How ChessBit matches players: compatibility scores, calibrated ratings, Lichess and Chess.com imports, Quick Play, and stake caps while your rating settles.
ChessBit doesn't show raw ratings in the lobby. Each open game shows a compatibility percentage: how close a matchup this is for you, based on rating distance, mode, level band and how settled both ratings are. Both players see the same number.
Games you leave open widen their acceptable range a little every minute, so a fair opponent is found faster.
When you join, you tell us your level, and your rating seeds accordingly, from beginner to expert. Ratings are kept per mode (Bullet, Blitz, Rapid) and adjust from results; wins against stronger opposition move you more.
Played elsewhere? You can link a Lichess or Chess.com account by proving you own it: put the code ChessBit gives you in your Lichess bio, or in your Chess.com name or location, then press Verify. You can do it any time from the chess accounts section of your profile. Accounts with enough rated history (50+ games, 90+ days old) import a conservative version of that rating, so you skip the "beat up beginners while calibrating" phase in both directions.
Until your rating is established, stakes are capped for everyone's protection, separately for each mode. The cap starts low and rises as your rating settles:
| Rating source | Cap at the start | As it settles |
|---|
| Self-declared level | about $44 | rises to $75, then lifts |
| Verified Lichess/Chess.com import | about $200 | rises to $250, then lifts |
Because a game's stake isn't tied to one time control until someone joins, the tightest cap across your three modes is the one that applies.
Once your rating is established, the only ceilings are your verification level's stake cap. If your play later drifts far below your established peak, a protective cap can apply again while things settle. This is anti-sandbagging protection, not a penalty.
- Quick Play: pick a fixed pool and tap Play Now. The server finds an opponent at the same stake and doesn't use compatibility scores. If you're new to staked games it may look for someone near your own level first. Your stake cap still applies.
- Open challenges: post a stake, time control and compatibility band to the lobby; anyone who fits can join. Expires after 10 minutes.
- Direct challenge: challenge a named player (one pending direct challenge at a time).
- Auto-Join: set your preferences (stake range, time controls, compatibility) and ChessBit offers you suitable games as they appear. You have 60 seconds to accept each offer, and the request stays live for 10 minutes.
- Followers only: only players who follow you can join your game.
Weekly public leaderboards (Monday to Sunday) rank most wins, most money won and longest win streak. The top 5 in each earn a share of the fees they paid that week, paid in BTC, up to a cap. The exact shares are in the loyalty program.
