No. You can play on World Chess for free, including rated games. A Pro plan (Gold, Platinum or Black) unlocks extra features, such as an official FIDE profile and World Chess Titles.
What can I do with a free account?
Play rated and non-rated games
Get your Online Elo rating (see What is Online Elo?)
Join tournaments (see Can I play in a tournament for free?)
Work toward a World Chess Title: your tournament games count even without a subscription
Analyze your games (limited)
Solve puzzles (limited)
Start or join clubs
To get started, register on worldchess.com. It’s free.
When do I need a Pro plan?
Gold — no ads, unlimited puzzles, advanced game analysis and more.
Platinum or Black — everything in Gold, plus a FIDE ID, your Online Elo on fide.com, World Chess Titles and tournaments with money prizes.
If you’ve already met the requirements for a title, you’ll receive it as soon as you upgrade to Platinum or Black and connect your FIDE ID.
For prices and the full feature list, see World Chess membership plans: Gold, Platinum and Black.
I have an OTB title. Can I get a free subscription?
Yes. If you hold an over-the-board (OTB) WIM, IM, WGM or GM title, you can get a free Platinum membership.
Contact us at support@worldchess.com from the email linked to your World Chess account and include your FIDE ID. We’ll activate Platinum and connect your FIDE ID for you. If we need anything else to confirm your identity, we’ll let you know.