Four friends, one board. The “who’s next?” fight is over.

Friends’ Table is a game table on Rovian where up to 4 people meet in one video room: two play while the others watch and talk, and the turn order rotates on its own. Classic chess is played untimed and unrated. The feature is currently in beta testing and runs in the browser; you open it from the game lobby or from a link a friend sends you.

Every group of friends has the two people who know chess. They play; everyone else checks their phone or leans over a shoulder to say “just take it”. On a video call it gets worse: someone shares the board on screen, someone forgets to unmute, and nobody remembers whose turn it is. Friends’ Table hands that argument to the table itself. Everyone sits down, and everyone knows when they’re up.

How do you set up a Friends’ Table?

Tables are for member accounts only. Guest accounts can’t join; you need to be 18 or older with a completed profile. You don’t have to be on each other’s friends list, since anyone with the link can join. So share it only with people you know. Opening the page doesn’t start your camera; your devices only switch on when you open the preview or join the table.

1. In the game lobby, choose “Friends’ table · Beta”, or open the table page directly.

2. If you like, test your camera first with “Open camera preview”. Only you can see that preview; sharing starts when you join the table.

3. Tick the consent box for sharing your camera and microphone, then press “Create table”.

4. “Invite friends” copies the table link; drop it in your group chat. A friend who opens it ticks the same consent box and presses “Join table”. They can also paste the link or the table code into the join field.

Four-player chess: who plays and who watches?

A table holds up to 4 people. Two play classic chess while the others watch the board live. Everyone’s camera and microphone share the same room, so the commentary, the teasing and the laughter stay at the table too. Empty seats show “Room for a friend”, and a fifth person is told the table is full.

You can switch your camera, your microphone and your own preview on and off separately, and a device you turn off stays off. If your camera won’t open, you don’t lose your seat; you can keep watching. Each person’s tile also has report and block options.

If you want four people on one board as two teams, that’s a different game: Hand & Brain is played by two teams of two. At Friends’ Table everyone plays their own game, one pair at a time.

How does turn-based chess rotate at the table?

The table keeps the queue for you. The rules are simple:

1. Whoever creates the table starts in the queue. Everyone else arrives as a spectator; to play, press “I’m next”.

2. Once two connected people are queued, the host presses “Start game” and the first two in the queue sit down at the board.

3. When the game ends, the two players go to the back of the queue if they still want to play. People who are waiting always go first.

4. Need a break? “Watch next game” takes you out of the queue. The host opens the following game with “Start next game”.

A draw needs both players: one chooses “Offer draw”, the other presses “Accept draw”. “Resign” asks you to confirm first. The line under the board always says whose move it is. There’s no clock, so take your time. There’s no rating either, so whoever loses can queue up again for a rematch, no second thought needed.

What happens if someone disconnects or leaves?

A disconnected player’s place is held for 1 minute. If they’re back in time, they carry on where they left off. If not, they drop off the table; if they were playing, the game is cancelled and the board shows “Game cancelled because a player left.” Leaving the table yourself also cancels your current game, but your friends stay at the table.

If the host leaves, the table doesn’t close: hosting passes to the next connected person. Open the same table in another tab and the video in the old tab stops. You can only sit at one table at a time.

When does the table close, and is anything saved?

In beta, tables are temporary. A room stays open for at most 4 hours and closes if the server restarts. It also closes on its own once nobody has been connected for 30 minutes. A closed table’s link stops working, and anyone who opens it is told the table can’t be found. Just open a new table and share the new link.

Games played at the table aren’t added to your history, don’t touch your rating and aren’t archived anywhere. If you want to keep the evening’s score, keep a pen and paper by the screen.

Beta means one more thing: a four-person video call asks something of everyone’s connection. If a video doesn’t arrive, there’s a “Retry video connection” button, and the chess table stays open in the meantime.

Which option fits an online chess night?

If it’s just the two of you, a private arena is the shorter route: send the code and play. Planning a bigger evening? Have a look at the ideas on our virtual chess night page. If three or four of you want one room and turns at the board, Friends’ Table is made for exactly that night.

We explained why screen-sharing a board and arguing about whose turn it was wears everyone out in our post on chess over Zoom. Now drop the link in the group, set up the table and be the one who’s next. Open your camera. Make your move.