Live chess on Rovian means the Broadcasts section, where you watch games being played right now with the board, the clock and both players’ cameras together. You don’t need an account to follow the board. To get the players’ video and audio, sign in and complete the 18+ confirmation. On 4 and 5 October we rebuilt this screen.
The boring part of watching chess is the silence. A piece moves, then nothing happens for a long time. Yet in that time a storm may be raging inside the player. When you can see their face, the storm reaches the screen: a quick glance at the clock, a held breath after the opponent’s move, a small smile once the combination is found. Then every move becomes a story.
Where can you find live chess broadcasts?
To watch an online chess game, go to Broadcasts: it sits in the left menu on desktop and in the “More” menu on your phone. Open the Broadcasts page and the first screen goes straight to live game cards. Each card shows how many people are watching and whether a camera is on. The list refreshes every few seconds, but the cards stay where they are; nothing shuffles unless you pick Recommended, Most viewers, Recently started or Highest rated from the “Sort by” menu.
You can switch between Bullet, Blitz and Rapid, and the “On camera” filter shows only broadcasts with a camera on. The “Following” tab at the top lists the players you follow, with live ones first. The “Discover new faces” section gives a chance to broadcasts you don’t follow, haven’t opened in this browser and that have 5 viewers or fewer. Choose “Not interested” and that channel leaves your recommendations; the player is not blocked.
What’s on the watch screen?
On a wide screen the stage is camera, board, camera: both players appear in large tiles on either side of the board. On a phone the square board sits on top with the two faces side by side below. The camera slots are reserved even while the connection is still coming up, so the board doesn’t jump when the video arrives. Faces are shown uncropped with “Full picture” framing by default; you can switch to “Fill / crop” if you prefer.
In standard chess games an evaluation bar sits next to the board. It works out the position with a chess engine running in your own browser. If the evaluation swings by roughly 2.5 pawns in a single move, a “Key moment! Clip this position” prompt appears. In the watch settings you can choose Balanced, Larger cameras or Larger board, and keep watching in theatre mode, fullscreen or picture in picture. Your preferences carry over to the next broadcast.
What can you do while watching?
1. Chat and reactions: write in the broadcast chat, or join in with one tap using the Applause, Great move and Surprised reactions. Visitors without an account can read the chat but can’t write.
2. “Who wins?”: you can vote until each side has made eight moves. Call the winner and you earn 10 points when the game ends; in a draw no winner points are given out. Players can’t vote in their own game.
3. Move prediction: press “Predict the move” and play the next move on the board. When the real move lands you see whether you got it and how many viewers did. Each correct guess is recorded as 1 point when the game ends.
4. Clip: if you’re a registered member you can capture the key moment. When both players allow recording, a “REC” badge shows on the broadcast and the last 30 seconds or so become a video clip. Without that permission the clip is saved as a board snapshot. Every clip gets a shareable link, and the most watched and newest ones are collected on the Clips page. If you want a vertical video of your own finished game, read our game clips post.
5. Share and follow: use the Share menu to copy the link or embed the broadcast on your own site. Follow a player and, if you’re on the site when they start a new game, you’ll get a heads-up, at most once every half hour per player.
6. Quality and sound: set video quality to Automatic, High, Medium or Data saver. Automatic lowers the quality when your connection weakens and raises it again once it recovers. “Soften sudden loud sounds” is on by default. If the video freezes, “Report a problem” tells the technical team; it doesn’t file a complaint against a player.
Whose games go on air, and whose don’t?
The board and clocks of adult chess games played on Rovian can be watched. Camera and microphone are a separate decision for each player. In public games your stream is on by default and goes only to signed-in 18+ viewers. During the game, the “Turn my stream off (camera & mic)” button in the “Stream” panel cuts it whenever you like. If you never want to be broadcast, turn on “Hide my camera and audio in live games” in the Social tab of Settings; your board stays watchable.
In private rooms and games started from a friend’s invite code, your camera and audio never go on air. You can’t open the broadcast of a player when either of you has blocked the other. Rovian is for people aged 18 and over, and player video only reaches signed-in adult viewers.
Since 9 October your stream no longer depends on your opponent. Your opponent might be playing on a guest account, be a bot, or have hidden their camera. In that case only their video and audio stay off air, and yours stays live. Before, any one of those three switched off the broadcast for the whole game. When you turn your own camera off while your opponent is live, your screen says “Your opponent is live”, so you know your game is being watched.
Clips follow a stricter rule, because a clip keeps both players together. No clip can be taken from a game with a guest, a bot or someone who hides their camera. For a video clip, both players need “Allow my matches to be recorded” switched on in the Social tab. That option is off by default, and video clips are deleted after 30 days.
What has changed since July?
In July our watching live broadcasts post first introduced the Broadcasts section. Four things have changed since then:
1. Bigger cameras and a steady stage (4 October). Open a game and the video no longer shows up tiny, and the layout no longer shifts while a camera connects.
2. Viewer tools arrived (5 October): quality selection, softening sudden loud sounds, resizing the board and chat, game rules, technical problem reports and the new faces section.
3. Your stream doesn’t depend on your opponent (9 October): a guest, bot or hidden opponent only switches off their own video.
4. The “Hide from spectators” option we described then has been replaced by “Hide my camera and audio in live games”. It doesn’t take your game off the list; your board stays watchable and only your camera and audio switch off.
Where should you start?
Turn on the “On camera” filter, tap a card, unmute and watch the two faces. Who keeps glancing at the clock, who smiles after the opponent’s move? Once you’ve watched for a while and want a seat at the board, it’s your turn. Open your camera. Make your move. Browse live broadcasts or start a game now.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to watch live chess on Rovian?
No. You can follow the board of any game in Broadcasts without an account. To get the players’ camera and audio you need to sign in and complete the 18+ confirmation, and you need to sign in to write in chat.
Will my Rovian games be broadcast to viewers?
In public games your camera and microphone are open to signed-in 18+ viewers by default, and you can switch them off at any time from the Stream panel on the game screen. To turn it off for good, enable “Hide my camera and audio in live games” in the Social tab of Settings; your board and clocks stay watchable.
If my opponent turns off their camera, does my stream go off too?
No. Since 9 October streaming works per player. An opponent on a guest account, a bot or someone who hides their camera only keeps their own video off air; your stream stays live.
Can I clip a moment from a live chess broadcast?
Yes, if you’re a registered member. When both players allow recording, the last 30 seconds or so become a video clip; otherwise the clip is a board snapshot. Games with a guest, a bot or a player who hides their camera can’t be clipped.
How do I earn points in the “Who wins?” poll?
Voting stays open until each side has made eight moves. Viewers who call the winner earn 10 points when the game ends; no winner points are given in a draw or an aborted game.