Questions & Answers

How do I export a game I played?

You can export the game as PGN (Portable Game Format.) In single player, simply open the replay window and click on the Export button to save it. In multiplayer, go to Account, then choose History, select the game, and from Replay, click Export.

How can I import a PGN file?

Open Replay window, and click on the Import button and choose the PGN file (or database) you want imported.

How do I use the Board Editor?

To use the Board Editor, you just drag pieces around on the board to change their position. You can drag a “spare” piece from above the board onto it, or drag a piece outside to remove it.

The position is validated continuously. You can use the FEN input field above the board to copy or paste the board position as a FEN string.

Can I play offline?

Yes. You can play in single-player mode without an internet connection. Premium players can also play a local multiplayer mode, when they take turns on the same board.

Why did the game declare a draw?

In addition to stalemate (covered in another question), the game can end in a forced draw. Either of the following conditions can trigger a draw:

• insufficient material – a king, even aided by a bishop or knight, cannot win against a lone king.
• three-fold repetition – if the same position occurs 3 times, the game ends in a draw. This can happen in late game, when the same pieces move back and forth in a pattern.
• 50 pawnless moves without captures- self-explanatory, this avoids long, tedious games.

In multiplayer, the two players can also end the game in draw by agreement.

What is the difference between SparkChess Premium Live, SparkChess Pro, and the downloadable Windows/Mac version?

As SparkChess grew over the years, so have the different available platforms and payment options.

The SparkChess version you see on the main website is the free version. It cannot be “converted” to premium/full.

SparkChess (Lite) is the free version on Android and iOS. It can be converted to Pro by purchasing a subscription (previously, users could purchase individual features, but it was too inconvenient)

SparkChess Pro is a one-time payment version with all freatures enabled. It’s available on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. It’s not updated as often as Premium Live.

SparkChess Premioum Live is the full-featured version you can play online, on any device.

Can I switch from monthly to yearly, or from prepaid to recurring?

Sure. To switch from monthly to yearly, from your Premium Live account create a new Yearly subscription (using the same payment method). It will be listed as pending. Then cancel the previous monthly subscription. It will still give you access till the end of the billing period, at which point the new yearly subscription will kick in.

Switching from prepaid to recurring works similarly. Assuming your prepaid subscription is still in effect, purchase a new recurring subscription. It will remain in Pending state until the prepaid one expires, then it will become active.

My payment failed. What should I do?

Payments can fail for a variety of reasons and as a security measure we can’t display the actual reason when the failure occurs.

If your payment failed, please, please contact us as soon as possible. We’ll check with our payment processor.

Most common reasons for a failed transactions are:

• Insufficient funds on the card
• Expired card
• Wrong 3D Secure code provided (for 3D Secure-enrolled cards)
• Some fraud-prevention flag was raised.

You can try an alternative mean of payment – like GPay or PayPal, but please do contact us so we can clear up the situation.