Unlock the Secret: How to Change Name on Chess.com

Are you looking to change your name on Chess.com but not sure how to do it? In this article, we will guide you through the steps on how to change your name on Chess.com. From logging in to your account to confirming your new name, we will cover all the necessary steps. We will also discuss the restrictions for changing your name, what happens to your old name, and whether you can change it back to your previous one. So, if you’re ready to update your Chess.com username, keep reading!

Why Change Your Name in Chess.com?

You should change your name in chess.com if you realize it is close to being the same as your password and you have concerns about security. Changing your username in chess.com is important if your username reveals personal information like a common password or an identifying feature like your age or political position.

Changing your name in chess.com can also make it more difficult for anyone to try social engineering or phishing approaches against you, as you have removed personal identification from your chess.com profile. Mistakenly choosing a bad username that later affects your ability to acquire a professional rank or endorsement may be another valid reason to change your username.

How to Change Your Name in Chess.com?

You change your name in Chess.com by going to Account Settings. At the very top of your user home, you will find a small icon that looks like a little face or an outline of a man’s head. When you hover over it, it will show your name. Click on it and a drop-down menu appears. Scroll down to the last item marked Account Settings and click that. The Edit Your Profile page opens and the Personal tab selects immediately. Once in the Edit Your Profile page, you can change your First Name, Last Name, Country, State, City, Timezone, and in Mail All Game… Settings. When you are done, scroll all the way down and click on the Save button.

Your username or your ID name (ID means internal designation) is something valuable in any system. Typical chess users do not care about what their username or ID is as long as they can play online. Usernames are how they are referred to by their opponents, as using real names is uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. Usernames are often catchy and easy to remember. They remain unique. ID names, however, are nothing more than a series of usually random numbers for labelling within the system. It is much easier to identify users by their usernames than by these designations. The username is the actual name you have been given on the platform and what all other players and the system call you.

Step 1: Log in to Your Account

To change your name in Chess.com, logging in may be done by tapping the Login button in the top right corner of a screen or by any other similar means according to one’s device. This name-changing process also works on the mobile version of the platform.

To log in, utilize either a username or email and your password. On some Chess.com apps and interfaces, the initial screen after logging in displays the Dashboard. The Login button on the top right corner will be replaced by the user icon with a small downward arrow. Tap this to access the account settings where names can be changed, The Profile settings will let you change names if you are not registered.

Step 2: Go to Your Profile Settings

Go to your Profile Settings by clicking on the icon in the bottom-left corner and selecting Profile. To navigate to Settings, go to More in the green field, and scroll down until you see Settings. Click on My Settings and a window will open up where you can Edit Profile.

Of the three ways to change your name on Chess.com, using Profile Settings is the easiest as there are limited options and it can all be done on the same page. It is not certain you can change everything, however, and if the button is not clickable you may have to go through the process with customer support outlined in Step 1. In most cases, possibly including new accounts created in the past few years, you cannot change your Username (as opposed to your name displayed for others and how you are identified by Chess.com). If you want to change your Username, you may have to Contact the Chess.com Help Team. Do note that usernames are intended to be set only once and are unlikely to change.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Edit Profile’ Button

After clicking your profile in the top right, you will see a list of account details on the left side of your profile settings page. Scroll down to the last option in the list, which is an ‘Update Profile’ button. Clicking this button will automatically generate a pop-up for you to change your username. Type in your desired logo after the chess.com url and hit save. This is the final and definitive step in the chess username change process, with your preference locked in once you press save.

Step 4: Enter Your New Name

Enter the new name that you would like to switch your account to. Chess.com will verify that the new name is unique, available, and meets their guidelines. Check the box to agree to Chess.com’s Terms of Service. Hit the Change Name button.

Step 5: Confirm Your Changes

After entering your desired new name in the New name field, an extra field labeled Please verify your current password appears. Enter your current password in the box that opens. This box asks for your password again to ensure that the change is being made by the authorized user, not someone with access to the account. Click the Change My Name button to complete the process.

If your changes are successful, you will see a screen confirming the name change. You will also receive an email from [email protected] informing you of your new contact information.

What Are the Restrictions for Changing Your Name in Chess.com?

The restrictions for changing your name in Chess.com include a limited number of name changes and a premium subscription requirement. Titled players who are members of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) should know that a name change on Chess.com will not affect the name displayed on their FIDE profile. A name change on Chess.com will only affect the display in Chess.com profiles and won’t affect the URLs or their chess.com rating.

Any user who has not previously paid should consider the limited replacement policy and the cost of monthly or yearly memberships. Subscribers to Chess.com’s membership options can change their username at any time without having to submit a customer support request. Chess.com members who have upgraded a free account to a premium account can change their usernames at any time for free. Members who are paying for a premium membership will lock in their current rate when changing usernames.

You Can Only Change Your Name Once Every 30 Days

Users may want to change their name to fit whatever their new identity or personal situation is, but Chess.com has set a limitation on how frequently one can do this to prevent confusion on the site. This means choose your new username wisely. If you change it and are unhappy shortly thereafter, you may find yourself stuck with it for a while.

Your New Name Must Be Available

Chess.com will alert you if another user already has your desired username. This means you have to come up with alternative names if someone already has your desired username, and you cannot use a name if even pieces of it (one, two, three, or more words) are in use. For example, if JohnDoe is taken, you cannot use ChessJohnDoe, JohnDoe1-9, RealJohnDoe, etc. are taken. All personal modifications of an in-use name are considered taken.

Your New Name Must Follow Chess.com’s Guidelines

After successfully changing their name, the new name must follow Chess.com’s guidelines. The terms of service state, “In connection with the User Account, you agree not to use a user name which is (1) offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, bullying, bigoted, deceptive, defamatory, misleading, pornographic, criminal or otherwise illegal”. If such a rule defines your new name, you’ll need to change it again. Make sure you understand these rules, and you verify that your new name meets these criteria.

What Happens to Your Old Name?

Your old name in Chess.com will no longer be attached to your account after changing your name. You are considered a new player in their system which may have an impact, especially if you are active in their blog or community where your progress and historic participation data may be lost or reduced after the name change. All notes saved from other club members who had previously contacted you under your old name will still keep the old name in a note but allow your new name to be displayed when listening. The same applies in reverse, the old nickname is retained for any notes made about you after the name change.

Your Old Name Will Be Available for Others to Use

At Chess.com if you change your username, your old username is still in the system and becomes available for use by new members. If you prefer to reserve your former username for you or someone you know, you must go to another membership model that costs at least USD 15.99 per year. This is an individual Gold Membership, Diamond Family Plan membership/multiple family plans, or a Platinum Membership. Any more expensive tier will qualify. If you have any questions, please send the new and old usernames to [email protected]. We will not complete your request but will let you know if Name Reservation is possible according to our policies.

Your Old Name Will Still Appear in Some Places

Your old name will appear in some places until Chess.com forms can update your name. This is because some of the older forms still have your chess account listed with your old name. Additionally, any mentions from any time before the name change will still refer to your old name. For example, if you once had an older article published that referenced your old name, those references will remain until you publish a new article that includes the updated name.

Contact Chess.com member support with the relevant links to update them, but unfortunately, you will need to change them one at a time. Chess.com support will not be able to help you with third-party mentions from external sources or traditional media that mentioned the old name. In other words, updating references from external sources is a manual task, but unless your old name is legally significant, you may decide to leave older mentions and forms as-is and let them fall off the records over time. Again, this is a problem that people in the real world changing their names due to marriage or divorce encounter as well.

Can You Change Your Name Back to Your Previous One?

Changing your name on Chess.com has no limit or restriction on changing your name back to the previous one. If you do not like your new name, you can change it again to another of your choosing, or back to your old name.

What If You Want to Change Your Name Again?

According to information in the Chess.com Support Article on name changes provided by Chess.com support representative Brian Lewis, users are only allowed to change their name every 60 days. This is limited by the algorithm in order to prevent abuse.

You are limited to changing your name every sixty days, so even if you spell your name incorrectly or choose one and then realize you would rather have a different one, you cannot make those changes until the sixty days have passed on from the date of your previous one.

This means that the next allowable name change date is as follows: Last name change date: June 25, 2021. Next name change date: August 24, 2021.

If you know the chess.com username of someone who recently changed their name, you can check for their next name change date by visiting their profile page.

Wait 30 Days

To change your name in Chess.com, you need to follow a set of three steps you have seen above. First, wait 30 days after changes of Username are available and allowed to do so. During this period, Chess Premium Members can send a request to the Chess.com account Submit a request with a change in their desired username.

Changing your username often is not a feature provided by many websites, especially when this often-used step is not necessary due to forgotten login information, etc. Seeing Chess.com’s reasoning for occasional username change and the need to allow 30 days for the change is a unique feature that aids in the purpose of usernames while providing members with an opportunity to keep building their identity. After 30 days and if you notice no changes on account of a request, you can simply log out and log in again to see if the username has been allowed for the initial change.

Choose a New Name

Enter the new name you want to use in the New Display Name field. For username changes paid services, the number of name change requests you have will be shown. Press Check Availability to see if the name you typed is already in use.

If it is unique and can be used, Set Display Name will show as a green clickable button. Click it to claim your new name. If no one else has claimed your new username during the 30-minute grace period, you will be informed.

During the 30-minute grace period after submitting the new display name, the cancel name change request button under Pay with all payment options can be clicked to get a refund of the cost of changing your username.

Repeat the Name Change Process

If either the Previous name or New name on the form does not match the name visible at the top right of the website home screen, or is not an accurate current or former name associated with your account, an error message will be generated and you will need a name change supervisor to provide authorization for the new name. The error message will contain a clickable link to bring up an email to send to the name change supervisor. There is only one supervisor and responses can come in minutes, hours, or days. There are multiple reports online of this issue, recently having an e-mail exchange. Several people stated that responses ranged from minutes to weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my name in Chess.com?

To change your name on Chess.com, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Chess.com account.
2. Click on the “Settings” tab on the top right corner of the page.
3. Under the “Profile” section, click on “Edit Profile”.
4. In the “Basic Information” tab, click on the pencil icon next to your current username.
5. Type in your desired username and click “Save Changes”.

Can I change my name multiple times on Chess.com?

Yes, you can change your name multiple times on Chess.com. However, there are some restrictions in place:

• You can only change your name once every 30 days.
• You cannot change your name to one that is already taken by another user.
• You cannot change your name to one that violates Chess.com’s terms of service.

What happens to my rating and game history when I change my name on Chess.com?

Your rating and game history will not be affected when you change your name on Chess.com. Your profile will simply reflect the new name and your old name will no longer be visible.

How long does it take for my new name to appear on Chess.com?

Once you’ve changed your name on Chess.com, your new name should appear immediately. However, it may take a few minutes for the change to reflect on all pages.

Do I need to pay to change my name on Chess.com?

No, changing your name on Chess.com is completely free of charge.

Can I use special characters or symbols in my name on Chess.com?

No, Chess.com does not allow the use of special characters or symbols in usernames. You can only use letters, numbers, and underscores.