Hybrid chess

Hybrid chess combines an online playing platform with in-person control. Players enter or transmit their moves through the internet, but they compete from one or more designated venues. At each venue an arbiter, the official responsible for enforcing the rules and handling incidents, physically supervises the players.

Opponents do not need to be in the same room or even the same country. The defining feature is not the distance between them, but that every player is physically supervised while playing online. The regulations of the International Chess Federation, commonly called FIDE from its French initials, also address operating conditions for venues, access to the playing area, cameras, and playing equipment.

The format connects distant venues while retaining the direct oversight found in an over-the-board event. It differs from online chess with supervision, where a player may remain at a private location and the arbiter monitors that player remotely through technical means.