Play Chess Online
Join a vibrant community of chess players. From beginners to experts, find your match and engage in casual games, tournaments or team play.
What is Red Hot Pawn Chess?
Not only a great platform for online chess, but a large and active chess community.
Est. 2001 - 24 years of online chess
Daily Chess
Rather than complete a game in one session, play chess at your own pace by playing our correspondence style game. Receive optional move notifications by email.
A Chess Community
Leaderboards, ladders, chess clubs, public forums, blogs and private messaging - there are multiple ways you can learn, interact and compete with other players.
Team Play
Join a chess 'clan' and challenge rival clans in competitive team matches to battle for position in the clan leaderboard.
Chess Tournaments
Regularly scheduled open tournaments where you can test your mettle against players worldwide. Or join a club to play tournaments exclusively for club members.
And More...
Play live chess, with variant support. Or practice unrated games against an AI. Study openings, puzzles or the vast games explorer to improve your game.
Some features are not available to standard members
Play Chess Anywhere, Anytime
Enjoy chess on your terms
With our seamless platform, play on your desktop, tablet, or mobile. No boards to set up, no pieces to lose. Unadulterated stress free chess. Your next move is always just a tap away.
Sign up on the web or scan to get the app for your device.
What People Are Saying
I love chess and really enjoy this website. I've played over 600 games so far. I've made friends & acquaintances from all over the world.
I have been a member for around twenty years and a subscription member for most of those years. The website and app are great, I've played other apps but found the quality and friendliness of this site best. Highly recommend and well worth the subscription fee.
Best laid back chess game. This app is definitely for people that like to play at a slower pace. I enjoy chess but I also have a busy life. This allows me to come back and place my piece when I'm ready. Definitely enjoy this a lot.
A great place to play turn-based, correspondence style chess on the internet!
RedHotPawn is one of the very best venues to play correspondence chess with other people throughout the world.
Outstanding chess site. Best I've played on. Loaded with players at every level. A chess enthusiasts' dream site.
Common Questions
When I complete games, will I have a rating?
After joining each player has a provisional rating until 20 rated games have been completed. Once your rating is established your rating will update as rated games are completed. Rating calculation details can be found in the site FAQ.
Can I play other players of my level?
Are chess engines permitted on this platform?
Do I need the app to play on my tablet or phone?
Ready to play online chess for free?
We will choose your introductory opponents to you get started right away. Sign up to start your chess playing journey.