Hosting your event on Chess.com
Community Broadcasts let you share your chess events with the global Chess.com community. Whether it’s a local tournament or a major invitational, you can display live games, standings, schedules, and even livestreams on Chess.com/events.
Here are the steps to set up your event:
Go to www.chess.com/events
Scroll down to the 'Broadcast Your Event' section in the right sidebar and click 'Get Started.'
This will open the event creation window, where you can enter basic details about your event. See below for more information on each setting.
Setting
|
Details |
Event Name | The event's official title. Keep it clear and concise; this will generate the event's URL. |
Local Event Timezones | Choose the event's time zone. All times will be displayed in this zone. |
Start Date & Time | The moment your event appears as 'in progress.' This should be no later than the first game's start time, but you may choose an earlier time. |
End Date & Time | When your event ends. Set a time well after the final round to ensure full coverage. |
Admin Usernames | You're the default admin, but you can add other trusted users as co-admins. |
Restricted Event | Toggle this on to make your event only viewable to specific members. Typically used for fair play protection of live boards.
 |
Section Names | If your event includes multiple divisions (e.g., Open, Women, or U18), list them here—one per line. |
Event Format | Choose Swiss or Round-Robin. For formats such as brackets or matches, please email events@chess.com. |
Time Control | Use BASE TIME (in seconds)+INCREMENT format. Here are some examples:
90/40 + 30' + 30" inc.= 5400+30 |
For time controls with multiple periods or unequal time (e.g., armageddon), only include the time control of the first period. For example:
How do I manage my event?
After you fill out your event details and click 'Save,' you'll be taken to the 'Manage Event' page. You can return to this page at any time to make changes.
Use the Description field to add details about your event, this is what users will see when they click on it.
You can also upload your event logo by clicking the 'Upload' button next to 'Image.'
For best results, use an image with a 16:9 ratio and a file size under 5 MB. Images that don’t meet these guidelines might not display correctly.
Schedule
Adding a schedule helps members see when each round of the event starts in their or the event's local time zone. It also enables the feature that displays a countdown to the start of the next round.
To add a schedule, click ‘Add Schedule Entry.’
This will take you to a form where you can enter the date and time for each round. When you're done, click ‘Save.’ Repeat this process for each round.
Setting
|
Details |
Round Name | This is the name people will see when they go to the Schedule tab of your event (you can check out the 2024 Speed Chess Championship schedule as an example). |
Start Date | The date when the round occurs. |
Start Time | The start time of the specific round in the time zone you selected as the event's time zone. |
Once you save a round, you can click the 'Edit' button to edit its date or start time, or the 'Delete' button to delete it.
Once you've added all the rounds of the event, you can click the 'Back' button to return to the Manage Event page.
How to embed Live Streams
If your event has live coverage, you can embed a stream so it appears on your event page.
To do this, scroll to the ‘Sections’ area on the Manage Event page and click ‘Edit’ next to the section where you want the stream to appear.
On the Manage Section page, look for the ‘Streams’ section and click ‘Add Stream.’
This will take you to the Add Event Stream page where you can set up your stream.
To embed live streams, follow the steps below:
Set Start and End Times for when the embed should appear on the event's page (this does not affect the stream itself)
Add a Title (you can customize it or match your platform's title)
Choose your platform (Twitch, YouTube, or Kick)
Enter the Channel/Video ID
Set the Language to optimize visibility for users
Click 'Save.'
You can embed multiple simultaneous streams (e.g., multilingual commentary) or edit and update existing streams as the event progresses. Please also note that you should add streams to each of the event's sections.
Move Relays
Let members follow your event in real time by setting up live game relays. These broadcasts show each move as it's played.
To add relays, go to the Manage Event page and scroll to the ‘Sections’ area. Click ‘Edit’ next to the section where you'd like to include the games.
On the Manage Section page, click ‘Add Relay’ to open the Add Move Relay page.
There, you can enter the details for each relay. Use the table below for help with the required fields.
Settings |
Details
|
Time Class | Classical, Rapid, or Blitz. This determines which FIDE ratings will be shown. |
Delay (Seconds) | A common value is 900 (15 minutes) for fair-play compliance |
Source Type | The source of your move relays. This can be:
You may add multiple sources (e.g., DGT boards + ID-chess) as needed.
If you're using the Manual PGN option, follow the steps below:
|
If PGN links change per round, toggle 'Includes All Rounds' to off and specify which round each link corresponds to.Once you’ve configured everything, click 'Save' on the Manage Event page to create your event page.
After the Event is created
Admin management
Once your event is set up, admins will see two buttons at the top of the event page:
Manage Event: Edit event details, schedule, streams, and more.
Edit Games: Remove accidental or incorrect entries from the Games tab
How do I share my event?
To get your event link, head to the Events page and scroll to the 'My Events' section on the right. Click your event and copy the URL from your browser's address bar.
To request that your event be publicly listed on Chess.com/events/current, email events@chess.com with your event link.
If you encounter issues or need help, you can reach us at events@chess.com. We'll be happy to help, and we can even assist you with unsupported formats or other technical blockers.