A safe chess app for kids
My Chess Family is where children learn chess and play it with their family and friends. A chess-playing parent built it for their own children, in the UK, and it's designed so a grown-up never has to worry about who their child is talking to.
No chat, ever
Children can't type anything another person reads, and they never read anything another person typed. Instead there are eight friendly emotes, like "Good move!" and 👍, and a grown-up can switch those off too.
Only people you choose
Your family is set up for you. A friend joins only when a grown-up passes a friend code to another family, in person or by message. There's no searching for players, no public profiles and no leaderboards. Children never see a friend's family, age or other friends.
Playing children from other families, without names or pictures, is off until a grown-up switches it on.
A grown-up sees everything
From Family settings you see every lesson, puzzle and game your child plays, and every switch is yours. Your child is told this in plain words.
No ads, no purchases, no trackers
Nothing to buy and nothing to click away to: the app has no links to other websites. We don't use advertising or analytics companies, and we never sell or share anyone's data.
Very little data
A child's name is made up (like BraveOtter42) or picked by you from a safe list, and their picture is built from cartoon parts. No photos, no date of birth, no school. The only email address belongs to the grown-up. You can download all your family's data, or delete it, at any time.
No nudges to keep playing
No daily streaks, no notifications to children, and ranks never go down. Children play because they want to.
What's inside
- Lessons from the very first moves to checkmates and openings, read aloud for younger children
- Puzzles that match your child's level
- Games with family on the same iPad, or with friends on their own
- Computer players that play like real beginners, not like a robot
How to join
We're in a small beta, approving families one at a time. A grown-up applies from the app and we'll email when your family is ready. It works best on an iPad, added to the home screen like an app.