Get ready to mix up your potions and enchant your opponent with your tactics! The 2025 Chess.com Spell Chess Championship is the next event of the Chess.com Community Championships, starting on August 14. The event will feature a $2,500 prize fund and supernatural chaos as players work their magic on their way to victory.
The Spell Chess variant adds a new layer of complexity to chess. Born from Chess.com’s partnership with Clash of Clans, Spell Chess allows players to cast spells to aid in their battle. The spells help players bend the rules of chess to create tactical shots that come out of nowhere—sometimes even catching players like GM Hikaru Nakamura by surprise:
The Chess.com Spell Chess Championship will feature eight qualifier arenas, all taking place on August 14. Each arena will last 75 minutes and feature a 3+2 time control, with the winner advancing to the Final.
The qualifiers are open to anyone who wants to participate. Check out the full qualifier schedule and click the Join button to participate (and maybe even get your own upset against a top player).
As usual, our Fair Play team will be monitoring the arenas to ensure the event is free from any dark magic (that is, engine usage). We may require participants to join a video call for fair play checks. Players who join the fair play call must set up two cameras from different angles in the room. Non-compliance will result in a player’s removal from the event.
The winner of each arena will qualify for the Final on August 15, a double-elimination knockout tournament with a 3+2 time control. From there, only the best wizard or witch can emerge as the 2025 Chess.com Spell Chess Champion!
Fans who don’t make it to the Final can still enjoy all the magic by tuning in to our Twitch and YouTube channels.
Last year, fans could enjoy a thrilling final between GM Luca Moroni Jr. and IM Nhat Minh To. Nhat came out of the Losers Bracket and won the Grand Final match against Moroni with a 3-1 score, forcing a Grand Final Reset. Another 3-1 match then decided the bout, but this time, it was Moroni who came on top, becoming the first Chess.com Spell Chess Champion in history.
Do you have what it takes to make it to the Final of this year’s Chess.com Spell Chess Championship? Then join the qualifiers and show off your strongest spells on August 14!
