Rovian's game screen is a playing area that brings the chessboard and both players' live camera feeds onto the same page. No tab-switching, no separate video-call app: you make your move and watch your opponent's reaction at the same moment.
Video and audio flow directly between the two browsers, while moves are validated on the server. That split matters: your conversation stays between you, but the clock and the rules always have a server-side referee.
What's on the screen?
The layout is deliberately plain: the board in the middle, two camera windows on the side (opponent on top, you below), a digital clock next to each camera, the move list and chat underneath.
Board coordinates sit outside the squares, not inside them, so a piece is never covered by a number. Your last move stays highlighted, and when the game ends the result stamp appears right on top of the board.
Can you turn the camera and mic off at any time?
Yes. The camera and mic buttons live in the in-game control bar. When you switch your camera off, your opponent simply sees “Camera off” — the game isn't interrupted and moves keep flowing.
If you'd rather not press the same buttons every match, set your defaults in Settings: whether the camera starts on, whether the mic starts on, and whether your own view is mirrored.
Does muting your opponent affect the game?
It doesn't. “Mute opponent” and “Hide opponent's video” only change your own screen — the other side never knows and their stream isn't cut. In a noisy room, or when you just want a quiet moment, those two buttons are your personal volume control.
Your own camera and mic, on the other hand, do go to your opponent. Simple rule: controls labelled “opponent” point at your screen, controls labelled “camera/mic” point at theirs.
What happens if your connection gets weak?
Each camera carries a live connection indicator: Good, Medium, Poor. You notice a wobbling network before the picture freezes.
Even if the video drops entirely, the match survives — the board, clock and result are held on the server, so play continues where it left off. “Retry camera” is one click away, and on restrictive networks the connection is set up through a relay server.
Fill or full frame?
The camera window works in two ways. “Fill” covers the whole frame and crops the edges slightly. “Full frame” shows the entire picture with no cropping — handy on wide-angle cameras, or when you want your physical board in shot too.
Brightness, contrast and saturation live in the same panel. For more, see our post on camera filters and AR lenses.
You need one thing to try it: find an opponent and turn your camera on.
See you in the next story.
Discover more stories