Can you play chess for money on Chess.com or Lichess?

They are two of the largest online chess sites. Lichess is free and runs on donations; Chess.com has free and paid memberships. They offer rated games, puzzles, lessons and tournaments, and the prizes in some events come from organisers or sponsors, not from the players' own stakes.

Rated play is about competing for rating, not for money, and each site has its own rules and fair-play systems. We cannot speak for their terms, which can change, so check them before assuming anything. Arranging a side bet with another player outside the platform is risky: nobody guarantees payment and it may go against the site's rules.

When money is on the board, these things matter:

• Matching by level, so that games are even.
• The same clock for both players, measured on the server.
• Each player's stake held until the game ends.
• Automatic payout to the winner, without relying on anyone's word.
• A system against chess engines and a way to dispute a result.

Your rating from another site does not transfer, and ratings are not equivalent between sites: each one calculates its own. On EonChess each pace (1, 3, 5 and 10 minutes) has its own ELO, so you start from zero in each. These tips help:

• Play the computer at the level you have there to check your real level: the practice lets you choose between 400 and 2800.
• Start with the pace you play best: see bullet, blitz or rapid.
• If you play bullet, review the best openings for bullet.
• Start with the lowest stake, from 1 USDT.

The board, the rules (castling, en passant, promotion) and the clock work as you know them, and you can use premoves if you enable them in Settings. What changes is the stake, and that every game with a stake is analysed for engine use. To see how prizes work, read chess for USDT prizes.

For adults aged 18 and over only. Games with a stake may be restricted in some countries.