Meet chess players in your area for over-the-board games, matched on both skill level and personality. Don't have a chessboard with you? We have a database of over 450 verified chess-friendly venues nearby. Join a growing community making chess social again!
Hey Product Hunt! 👋
If you're into chess, you know that nothing beats the experience of playing over a real board. Physical pieces, the social connection, the board vision – it's just multiple times more fun compared to online.
But here's the thing: unless you're at least a club-level player, finding opponents for over-the-board games is surprisingly hard. Tournaments are too high-rated and serious, casual chess meetups are often overcrowded, and coordinating with friends is a scheduling nightmare. You end up juggling multiple WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages, Meetup communities – just to set up a simple game.
That's why we built Matchess. It's a single app where you can:
- Find chess players nearby who match both your skill level and personality
- Discover chess-friendly venues if you don't have a board
- Join or create local chess events, from casual meetups to tournaments
- Show off your mood with a customizable icons set (from being open for a romantic date to anime core lover)
We have Super Grandmaster Anish Giri as our chess ambassador and we're really eager to make over-the-board chess as accessible as online play and help to build connection through it. Whether you're a casual player or a serious enthusiast, we'd love to have you join our growing community of chess lovers bringing the game back to its roots. 🎉
Hey Product Hunt! Matchess founder here👋
Quick heads up - Matchess has a PWA version, which means you can install it like a regular app without going through any app store. Here's how:
On iPhone:
1. Open matchess.io in Safari
2. Hit the 'Share' button (the square with an arrow)
3. Tap 'Add to Home Screen'
On Android:
1. Open matchess.io in Chrome
2. Hit the three-dots menu
3. Tap ‘Install App’
That's it! You'll get the full app experience with a nice icon on your home screen 🎯
Let me know if you have any questions! Here to help 🖤
Matchess is built by a highly motivated team who are deeply in love with chess. It's a rare example of someone finding a hidden gem of a niche, and you can see how passionate their community is. Great idea, and I wish Matchess all the success they can achieve
