Chess.com is extremely excited to announce that verified accounts are coming to Chess.com beginning April 21.

Have you ever wanted a simple way for other members to know that you—and, perhaps more importantly, your opponents—are a known and trustworthy player? Many members and event organizers of our community have expressed their wish to have such a system in place.

It’s also been one of our goals to offer online prize events open to all our members in an environment where everyone can trust that they are playing against real people who play fair.

We’re happy to say that verified accounts will address all of that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tm47LjobDI

Any Chess.com member can now apply to become a verified player. Being verified puts you in an exclusive pool of thoroughly-vetted players, giving you even more confidence that you’re only playing against legit opponents. This means that verified players have passed an even more rigorous fair play review and also have a unique payment profile and phone number associated with their account.

“Given that all verifications will receive extensive fair play checks, we believe that the verified system is the beginning of a new kind of security in online chess!,” said Chess.com’s Head of Cheat Detection Gerard Le-Marechal. “Our members are often right when they report cheating to us, but we also regularly receive complaints about strong untitled players because they play so well but have nothing to back up their strength. We hope the verified system can expand our member’s trust toward such players.”

We believe that the verified system is the beginning of a new kind of security in online chess!
— Gerard Le-Marechal, Head of Cheat Detection

Besides safer play, verified players can enjoy numerous other benefits. One of them is the possibility of playing in the biggest and most important event in Chess.com history: the brand new Chess.com World Championship! This exclusive event will give you a chance to play against the top players that you look up to and to grab a piece of the $1,000,000 prize fund!

Just like other popular platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, verified players get a slick new badge on their profile page. The blue check is the quickest way for others to see that you are a real person who they can trust.

Becoming a verified player goes beyond joining a group of legitimate players, playing in the CWC, and flashing a blue badge. Many other benefits are coming for those who become verified. Just like the CWC, there will be many other online prize events open for these players, giving you the opportunity to play for cash prizes without ever leaving the comfort of your home. With millions of players living far from popular chess centers that host official tournaments, these verified-only prize events will give everyone an opportunity to earn money playing chess.

Soon, verified players will also have access to an exclusive Verified Club with perks, the ability to play only against other Verified members, and a lot more.

Becoming a verified member is simple. Just head over to the verified signup page and provide the required information. For just $15 you can apply to become a verified player and get a seat at the Chess.com World Championship’s $1,000,000 prize pool event, as well as get access to all other open prize events and benefits that are yet to come.

What are you waiting for? Sign up today at Chess.com/Verified!