Story Chess help
Start here for the practical questions about entering an adventure, choosing a challenge, and coming back to your game.
Starting an adventure
How do I begin?
Open the story selector and choose The Glass Syndicate, whose Part One is free, or Knight of the Round Table. If you are starting The Glass Syndicate for the first time, select a starting level and continue into the opening briefing.
The Drowned Atlas and The Last Orbit are marked coming soon. Selecting a future-story card should not begin a different adventure.
Do I need an account or a subscription?
You can begin The Glass Syndicate as a guest. Its Part One is free with no limit and does not require a purchase or subscription. An account is optional for connecting your progress to a sign-in identity.
Without a subscription, every other story board, including Part Two and Knight of the Round Table, is free at one board per 24 hours. Story Chess Premium, $4.99 a month on the website, removes that limit. Website checkout supports guests. Mobile-app purchases require sign-in and show the store's local price before confirmation.
See pricing and access for the current scope.
Am I playing real chess?
Yes. You make the moves against the computer. The characters, scenes, and encounter consequences form the story around those games.
An internet connection is required, including when playing through a mobile app. This is not an offline game.
Premium and purchases
What can I buy?
Story Chess Premium is $4.99 a month (or the local price shown at checkout) and renews automatically each month. While it is active, it includes every story, every part, every new story on the day it is released, and unlimited boards.
Single stories and the Season Pass are no longer sold. If you bought Part Two of The Glass Syndicate or Knight of the Round Table, you keep that story with unlimited play of it. A Season Pass keeps every story until it ends.
Buying never unlocks a board. Boards unlock by winning.
How does the free 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, and retrying that same board inside them is fine. Watching a film never counts as a board, and replaying a board you have already won from the Boards tab is never limited and does not count. Once today's board is played, the next board's briefing waits with that board.
How do I pay?
On the website, no account is needed to buy. Premium uses secure Stripe payment fields on Play Story Chess, in your local currency. Some purchases open a Stripe-hosted checkout. Payments are processed by Stripe. You can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link where supported, and by UPI in India. In the iOS and Android apps, sign in first; purchases use the App Store or Google Play and show the local store price before confirmation.
Where are my purchases on another device?
A purchase made while signed in is saved to your account. Sign in with the same account on the other device.
A purchase made without an account is saved in the browser you bought it in. To keep it on every device, create a free account or sign in from that browser.
If something you bought does not appear, use Restore purchases to check again, or email hello@playstorychess.com.
How do I cancel Premium?
On the website, open Profile → Manage, which opens Stripe's billing page, and cancel there. If you subscribed in an app, cancel through Apple subscriptions or Google Play subscriptions. Cancelling stops the next renewal; Premium stays active until the end of the month you paid for. A Season Pass bought earlier is cancelled through the store where you bought it or the management link in your website purchase receipt, and stays active until the end of the term you paid for. Deleting the app or your account does not cancel a subscription. The terms of sale explain renewal and cancellation.
How do I delete my Story Chess account?
Open Profile → Delete Story Chess account, or visit account deletion. Sign in and follow the confirmation. This removes Story Chess progress, games, earned boards and settings; your shared Mainline login and Mainline data are preserved. The page explains retained payment records and linked analytics deletion. Cancel any subscription separately before deleting.
Choosing your chess level
Which option should I choose?
Beginner is intended for someone new to chess or still learning. Medium is for someone who knows the rules and plays occasionally. Hard is for someone who plays regularly and wants a challenge.
The current menu displays starting estimates of 300, 800, and 1200. You can also enter a whole-number estimate from 100 to 3000.
These are starting estimates used to tune play, not measured opponent ratings. Current opponents have a 1900 challenge ceiling.
Can I change it later?
Open Profile → Chess level. A changed setting applies to your next game or rematch. It does not change the opponent in the middle of your active game.
Does an easier level teach me the rules?
An approachable challenge and a teaching sequence are different features. If you need rules explained, use a dedicated learning resource before or alongside the adventure.
Our chess website guide identifies instructional options.
Saving and returning
Can I return to an unfinished game?
Yes. When your saved state is available, the story selector offers Resume game for an unfinished encounter. Use that continuation to return to your position.
How do guest saves work?
Guest progress is connected to the guest identity retained in your browser. Return in the same browser while that identity remains available.
Do not clear cookies or rely on a private session surviving if you need that guest connection. Moving to another device does not automatically move the guest identity.
How do I connect progress to an account?
Use Save progress in the game, then follow the account flow. Wait for the interface to confirm the account/save state.
If you already have an account, use Sign in. If more than one saved position needs your attention, choose the one you intend to continue.
What if a save or connection fails?
Keep the session available and use the offered retry or reconnection action. A failed load is not evidence that you have no progress. Avoid starting a new session or clearing the browser identity as a first response.
During play, allow saving to complete before depending on the latest move being recorded. A saved-position indicator is more useful than assuming a click was committed.
Losses, draws, and progression
What happens if I lose or draw?
The game offers another attempt against the eligible current opponent. A loss, resignation, or draw does not count as a victory or automatically complete the encounter.
Choose the rematch action when you want to try again. Completed earlier encounters remain part of your progress.
Does leaving a game resign it?
Leaving the board is different from choosing Resign. Use the saved continuation when returning to an unfinished game.
If the interface reports a pending save or connection issue, let it settle or retry before relying on the last move.
How does the story move forward?
The opening victories lead through introductions and new locations. The campaign also contains authored story actions; follow the scene's actual objective and controls.
A chapter contains a group of encounters. It is not necessarily one game or a fixed number of minutes.
Sound and scenes
Where is the sound control?
Use the game's mute control. Browser audio may require an initial interaction before it can play. Check both the game control and your device/tab audio state.
What if media is slow to load?
The adventure uses cinematic media. A slow connection can increase preparation time. Keep the page available while it loads; repeatedly restarting the mission is not a useful way to speed up the media.
Continue playing
Open the story selector · Read the story overview · See how play works · Terms of sale · Privacy
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.