New Feature: Puzzle Battle!

Hey, chess friends!

Have you ever wondered what could possibly be more fun than comparing Puzzle Rush scores on the leaderboard? Well, today we have an exciting answer, because Puzzle Rush just got competitive in real time: Welcome to Puzzle Battle!

In this new version of Puzzle Rush, you can play against a single opponent and face the same sequence of puzzles in a three-minute Rush to see whose tactics are sharper! As you participate, you get a Puzzle Battle rating that will be useful in pairing you with good opponents. (Note that this rating has nothing to do with the puzzles themselves or how difficult they are; it's all about how you fare vs your opponents in Battle, just like rated chess games.) 

Let's take a closer look.

The Puzzle Modes menu now has a new Battle mode option at right. This is where the fun begins. Hit "Start" to begin the pairing process and find an opponent. (We will soon be adding direct challenges, allowing you to play against specific members.)

The battle begins when your opponent is matched. At left, you'll see the board as in any Puzzle Rush. The big difference is in the sidebar (and the sound effects).

Here, you see both your current score and strikes and your opponent's as well. These are updated instantly, so you always know where you stand. We've even added opponent versions of the "correct" and "Incorrect" sound effects—mostly just to stress you out.

Whoever solves the most puzzles wins. If puzzles are tied, then the player with the fewest strikes wins. If puzzles and strikes are both equal, it's a draw.

Seasons

Along with Puzzle Battle, we are introducing Season Points—a fun new way to compete by doing the stuff you already love: solving puzzles, and soon, playing games! We'll have more coming on this shortly, but for now, here's what you need to know.

Each calendar month is a new season, during which you will earn a season point for each Puzzle solved correctly during every battle, no matter if you win or lose.

Performance does matter though, because win streaks cause the Season Points collected to multiply. Win two in a row to get double points, three in a row to get triple points, and so on until you lose or draw.

Just want to watch?

When you're not in the mood to jump in to Battle yourself, you can still enjoy some high-level Puzzling drama with observe mode, which lets you watch both competitors at once. 

Simply select an active Battle from the observe tab in the Puzzle Battle side panel...

...and then watch the Battle unfold from above, in our dual-board view.

Here are Danny Rensch and Robert Hess debuting Puzzle Battles live during the Sinquefield Cup.

Finally, in terms of membership benefits and access to the feature, Puzzle Battle is the same as (in addition to) existing levels for Puzzle Rush:

• Basic Membership = 1 Battle / day
• Gold Membership = 3 Battles / day
• Platinum & Diamond Memberships = Unlimited Battles!

That's it for now.

As always, we would love to hear what you think of this new feature, so please try a few Battles and let us know what you think in the comments.