# Chess

> Two-player chess for your room

by Cya · Free

[Canonical HTML](https://cya.live/apps-center/chess)

![Chess icon](https://cya.live/apps-center/img/chess/icon.webp)

Real-time chess: grab an open seat or let the host pick two players — everyone else watches the board live. Full rules: castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate and draw detection (including threefold repetition).

## What you can do

- **Seats by invitation**: The host offers white and black; the players accept. Spectators cannot move pieces.
- **Full rules, everywhere**: Castling, en passant, promotion, check and mate are enforced by the same engine on every screen.
- **A clock the room can see**: Time control runs in sync for players and spectators alike.
- **Host controls**: Pick a time control for the next game, seat players from the People panel, and free a seat when someone leaves, all from the Controls panel.

## How it works in a room

1. The host opens Chess in the main window and picks a time control.
2. The host seats two participants from the People panel; everyone else spectates.
3. Players move on their own screen; the board and clock update for the whole room.
4. The host can free a seat or start a new game at any time.

## Screenshots

![Illustration of a chess board mid-game with a glowing seat at each end](https://cya.live/apps-center/img/chess/s1.webp)

Two seats, one board

![Illustration of a row of avatar spectators watching a large chess board on a stage-like screen](https://cya.live/apps-center/img/chess/s2.webp)

The room watches every move

![Illustration of a twin chess clock beside a board, one side glowing](https://cya.live/apps-center/img/chess/s3.webp)

A shared clock keeps it honest

## Add it to your show

1. Start or open your show on cya.live or in the Cya app. You are the host.
2. Open Apps in the room and switch to the Apps Center tab.
3. Tap Install. The app joins My Apps in every room you host.
4. Pick it from My Apps to put it in the main window. Its settings live in the Controls panel.

## Your questions, answered

**Can spectators move pieces?**

No. Only the two seated players can move; the host seats them from the People panel.

**Does Chess enforce the rules?**

Yes. Legal moves, check, checkmate, stalemate, castling, en passant and promotion are all enforced.

**Is the Chess app free?**

Yes. Install it from the Apps Center inside any Cya show.

## More apps

[Browse the Apps Center](https://cya.live/apps-center) · [Build your own](https://cya.live/developers)