Variants on Chess.com
You can easily challenge a friend to a chess variant by following the steps below. Please note that your friend must be online and on the Variants page to receive and accept your challenge.
Variants are currently available on the web only and are not supported in the mobile app. Check out this article if you'd like to play variants on your mobile device: How do I play variants on the Chess.com app?
How to challenge a friend to a chess variant
Hover over 'Play' in the left-side menu of any Chess.com page and select 'Variants.'
On the Variants page, you'll see a list of available variants on the right. If you don't see the one you're looking for, use the search bar at the top of the list to find it, then click the variant you'd like to play.
Choose your preferred time control and enter your friend's username.
If you'd like to customize the game further, such as changing the rating range or choosing whether the game is rated or unrated, click 'Customize' below the 'Play' button.
When you're ready, click 'Play' to send the challenge!
How to challenge multiple friends to a multiplayer variant
Some variants, such as 4-Player Chess, support games with more than two players. If you'd like to invite specific friends to join your game, follow these steps:
Hover over 'Play' in the left-side menu of any Chess.com page and select 'Variants.'
On the Variants page, choose the variant you'd like to play. If you don't see it in the list, use the search bar to find it, then click the variant.
Click 'Custom' below the Play button, then enable 'Invite Players.'
Click 'Invite Players' to open the invitation settings. From there, you can:
Invite friends by entering their usernames.
Assign each player a color.
Replace one or more players with bots.
Exclude yourself from the game.
Enable autostart (seats are assigned automatically).
If you enable Autostart, the game will begin automatically once all invited players have accepted their invitations.
If Autostart is turned off, you'll need to start the game manually after all invited players have joined.
Check out this article to learn more about variants: How do I play chess variants?