Support

Need help with Deploy Chess? Found a bug, can't sign in, or have a question about how the game works? This page covers the most common issues and tells you how to reach a human if you can't find an answer.

01About Deploy Chess

Deploy Chess is a competitive chess variant. Every game starts with a deployment phase: both players are given the same random set of pieces and take turns placing them on their half of the board — watching each other in real time. When deployment finishes, the game continues as standard chess from the position you both built.

You can play ranked games against random opponents, or share a 6-digit game code to play a friend with random or custom piece sets. The app is free, contains no advertising, and there are no in-app purchases.

02Frequently asked questions

How do I start a game?

From the home screen, choose Random Ranked to be matched with an opponent of similar rating, or vs Friend to create a private game code that you can share. The matchmaker will pair you with someone within ±200 combined rating, expanding the range every 15 seconds if no opponent is found.

How does the deployment phase work?

Both players receive the same randomly generated piece set (between 8 and 16 pieces, kings excluded). You take turns placing one piece at a time, white first, on your own half of the board. A few rules to know:

• The king must be placed last, and only on a square that is not under attack.
• If you have two bishops, they must be placed on opposite-colored squares.
• Pawns cannot be placed on the back rank.
• Castling is allowed only if your king ends on e1/e8 and a rook on a1/a8 or h1/h8.
• The clock runs continuously through both phases — there is no reset when battle begins.

Why do I have two Elo ratings?

Deploy Chess tracks your skill in two parts: Deployment Elo measures how good your placement is (scored by an external engine when deployment ends), and Battle Elo measures how you play the resulting position. They update independently after every ranked game and are always shown separately.

I can't sign in.

Try these steps in order:

• Check your internet connection and try again.
• Make sure your device's date and time are set to automatic — authentication tokens are time-sensitive.
• If you signed up with Apple, open Settings → Apple ID → Sign in with Apple → Deploy Chess, and confirm the app is enabled.
• If the problem persists, email us with the email address you used to register and the sign-in method (email / Google / Apple).

I forgot my password.

On the sign-in screen, tap Forgot password and enter your email. We'll send you a reset link via Firebase Authentication. If you originally signed up with Google or Apple, there is no password to reset — use the same sign-in button you used originally.

The opponent disconnected — what happens?

If the opponent does not connect to the match within 30 seconds, the match is aborted and no rating change is applied. If they disconnect mid-game, their clock keeps running; if it expires before they reconnect, you win on time.

How do I report a player or cheating?

Email admin@markosoft.ro with the opponent's username and the approximate date/time of the game. If you can include the game from your history (any game in your profile can be opened and replayed), please mention which one.

How do I delete my account?

In the app, go to Profile → Settings → Delete account. You can also use the web account deletion page. Deletion is permanent — your account record is removed and your username in historical games is anonymised within 30 days.

03Known issues

We track known issues and fixes in our release notes. The most common transient issues are:

• Stuck on the loading screen after sign-in — force- quit the app and reopen. If it persists, your local session token may be invalid; sign out and sign back in.
• Clock jumps slightly when reconnecting — the server is authoritative; the small adjustment is the client catching up to the true time.
• Deployment Elo updates a moment after the game ends — this is normal. Battle Elo updates immediately; Deployment Elo waits for the position evaluation, which typically takes 1–2 seconds.

04Reporting a problem

To help us reproduce and fix bugs quickly, please include the following when you email us:

• Your username in Deploy Chess.
• Device and OS version (e.g. iPhone 15, iOS 18.2).
• App version — visible at the bottom of the Settings screen.
• What you did, what you expected, and what actually happened.
• A screenshot or screen recording, if possible.
• The approximate time the problem occurred, so we can correlate with our logs.

05Contact

For privacy and data-protection requests (GDPR access, rectification, erasure, portability), please see our Privacy Policy for the full procedure. The Terms of Service are available here.