Is this Chess or Community?

Looking Back

It was February 2025 and I was lonely. For several years I had been working as a package delivery driver. It was a lifestyle that meant long workdays and little time for such things as personal development, hobbies or friends. After spending a couple of evening hours with my family I would sometimes have enough energy to log into Lichess for some “me time” before bed. I simply was not available for other people, let alone friendship. My friends were my wife, my kids, my pets, and my chess.

Why Lichess?

I chose Lichess over its main competitor because of the minimal UI and the open source, ad-free spirit. I had wanted to love it for a long time before this but had hesitated because it seemed mostly used by bullet and blitz players. I, as a relatively new intermediate player, was looking for classical games as a way to improve.

Problems with Classical Games

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I liked how Lichess had a classical rating category (unlike the other platform) but I had to be patient to get quality games. Pool pairings led to inconsistent opponents who were often provisional and not really interested in a thoughtful contest. The classical arena tournaments seemed like a fun idea but were few and far in between. Also, they were always held at the same time on Fridays when I was busy at work. So I started crawling through forums looking for other ways to get high quality classical games. This is where I found the Lichess4545 League.

Lichess4545

Lichess4545 is a community for players who are interested in long, serious games of chess. It is often recommended as the best online substitute for OTB play. Serendipitously, I discovered it right before they were about to have their season kickoff arena and open registration period. I was somewhat confused at first because they play all their games on Lichess but communication is done through the messaging app Slack. Also, they have their own website. Determined to find good chess, I managed to get registered and on Slack by the time of the 1st round.

Team Player

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There are many ways to play good chess in this community. The main tournament historically is the team league with a time control of 45+45. To my delight I found myself on a team with 7 other players and our own private channel! I was the lowest ranked at board 8 but never felt like I didn’t belong. I also discovered that people there would watch and comment on other people’s games! For someone like me who just played random strangers at night this was quite an eye opener. There is something called Whisperchat where you can type comments to your spectators but your opponent doesn’t see it. Spectators can comment back but you don’t see it until after the game. Also, there are many streamers in the community who broadcast their games or provide live commentary on others.

Unexpected Progress

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So I played my team games. I joined the LoneWolf and 960 tournaments too. I was really focused on improving my skill. But something unexpected was also happening. I started making friends. A kind comment from a teammate here. A spectator of a game there. A silly comment to everybody on Slack. A reaction to somebody else’s silly comment. A supportive woohoo! to a streamer going live. Other people were going out of their way to draw me in to their community. What was this place? Why is everyone being so nice when we’re all just here to play chess?

Friends in my Pocket

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Let’s remember that I was a very lonely person with little time for friends or hobbies. Now I had a hobby and friends that I could carry around in my pocket. I could watch someone’s game while taking my lunch break. I could discuss my opening strategy for that week’s game with my teammates in between stops on my delivery route. When the day was getting long, and the working wasn’t easing up, and I missed my family, I could see what the scuttlebutt was on Slack and maybe throw in a joke or two to get people laughing.

Giving Back

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The appropriate response to when someone gives you something is gratitude. Then, if you can, give back. One day a senior mod (and lovable grouch) came calling to see if I wanted to help moderate the chess960 league. This would mean answering members’ summons for help, writing announcements, generating pairings, etc... my answer was an immediate yes. I love the chess960 league. It is one of our smallest groups (averaging about 40 players) so has a tight knit vibe. I had helped with some recruitment during the previous season so it seemed like a natural fit.

Looking Forward

I no longer work as a package delivery driver so I don’t have the same need to carry people around in my pocket anymore. I still care about improving my skills and playing classical games. I definitely care more about chess960. But now there is something more to care about: the other people that I play chess with. How can be I be a good steward of this league’s reputable legacy? How can I make it even better than it was when I found it? What can I do for the other chess wanderers who stumble into this community?

Lichess4545 is not selling anything so this is not a commercial advertisement. You can see what we’re about at https://www.lichess4545.com.