Shard

Does anyone play chess long distance on their Apple device? I'm wondering how to set that up? Or is there other free software/platforms for chess?

dave_j

The platform I use is queenalice.com . it's free, easy to use and there are always plenty of opponents.

Shard

Ok thanks will have a look. I'm aiming to play with a specific person though.

dave_j

Once you're both registered you can nominate each other as a 'buddy' or simply just target his or her username. It's quite straightforward. No doubt there are other platforms out there but this one will give you all you need.

Shard

Can you play over a number of days or does the game need to be completed in one session?

dave_j

You can set the number of days/move and move within that period as many times as you like. I normally set my games at 7 days/move just in case but generally make at least one move per game per day. There are other features such as pausing the game if you go on holiday etc. If you're both on line at the same time then you can play as quickly as if you were both facing one another. You will get email notification of when opponents have made moves. Not a bad platform at all.
My friend and I adopted the site after so many mistakes setting up boards and having third parties, ie wives, moving pieces when cleaning and this can be confusing for both players.

Shard

This sounds good.