Can I promote my chess website or YouTube channel here?
No. The rule "Do not post self-promotion materials or adverts." says these will be automatically removed and accounts that exist primarily for self promotion will be permanently banned.
Subreddit guides
r/chessbeginners rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/chessbeginners: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 418,199
- Verified
- September 18, 2026
- Category
- Chess players and enthusiasts
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Be nice and friendly.: This is the main over-arching rule in r/chessbeginners and should be self-explanatory. This means no flaming (engage in an online argument usually involving unfounded personal attacks), harassing (make hostile or prejudicial remarks), trolling (insulting message on the internet in order to annoy someone), inciting (encourage someone to do or feel something unpleasant), gaslighting (make someone question their reality), and the like. Posts violating this rule **will be removed**.
- Do not discriminate.: Abusive and discriminating behavior is not allowed in r/chessbeginners - this includes any posts targeting hate, bigotry, abuse, discrimination, and intimidation (including blackmailing and doxxing) at another user. These kinds of posts will be removed.
- Do not post self-promotion materials or adverts.: Self-promotion posts include but are not limited to: advertising a chess website you made, advertising YouTube channels, offering chess tutorial services, selling books, linking to advertising sites, etc. If found, these will be automatically removed. Accounts that exist primarily for the purposes of self promotion will be permanently banned.
- Do not post chess-unrelated / NSFW / offensive / meme / spam materials.: Chess-unrelated / NSFW / offensive / meme / spam materials are not allowed. This includes, but are not limited to: posting meme one-liners in comments, referencing r/anarchychess, referencing "en passant", google "x", "pipi", among other chess memes / overposting and spamming posts or links / illegal content / chess-unrelated posts, including chess variants, and the like.
- Use caution when discussing AI in chess.: Popular LLM's are currently not effective chess trainers or analysts. Be mindful about the limitations of AI when discussing what a chatbot says about a position. Posting about a chess website/analysis tool you coded with AI is not permitted.
- Read the Wiki before posting / Post Quick Questions in Correct Thread.: Quick questions like: - "Why is this a brilliant move?" - "Why is this a blunder?" ... should be posted in our [No Stupid Questions MEGATHREAD](https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/comments/1rgcn41/no_stupid_questions_megathread_12/). Any quick questions similar to above posted in the main feed **will be removed** for the purposes of sorting. Also, any questions already answered in our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/wiki/faqs/ ) **will be deleted**. Thank you.
- Use Spoilers when posting solutions.: When posting solutions to tactics problems and puzzles, type them in spoilers, like this: `>!1. e4 e5 2. Ke2??!<` Which would appear like this: >!1. e4 e5 2. Ke2??!<
Works well
- Share a real position from your own game and ask what a beginner should take away from it.
- Answer a beginner's question about openings or tactics in the comments, with no link to your own site.
- Post a tactics puzzle with the solution hidden in spoiler tags, as the rule "Use Spoilers when posting solutions." requires.
- Ask a substantive question about how to study chess as a beginner, rather than a quick question about a single move.
Avoid
- Do not advertise a chess website you made, a YouTube channel, a tutorial service, a book, or any advertising site.
- Do not post memes, one-liner meme comments, or references to r/anarchychess, en passant jokes, or similar chess memes.
- Do not post NSFW, offensive, or chess-unrelated content, including chess variants.
- Do not post quick questions like why a move is a blunder or brilliant in the main feed.
- Do not post about a chess website or analysis tool you coded using AI.
- Do not flame, harass, troll, incite, or gaslight anyone.
What r/chessbeginners Is For
This is a place for new chess players to hang out, ask questions, discover tactics, get advice, and learn more about the game. The community is built for beginners, so the people posting are likely asking for help with their games, trying to understand why a move was good or bad, or looking for guidance on how to improve. The rules reinforce that this is a learning space, not a place for memes, off-topic content, or self-promotion.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule called "Do not post self-promotion materials or adverts." is the one that will decide whether anything marketing-adjacent survives. It bans advertising a chess website you made, advertising YouTube channels, offering chess tutorial services, selling books, and linking to advertising sites. It says these will be automatically removed and that accounts existing primarily for self promotion will be permanently banned. The rule called "Use caution when discussing AI in chess." also matters because it says posting about a chess website or analysis tool you coded with AI is not permitted. The rule called "Do not post chess-unrelated / NSFW / offensive / meme / spam materials." matters too because it bars memes, spam, and even chess variants. The rule called "Read the Wiki before posting / Post Quick Questions in Correct Thread." will catch simple questions before they reach the main feed.
What To Post
A good post here is a genuine question or a piece of advice that helps a beginner learn chess, with no product attached. You could share a position you found interesting and ask how a beginner should think about it, or you could answer someone else's question about opening principles in a friendly way. If you post a tactics problem or puzzle solution, use spoiler tags as the rule "Use Spoilers when posting solutions." requires. The goal is to participate as a learner or helper, not to drive traffic anywhere. There is no safe way to mention your own chess website, channel, or service in a post, so leave it out entirely.
What To Avoid
Avoid anything that looks like self-promotion or advertising. The rule "Do not post self-promotion materials or adverts." covers advertising a chess website you made, advertising YouTube channels, offering chess tutorial services, selling books, and linking to advertising sites. These will be automatically removed, and accounts that exist primarily for self promotion will be permanently banned. Avoid posting memes, one-liner meme comments, references to r/anarchychess, en passant jokes, or similar chess memes, as the rule "Do not post chess-unrelated / NSFW / offensive / meme / spam materials." bans all of these. Avoid posting chess variants, NSFW content, offensive material, or spam. Avoid posting quick questions like why a move is a blunder or brilliant in the main feed, since the rule "Read the Wiki before posting / Post Quick Questions in Correct Thread." says those go in the No Stupid Questions megathread and will be removed from the main feed. Avoid posting about a chess website or analysis tool you coded with AI, since the rule "Use caution when discussing AI in chess." says that is not permitted. Avoid flaming, harassing, trolling, inciting, or gaslighting anyone, since the rule "Be nice and friendly." says posts violating this will be removed. Avoid abusive or discriminating behavior, since the rule "Do not discriminate." bans hate, bigotry, abuse, discrimination, and intimidation.
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Common questions about r/chessbeginners
Can I share a chess tool I built with AI?
No. The rule "Use caution when discussing AI in chess." says posting about a chess website or analysis tool you coded with AI is not permitted.
Where should I ask a quick question about why a move was a blunder?
Post it in the No Stupid Questions megathread linked in the rule "Read the Wiki before posting / Post Quick Questions in Correct Thread." Quick questions posted in the main feed will be removed.
Do I need to use spoiler tags when sharing a puzzle solution?
Yes. The rule "Use Spoilers when posting solutions." requires you to format solutions in spoilers.
Can I post about chess variants like Chess960 or Atomic chess?
No. Chess variants fall under chess-unrelated materials in the rule "Do not post chess-unrelated / NSFW / offensive / meme / spam materials."