Playing, pricing, and saved progress
Part One of The Glass Syndicate is free to play, with no limit. You can begin its first six encounters as a guest, without creating an account.
Beyond Part One, every story board is free at one board per 24 hours, or you can play everything with Story Chess Premium at $4.99 USD per month (or the local price shown at checkout).
| What you play | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| The Glass Syndicate · Part One — six encounters | No limit | No limit |
| Every other story board — Glass Part Two, A Knight of the Round Table, new stories | One board per 24 hours | No limit |
| Films, and replays of boards you have won | Always | Always |
| Price | Free | $4.99 USD per month, auto-renewing |
The checkout shows your final price, currency and any applicable taxes before you confirm. Prices shown by an app store may differ. Single stories and the Season Pass are no longer sold. Coming-soon stories are not yet playable.
This describes the current release. The terms of sale cover Premium in full, and the privacy page explains what we collect.
What can I play?
The Glass Syndicate has twelve encounters across four chapters, split into two six-encounter parts. Part One is free with no limit. Finish Part One to play Part Two; without Premium, Part Two is one board per 24 hours unless your save already qualifies for the earlier free-access offer. Players who earned that free access keep it.
A Knight of the Round Table · Part One is a medieval adventure in two chapters. You play real chess against six opponents, from Sir Gawain to King Arthur, and the part ends with knighthood at the Round Table. Without Premium, it is one board per 24 hours.
A Knight of the Round Table · Part Two, The Empty Penthouse and The Last Orbit are marked coming soon. Their previews do not provide play access, and no release dates are stated here. Premium includes each new story on the day it is released.
How does the daily board work?
Without Premium, you can start one story board per 24 hours beyond Part One of The Glass Syndicate. The 24 hours begin when you start the board, not when you win it. Retrying that same board inside the 24 hours is fine; a different board can be started once they have passed.
Watching a film never counts as a board, and the victory film of a board you win always plays. Once today's board is played, the next board's briefing waits with that board. Replaying a board you have already won, from the Boards tab, is never limited and does not count as your daily board.
What does Premium include?
Story Chess Premium costs $4.99 USD per month (or the local price shown at checkout) and renews automatically each month. While it is active, it includes every story and every part on Play Story Chess, every new story on the day it is released, and unlimited boards.
Premium never unlocks a board. Boards unlock by winning, with or without Premium.
What about stories I already bought?
If you bought The Glass Syndicate · Part Two or A Knight of the Round Table, you keep that story, with unlimited play of it. If you have a Season Pass, you keep every story until your pass ends. A purchase stays on your account, or, if you bought it without one, in that browser until you connect it to a free account. Earlier purchases remain subject to the terms that applied when they were made.
How do I pay?
On the website, Premium uses secure Stripe payment fields on Play Story Chess in your local currency, with card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link where supported, and UPI in India. Earlier website purchases were hosted by RevenueCat or Stripe. If a checkout identifies Paddle as the seller, Paddle handles that transaction as merchant of record. Use the payment methods and currency actually offered in your checkout; availability depends on the provider and location.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to begin The Glass Syndicate. Open the story selector, choose it, and select a starting level if this is your first entry.
You can also subscribe to Premium without an account on the website. A purchase made while signed in is saved to your account and follows it to any device where you sign in.
A purchase made without an account is saved in the browser you bought it in. Create a free account or sign in from that browser to keep it on every device. If something you bought does not appear, use Restore purchases to check again.
An account is also useful when you want your progress connected to an identity you can sign into. Use Save progress in the game to follow that process.
How does a guest save work?
A guest save, like anything bought without an account, is connected to the guest identity retained by your browser. You can return using that browser while the identity remains available.
Clearing cookies, ending a private-browsing session, or moving to another browser or device can remove your access to that guest identity. Signing in afterward does not automatically recover a guest save whose connection has already been lost.
Connect the progress to an account while you still have access to the guest session if you want account-based continuation.
How do I use an existing account?
Sign in through the game's account controls. The product uses Mainline accounts, while Story Chess remains a separate game and website.
If the game finds more than one saved position, use the provided selection instead of starting over. Wait for the save or account state to confirm before relying on the new connection.
Is this a subscription library?
Only if you choose Premium. Part One of The Glass Syndicate is free with no limit, and every other story board is free at one board per 24 hours. “Library” describes how stories are collected; Premium is the optional monthly subscription.
On the website, manage or cancel Premium from Profile → Manage, which opens Stripe's billing page. Cancelling stops the next renewal; Premium stays active until the end of the month you paid for. If you subscribed through an app store, manage it there. The terms of sale explain renewal and cancellation.
Do I need to download an app?
The current experience runs on the website. Open PlayStoryChess.com in your browser. The game has desktop and mobile layouts; it is not presented here as a native app or an offline download.
You need a connection for the online game and its media. Loading time can depend on your connection.
Start playing
Choose a story before you begin. The selector distinguishes the available adventures from upcoming ones and provides continuation when it finds your saved progress.
How the game works · Help with saves and rematches · Terms of sale · Privacy · Refunds
Website Premium pricing in India is ₹189.43 per month, the US$1.99 equivalent fixed for this offer on October 29, 2026. Other supported local-currency prices are based on US$4.99 per month. The exact recurring amount appears before payment. Mobile-app store prices are separate.