, such as Google DNS, can improve search performance, enhance security, and strengthen your connection. You can find the steps here.

  • Update Operating Software: Ensure your device's operating system is completely updated.

  • Check Phone Memory: If your phone has very limited memory (especially less than 2 GB), this will affect the functionality and speed of your apps.

  • Reinstall the App: A fresh installation of the app can often fix issues caused by data corruption.

If you are still having issues after trying the steps above, you might need to contact your internet service provider for a faster connection.

Check out this article for tips on how to have a better gaming experience: How can I optimize my online chess performance?

How do I check my ping?

Chess.com servers can handle up to 1000ms (1 second) of lag, but having a high ping may still affect your gameplay experience.

You can check your ping in two ways: from the lobby or during a game.

Before you do, keep in mind that the first ping might be a little slower—this is normal, as your device is still figuring out the best route to the server. For more accurate results, try running the ping command a few times, allowing short pauses between each.

From the lobby

This method shows your connection speed to all Chess.com gameplay servers.

  1. Go to chess.com/play/online.

  2. Click the icon at the bottom right of the board to open the console.

    An image showing the Play page on Chess.com with an arrow pointing to the console icon

  3. Type /ping in the pop-up window to see your ping results.

    An image showing the console results when checking for ping on the Chess.com lobby

During a game

This method shows your ping to the specific server you’re currently playing on. While in an active game, click the 'Chat' tab on the right sidebar and type /ping in the chat box.

An image showing the ping results when requesting it during a game on Chess.com

You can only check your ping using the methods described above. Ping commands won't work while you're observing a game.

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