Acorn Chess Multiplayer – Step-by-Step Guide
Acorn Chess multiplayer lets you play supported mini-games and full chess games online with other members of your private group. This guide explains how to set it up and start playing.
This guide covers three areas:
- Set up multiplayer & group creation
- Joining a group
- Play online
Set up multiplayer & group creation
Step 1 - Enable Online Play
First, enable Online Play in Settings. This setting is saved automatically, so you only need to enable it once.
Step 2 - Online Play Enabled
Once Online Play is enabled in Settings, a new Online Play button will appear in the toolbar next to the Engine Settings button.
Step 3 - Create a Group
Select the Online Play button in the toolbar to see two options: Create Group and Join Group. Joining an existing group is covered in Step 6
Click Create Group and enter a name for your group.
You should then see a confirmation that the group has been created
Acorn Chess will create the group and generate a unique join code. Share this code with the people you want to invite to the group.
You can belong to one group at a time. To join a different group, you must first leave your current group.
Step 4 - Online Group Owner Options
After creating a group, click the Online Play button to see the available group options.
Step 5 - Display Join Code
Once a group has been created, other players can be invited to join. The join code can be displayed when everyone is in the same room, or copied and shared with the people you want to invite. Only share the code with people you want to join the group.
Join a group
Step 6 - Joining a Group
Anyone joining a group must first enable Online Play in Settings, as described in Step 1.
Acorn Chess supports membership of one group at a time. If you are already in a group, you must leave it before joining another.
Click Join Group from the Online Play menu to display the following dialog.
Enter the group code and select Join Group. Once the group has been joined successfully, Acorn Chess automatically generates an online player name. No personal information is required.
Once joined, Acorn Chess remembers the group the next time the application is started.
Step 7 – Go Online
Once you have created or joined a group, you can connect to Acorn Chess multiplayer.
Acorn Chess starts in offline mode by default. Click the Online Play button in the toolbar and select Go Online whenever you want to play online.
Once connected, the multiplayer controls for finding or challenging other players will become available in supported games.
You will need to select Go Online each time you start Acorn Chess and want to use multiplayer.
Play online
Step 8 - Playing an online game
Once a group has at least two members, you can start playing online.
First, open the game you want to play. Multiplayer is available for supported Acorn Chess mini-games as well as standard chess games and positions.
When the selected game supports online play, the multiplayer controls will appear on the right-hand side.
Step 9 - Challenging a player to a game
Click Challenge Player to see the group members currently available to play. Unavailable players are shown in grey with their current status.
Select a player to send them a challenge. They can accept or decline the challenge from their own Acorn Chess application.
When the challenge is accepted, the game starts automatically for both players. Each player sees a temporary message confirming their opponent and the colour they are playing.
Step 10 - Finding an opponent automatically
You can also select Find Opponent. Acorn Chess will look for another available player within your private group who is also searching for the same game as you. Matchmaking never takes place against players outside your group.
Step 11 - Ending an online game
While a game is in progress, the controls on the right-hand side allow you to Resign or Leave Game. For standard chess games, an Offer Draw option is also available.
