Help/ FAQs

If you have registered and downloaded the free Chess Channel viewer, then information on this page may help get you started.

Getting started
What is the free Chess Channel viewer?
Installing the Chess Channel viewer
Searching for trailers and shows
How do I watch free trailers and excerpts?
How to get back to the list of shows after viewing a trailer
Do I need to stay online to watch shows?
What is Chess Channel "Pay per View"?
Secure Ordering of Pay per View shows
Discounts
How much do shows cost?
Expiry Times
Annual membership to all shows
Chess Channel tokens
How to use Chess Channel tokens
I would like to change my password
Change of email address
I would like to change the currency I use to order shows
Forgotten password
Contact us

Getting started

To watch shows here at Chess Channel, first you need to register an account and download the easy-to-use Chess Channel viewer.

There are hundreds of free trailers and Pay per View shows to choose from. More are being added every month. To start browsing through all the shows, open the Chess Channel viewer and click on the "All Shows" tab - then click on "Start new search". This allows you to look for shows presented in a particular opening, by a particular presenter or even to look for shows that have been presented as a repertoire for white or black.

What is the free Chess Channel viewer?

The Chess Channel viewer is a Windows application that allows you to watch and listen to Chess Channel shows.

Installing the Chess Channel viewer

Click on "download the viewer" and follow the instructions to install it on your computer - you'll be able to view free trailers for all the shows available. This will download the full viewer at approximately 350k the first time you run it, and will check for an updated viewer every time you open it in the future.

Searching for trailers and shows

The best way to search for trailers and shows is through the Chess Channel viewer. From the tab at the top of the viewer, click on "All Shows" and then "Start new search". This allows you to look for shows presented in a particular opening, by a particular presenter or even to look for shows that have been presented as a repertoire for white or black.

How do I watch free trailers and excerpts?

First use the Chess Channel viewer to search through the shows. From your "Search Results", choose a show that you like, and click on "trailer". That's it! A chess board will appear in the viewer, and this trailer will then begin playing.

How to get back to the list of shows after viewing a trailer

From within the viewer, click on the "Chess Channel Main" link, or the "All Shows" tab at any time.

Do I need to stay online to watch shows?

Once the show has downloaded into the Chess Channel viewer, you don't need to stay online to watch it.

An online/ offline indicator appears at the bottom right of the chess board when shows are playing. You can see the progress of the show downloading via the blue bar under the chess board, as it moves across the time slider. Once the show has downloaded, the indicator turns from "online" to "offline", and then if you like, you can happily watch shows offline.

What is Chess Channel "Pay per View"?

To play a Chess Channel show, you need to purchase it using our secure online Pay per View system. Use the Chess Channel viewer to search through the shows. From your "Search Results", choose a show that you like, and for how long you would like to be able to watch it. The time available for viewing does not begin until you first start watching the show.

If you intend to purchase several shows, it will probably be best value to purchase an annual membership to Chess Channel, which gives you access to every show for a year.

Secure Ordering of Pay per View shows

Chess Channel Pay per View uses a secure online payment system. When you purchase a show or shows, your details are sent encrypted to the Chess Channel server, and then forwarded encrypted to your credit card bank. At no time are your credit card details stored on our server.

Discounts

The time available for viewing on any show does not begin until you start to watch that particular show. That means you can order several shows at once, but wait as long as you like until you are ready to start watching each one!

Get a discount of 5% when you order 4 or more shows at the same.
Get a discount of 10% when you order 7 or more shows at the same time.
Get a discount of 15% when you order 10 or more shows at the same time.
Discounts are calculated automatically before you order.

If in time you intend to purchase several shows, it will probably be best value to purchase an annual membership to Chess Channel, which gives you access to every show for a year.

How much do the shows cost?

Once you have downloaded the Chess Channel viewer (which is free), check on the Show Listings in the viewer. Here the prices of all the shows are listed - while all the associated trailers are free. There is of course no obligation to purchase any shows at all.

There is also an option to purchase an annual membership to Chess Channel, which gives you access to every show for a year.

Expiry times

The expiry time on any show does not begin until the moment you start viewing - it doesn't matter when you order the show. For instance, if you order a show with a 1 day (or 7 day) expiry period, you don't have to start watching it within one day (or seven days) - you can wait as long as you like until you are ready to begin watching - but from the moment that you actually start playing the show, you will have 24 hours (or one week) before the show expires.

Annual membership to all shows

The annual membership option gives you access to every show here at Chess Channel. This entitles you watch every show, as often as you like, for a year. Of course this also allows you to watch the new shows that are released during your year's subscription. The price of annual membership is just:

$149/ £99/ euros149

By way of comparison, if instead you purchased all the shows currently available on Chess Channel as VHS videos, then the total cost would already be over $800!

Before purchasing an annual membership, you need to register an account and download the Chess Channel viewer. Then click here to purchase an annual membership through our secure online ordering system.

Please note: annual membership is valid for your own private use on one computer only. If at any time you wish to transfer your annual membership to a new computer, please email Support
support@chesschannel.com

Chess Channel tokens

If you have have received a Chess Channel promotion token, then you can use it to watch a full length show for free. Using the Chess Channel viewer, click on "My Shows" and then follow the instructions to redeem the token and start watching the show.

How to use Chess Channel tokens

To use a Chess Channel token, you need to copy and paste it into the Redeem Tokens box. You can use the standard Windows "copy" and "paste" options to achieve this. One simple method is as follows:

First, select (highlight) the token (using your cursor)

Then copy the token (hold down the CTRL key and press C)

Then, from "My Shows" in the Chess Channel viewer, click in the Redeem Token box and paste the token into it (hold down the CTRL key and press V)

The token will then appear in the Redeem Token box. Click "Next" and follow the instructions to begin viewing.

I would like to change my password

In the Chess Channel viewer, click on "My Shows", then go down the page and click on "Update User Information". You can use the form here to change your password.

Change of email address

Please let us know if your email address changes. In the Chess Channel viewer, click on "My Shows", then go down the page and click on "Update User Information". You can use the form here to change the email address that is associated with your account.

Change of currency

If you would like to change the currency that you use to order Chess Channel shows, then click on "My Shows", and go down the page to "Update User Information".

I forgot my password

Log in to the Chess Channel viewer, and click on "Get password reminder".

Contact us

For support or questions:
support@chesschannel.com

For comments and feedback:
feedback@chesschannel.com