An open challenge is simply any challenge that has not yet been accepted. There are two ways to create an open challenge. One is to simply click Play in the new game window

This will automatically match you with anyone in the same rating range who is looking for the same kind of game.

If the system can't find a match for you right away, it will create an open challenge for you instead, and you can wait for the game to be accepted. Click here to read about how to browse and accept other members' open challenges!

The other way is to create a custom challenge:

A custom challenge allows you to choose the rating range of your opponent, choose a custom opening, limit the game to only premium members, and more. Click here to read more about custom challenges!

Custom challenges create an open challenge that members can choose to accept or not. If your custom challenge is very specific, you may have to wait a while to find someone who wants to play with those options. If you get tired of waiting, or change your mind, you can cancel your open challenge.

To cancel an open challenge, go to your home page and look under your Daily games list:

You will see your unaccepted open challenge next to your ongoing daily games (if any)

Click on the challenge to open it, and then you can choose to cancel it:

Click on the 'x' at the bottom of the challenge to cancel it.

An open live game challenge is less common, because live games are usually accepted almost instantly. But if your challenge is using an unusual custom time control, or if you are challenging a friend or specific person who is not accepting the game, you will see your open live challenge in the bottom right corner of the Play page:

The chessboard and + icon will expand when you click on it, and you can cancel the open challenge by clicking the 'x'.