Playing chess online is a lot of fun, but did you know you can win real money doing it? It’s true! Lots of websites have online chess tournaments with cash prizes, and you don’t have to be a top player to join in. For anyone who loves chess, these events are a great way to test your skills, play against people from all over the world, and maybe even make some money from your favorite game.
But finding the right tournament can be tricky. You need to know which websites are safe, what the different game styles are, and how to sign up and get paid. This guide will help you figure it all out. We made a list of the best and most trusted places where you can play chess for real money.
This article is your guide to the world of paid online chess. We’ll look at the top 7 websites and break down everything you need to know about each one:
- What kinds of tournaments they have & how much you can win.
- How much it costs to enter & who is allowed to play.
- Easy steps to sign up and start playing.
We’ll also talk about important stuff, like how to make sure a tournament is real, how you’ll get your money, and tips to get ready for your games. Every website review has links and pictures to help you get started right away. Let’s find the perfect tournament for you to show off your skills and start winning!
1. Chess.com
Chess.com is the biggest chess website in the world, so it’s a great place to find online chess tournaments with cash prizes. So many people use it that you can always find a game. Their biggest events are often shown live online, giving players a chance to win money and get noticed. The site is known for having weekly and monthly tournaments that are run very professionally and are fair for everyone.
Key Features and Major Events
Chess.com has all kinds of cash tournaments for different game speeds and player levels. Most of the big events are free to enter if you have a premium membership, but some might have special rules about who can join.
- Titled Tuesday: This is a big weekly event just for titled players (like Grandmasters and International Masters). It has a lot of prize money and attracts the best players in the world.
- Bullet Brawl & Arena Kings: These are super-fast weekly events. Some are open to everyone, but to win money in events like Arena Kings, you often have to stream your games on sites like Twitch or YouTube.
- Monthly Championships: The site has regular championships with big prize pools, so there are always important games to play.
The website is easy to use. Just go to the “Play” > “Tournaments” section, and you can search for events by type, game speed, and prize money. Each event has its own page with all the rules, prizes, and start time.
Why It Stands Out
What makes Chess.com a top choice is that it’s trustworthy and huge. The site uses special technology to catch cheaters and checks every tournament to make sure the winners played fairly. Their payment system is clear and simple, and they tell you exactly how you’ll get paid, like through PayPal or a bank transfer. This helps players feel safe that they’ll get their winnings without any problems.
Practical Tip: To win prizes on Chess.com, make sure your real name is in your profile settings. Most events need this to check who you are before they send you any money. Also, always read the rules for each tournament, because some have special requirements, like streaming your games.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Safe and clear about paying winners | ❌ Many of the top cash events are only for titled players |
| ✅ Lots of players and very popular | ❌ Some events make you stream your games to win prizes |
| ✅ Lots of tournaments that are well-run | ❌ The competition is very tough because so many people play |
| ✅ Good at catching cheaters |
For players of any level who want to try playing online chess for real money, Chess.com is one of the safest and most organized places to start.
Website: https://www.chess.com
2. FIDE Online Arena (World Chess) / chessarena.com
The FIDE Online Arena is the official online platform of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which is the group that makes the rules for chess all over the world. This makes their online chess tournaments with cash prizes very official and trustworthy. What’s cool about this site is that you can also get official online ratings and titles. It’s a place where your online games are taken seriously, and some tournaments offer cash prizes with official rules.
Key Features and Major Events
The FIDE Online Arena has different events with prizes, but not all of them are cash. It’s important to check the details for each tournament. To play in most of these events, you often need a Pro membership.
- Swiss Queens Wednesday: This is a regular, well-known tournament just for women. Every event has a cash prize, which makes it a great and steady opportunity for female players.
- Prized Tournaments: The site often has other events with prizes that are open to all members. The prizes could be cash or other things, so always read the event description.
- Official FOA Titles: Besides money, you can earn official titles like Arena Grandmaster (AGM) by playing here. This gives you another cool goal to work toward.
The website has a clear schedule for tournaments. Information about prizes and payments is usually on the tournament page or in the help section. Payments are typically made through PayPal after they check to make sure everyone played fairly.
Why It Stands Out
The best thing about the FIDE Online Arena is that it’s backed by the official chess federation. Playing here feels more serious and official than on other sites. They are very strict about catching cheaters, following FIDE’s rules, which makes players trust the games. If you want to earn official titles and play in a more formal setting, this is the perfect site.
Practical Tip: To play in most of the prize tournaments and get an official rating, you’ll probably need to buy a Pro membership. Before you sign up, look at the upcoming tournament schedule to see if there are events you want to play in. Always make sure your account and payment info are correct so you can get your prizes on time.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Very trustworthy because it’s run by FIDE | ❌ There aren’t as many cash tournaments as on other sites |
| ✅ You can earn official online titles | ❌ You often need a paid membership for prize events |
| ✅ Regular cash prize events just for women | ❌ There are fewer players compared to bigger sites |
| ✅ Clear rules and good at stopping cheaters | ❌ Not every “prized” event has a cash prize |
For players who care about official titles and a serious gaming feel, the FIDE Online Arena is a great and trusted choice.
Website: https://chessarena.com
3. ChessBase India (events on Playchess)
ChessBase India is a huge part of the chess world in India and a great place to find regular online chess tournaments with cash prizes, especially for players from that area. It’s mostly a chess news website, but it also organizes and promotes tournaments that are played on the Playchess server. These tournaments are known for having clear prize info, fair rules, and a big focus on the Indian chess community.
Key Features and Major Events
ChessBase India’s tournaments are usually announced in articles on their website. The articles give you all the info you need, like entry fees, prize money, and how to join. The prizes are almost always in Indian Rupees (₹), and the games are scheduled at times that work well for people in India.
- Frequent Online Blitz/Rapid Events: They organize lots of fast chess tournaments all year, with prize money from thousands to lakhs of rupees. Players of all skill levels can join.
- Sponsored Prize Tournaments: They team up with companies to host bigger events with large prize funds, which brings in strong players from all over the country and even other places.
- Clear and Detailed Announcements: Every tournament gets its own article that explains the game style, prize money for different ranks, entry fee, and rules for playing on Playchess.
- Published Winner Lists: After each event, they post a report with the final scores and a list of the winners. This keeps everything open and celebrates the players who won.
To find and join these events, you have to keep an eye on the ChessBase India website for new tournament news. Once you see one, you’ll need a Playchess account to sign up and play.
Why It Stands Out
What makes ChessBase India special is its focus on a specific region and the trust of its community. The site is run by IM Sagar Shah and has a great reputation for supporting chess in India. The whole process, from signing up with Indian payment methods to getting your prize money through local bank transfers, is made easy for players in the area. They are open about their anti-cheating rules and how they pay winners, so players know everything is handled fairly. This makes it the main place for Indian players to find good cash prize tournaments.
Practical Tip: Since tournaments are announced in different articles, it’s a good idea to bookmark the ChessBase India website and check it every day. Also, make sure you have a Playchess account and the software installed ahead of time, because some events can fill up fast.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Good for Indian players (times, fees, and payments) | ❌ No single calendar for tournaments; you have to look for news |
| ✅ Very clear about rules, results, and prize money | ❌ You need a Playchess account, and some events have special rules |
| ✅ Highly trusted and well-known organizer | ❌ Prize money and news are mainly in Indian Rupees (INR) |
| ✅ Open about catching cheaters and paying winners |
For players in and around India, ChessBase India has some of the best and most trustworthy online chess tournaments with cash prizes you can find.
Website: https://chessbase.in
4. Playchess (ChessBase server)
Playchess is the official online chess server from ChessBase, a company that’s famous for its amazing chess software. While ChessBase doesn’t put up the prize money itself, its strong platform is used by many big organizers, especially ChessBase India, to host important online chess tournaments with cash prizes. This makes it a key place to play, particularly for the Indian chess community, because it’s a stable and familiar site for tough games.
Key Features and Major Events
Playchess provides the place to play, while other groups bring the prize money and the players. This allows for a lot of different events with good rewards.
- Organizer-Led Tournaments: The biggest cash events on Playchess are run by groups like ChessBase India. These often have large prize pools and get top players from all over to join.
- Club Rooms: The site lets organizers set up special “club rooms” for their tournaments. This creates a special area where everything for that event happens.
- Built-in Tools: Because it’s part of the ChessBase family, Playchess has great tools to catch cheaters and help organizers run their tournaments well.
To find these events, you usually need to follow the announcements from the organizers on their own websites or social media, since Playchess itself is more of a playing field than a central calendar.
Why It Stands Out
Playchess stands out because it has the trust and great technology of the ChessBase brand. Even though the prize money comes from other organizers, the fact that they choose Playchess shows that the platform is reliable and good at preventing cheating. For players who have used ChessBase software before, the site (especially the Windows version) feels powerful and easy to use. The platform is like a trusted digital chessboard for fair, high-stakes games.
Practical Tip: For the best experience, download the ChessBase program for Windows. There’s a web version, but the program is usually more stable and has more features. Always check the organizer’s rules for winning prizes, since they will be the ones to check your game and pay you.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ A very stable and reliable server | ❌ Cash prizes are handled by the organizers, not ChessBase |
| ✅ Good tools to stop cheaters | ❌ The best experience is on the Windows program |
| ✅ Well-known in the Indian chess world | ❌ It can be hard to find cash prize tournaments in one spot |
| ✅ Run by a trusted name in chess |
For players looking for tournaments run by known organizers with serious prize money, Playchess provides the dependable technology to make it happen.
Website: https://account.chessbase.com/en/apps/playchess
5. Lichess.org
Lichess.org is the world’s most popular free chess server, and it offers a special place for players looking for online chess tournaments with cash prizes. Unlike other sites, Lichess itself doesn’t offer any cash prizes. Instead, it has great and easy-to-use tools for creating tournaments. This has made it a favorite spot for outside organizers, like chess clubs and communities from all over the world, to host their own prize money games.
Key Features and Major Events
The cash prize tournaments on Lichess are all run by the community, which means there are tons of different events. Organizers use the site’s great tournament systems to run their games. They usually advertise them in the Lichess forums, on social media, or in their own Lichess Teams (which are like clubs).
- Third-Party Organized Tournaments: These are the most common cash events on Lichess. Chess schools, streamers, and community leaders create daily or weekly tournaments with small to medium prize pools.
- Arena and Swiss Formats: Organizers can pick between the fast Arena style, where players are paired up non-stop for a certain amount of time, or the classic Swiss style. This means there’s something for everyone.
- Regional and Community Events: Many events are made for certain areas. A lot of organizers are from India, making it a great site for players in that time zone to find games.
- Easy to Join: Since the site is totally free, joining these tournaments is easy. Players usually just need to join the organizer’s Lichess Team and follow their sign-up rules.
Because the events aren’t in one central place, players have to look for them in the Lichess forums or by joining popular teams that host tournaments. The fast games in many of these events are also great practice, and you can get better at bullet chess with these simple tips to help your chances.
Why It Stands Out
Lichess is special because it’s completely free and open-source. There are no fees or hidden costs, which makes it super easy for both players and organizers to use. This has created a fun, community-run chess scene where anyone can make a tournament. Lichess has its own system to catch cheaters, but in the end, it’s up to the outside organizer to give out the prizes.
This also means that the player has to be careful and check if the organizer is trustworthy before joining an event.
Practical Tip: Always look up the tournament organizer before you pay to enter. Check their Lichess profile, see what other tournaments they’ve run, and look for what other people are saying about them in forums or on social media. Good organizers are usually open and have a history of paying out prizes.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Totally free to use with no hidden fees | ❌ Lichess doesn’t handle the prize money, the organizer does |
| ✅ Tons of small and fun cash tournaments | ❌ You can’t always be sure if an organizer will pay the prizes |
| ✅ Great and easy tools for making tournaments | ❌ It takes more work to find and check if a tournament is real |
| ✅ Big community and forums for finding games | ❌ There’s no one to complain to if you don’t get your prize |
For players who are willing to do a little research and connect with the community, Lichess.org has a world of fun and different cash prize tournaments.
Website: https://lichess.org
6. World Chess (worldchess.com)
World Chess has been the official partner for showing the FIDE World Championship games for many years, so it brings a professional, big-game feel to its online events. This site is less about playing tons of games every day and more about serious, important tournaments that are often qualifiers for bigger, in-person finals. Playing here means you’re part of a professionally run world where the focus is on prestige, fair play, and finding the next chess stars.
Key Features and Major Events
World Chess is best known for its series of online chess tournaments with cash prizes, which are often connected to major global chess events. The prize money is usually listed in Euros (EUR) and is clearly explained in the official rules for each event.
- Armageddon Championship Series: This is a big event where players compete online for cash and a spot in the exciting in-person finals. These events are broadcast online and bring in strong players from all over.
- FIDE Online Arena (FOA) Support: Many tournaments are run with official support from the FIDE Online Arena. This makes the games more serious and trustworthy, with strict rules against cheating.
- Structured Qualifiers: Unlike sites with new tournaments every day, World Chess focuses on specific, scheduled events. Players know exactly how to win prize money and move on to the next round.
The website gives you clear timelines, detailed rulebooks, and a full list of prizes for each series, making everything open and honest for the players.
Why It Stands Out
World Chess stands out because of its professionalism and its connection to the official FIDE chess world. Playing here feels less like a casual online game and more like a real sporting event. The site focuses on high-quality broadcasts and media attention, which gives players a unique chance to get noticed. Payments and everything else are handled very professionally, making sure prize money is given out fairly and on time.
Practical Tip: Keep a close eye on the World Chess website and their social media for news about upcoming events. Since these tournaments don’t happen every day, you’ll need to sign up during certain times. Make sure you understand any rules about where you can play from or what your rating needs to be before you join.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Very trustworthy and professionally run | ❌ Events are not as frequent as on other big chess sites |
| ✅ Clear prize money (in EUR) and payment schedules | ❌ You might have to sign up during specific times |
| ✅ Lots of media attention and good quality broadcasts | ❌ The players can be very strong and hard to beat |
| ✅ Great at stopping cheaters, with FIDE support |
For players who want a more serious and famous competition, World Chess is a gateway to professionally run online tournaments with real stakes.
Website: https://worldchess.com
Cash-Prize Online Chess: 7-Platform Comparison
| Platform | 🔄 How hard to join? | ⚡ What do you need? | 📊 What to expect? | 💡 Best for… | ⭐ Main advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chess.com | Easy — simple to enter; some events need you to stream or have a title | Account, maybe streaming tools, title for some events | Lots of attention, reliable payments, tough games | Titled players, streamers, people who want lots of big events | Clear payments, huge audience, many tournaments |
| FIDE Online Arena (chessarena.com) | Medium — official rules and membership for some events | Membership for some events, PayPal account, follow FIDE rules | Official online titles and trusted games; payments after fair-play checks | Players who want official online titles and formal events | Backed by FIDE, official titles, serious anti-cheating |
| ChessBase India (on Playchess) | Medium — you have to watch for announcements | Playchess ID, entry fees in INR, Indian payment methods | Good for local players, clear prize lists | Indian players who want games at good times and INR payments | India-friendly times, clear prize info, trusted organizer |
| Playchess (ChessBase server) | Medium — best to use the Windows program | ChessBase account, organizers provide prize money | Stable games; payment depends on the organizer | Organizers who want to host serious cash events; ChessBase users | Great technology, good tools for organizers and anti-cheating |
| Lichess.org | Easy — simple to join or host; site doesn’t pay prizes | Free to use, organizer handles payments (check them out first) | Lots of small cash events; payment depends on the organizer | Community organizers, low-cost events, easy access | Free, no fees, flexible tools, good fair-play system |
| World Series of Online Chess | Easy–Medium — organized sign-up process on their website | Entry fees, sign up online, games are on Lichess (US times) | Clear prize info, smaller prizes, can get official ratings | Players who want regular tournaments with clear rules | Clear schedules, official rating options (US Chess) |
| World Chess (worldchess.com) | Medium — professional events with sign-up windows | Sign up for the series, follow rules, payments in EUR | Very trusted, media attention, chance to get to the finals | Pros who want to play in high-level qualifying events | Professional, clear prize money, lots of media attention |
Your Next Move: How to Choose and Prepare for Your First Cash Tournament
So now you know about all the different places to play online chess tournaments with cash prizes, from the huge daily events on Chess.com to the professional series run by World Chess. The online chessboard is full of chances to test your skills and win real money. But knowing where to play is just the first step. The next, most important step is choosing the right tournament for you and getting ready to play your best.
Think of it like choosing your first move in a game. There’s no single “best” choice for everyone. The perfect tournament for you depends on your goals, your playing style, and where you live.
Finding Your Perfect Tournament Match
Before you sign up for the first event you see, think about what you really want. A little planning now can make the whole thing a lot more fun and successful.
- For the Indian Player: Websites like ChessBase India are a great place to start. They run events on Playchess at times that work for people in India and use easy local payment methods. This makes things simple so you can just focus on chess.
- For the Community Seeker: If you like a friendly vibe and want to see all kinds of different events, Lichess is the best. Even though the prize money usually comes from the organizers, there are so many tournaments that you’ll always find something to play.
- For the Professional Experience: If you want to play in a very serious, safe place, Chess.com and World Chess are top choices. They have strong anti-cheating systems, big prize funds, and events that bring in top players from all over the world. This is where you go for that big-league feeling.
Key Takeaway: Don’t just look at the prize money. Think about the tournament’s time, entry fee, what website it’s on, and how strong the other players are. Your goal should be to find a game where you feel comfortable and have a real chance to do well.
Your Pre-Tournament Checklist
Once you’ve picked a tournament, the real work starts. Getting ready is what makes the difference between just playing and being a real competitor. As an International Master, I help my students get ready with a clear plan. Here are the most important steps you should take:
- Read the Rules (Twice!): This sounds easy, but it’s super important. Understand the game speed, the tournament style (like Swiss or Knockout), the deadline to sign up, and the anti-cheating rules. Pay close attention to how you’ll get paid if you win. Knowing these things will prevent any surprises later.
- Check Your Tech: Is your internet connection good? Is your computer or phone fully charged? The last thing you want is to lose a winning game because of a tech problem. Do a practice run on the website to make sure everything works.
- Prepare Your Mind and Game: Don’t just play random fast games. Focus on getting ready. Study your favorite openings, solve puzzles, and look at your recent games. Most importantly, get in the zone to compete. Imagine yourself doing well and practice staying calm when you’re under pressure, especially when your clock is running out.
Winning in online chess tournaments with cash prizes is about more than just knowing how to move the pieces. It’s about making smart choices, getting ready, and being mentally tough. You now have a map to find these exciting events. The next move is yours. Choose wisely, prepare well, and play with confidence. Good luck