OSRS Chess.com collaboration: how to play the five NPC chess bots in Old School RuneScape
The OSRS x Chess.com collaboration is a limited-time cross-promotion where five Old School RuneScape NPCs — General Bentnoze & General Wartface, Vannaka, Bob the Cat, Sliske and the Wise Old Man — appear as playable chess bots on Chess.com, at difficulty ratings from 300 up to 3150. You play at go.chess.com/jagex with your regular Chess.com account; no client download or third-party software is needed. The event originally ran from 3 to 30 November 2025, and the OSRS Wiki's full dialogue transcript was updated in early September 2026 amid renewed community interest. There are no in-game OSRS items or rewards — the prize is beating each bot (especially the grandmaster-level Wise Old Man) and the bragging rights that come with it.
Key takeaways
- The collab brings five OSRS NPCs to Chess.com as chess bots: the goblin generals (300), Vannaka (650), Bob the Cat (1350), Sliske (1800) and the Wise Old Man (3150).
- You play with your normal Chess.com account at go.chess.com/jagex — nothing to download and no OSRS client involvement.
- Ratings ladder from beginner-friendly (300) to grandmaster-level (3150), so there is a bot for every skill level.
- The collaboration originally ran 3–30 November 2025 and is a limited-time promotion, not a permanent game feature.
- There are no in-game items, currency or rewards in OSRS — the collab lives entirely on Chess.com.
- Each bot speaks with character: goblin bickering, Sliske's game of wits, and the Wise Old Man's Draynor bank boasts, all preserved in a full transcript on the OSRS Wiki.
What is the OSRS Chess.com collaboration?
The OSRS x Chess.com collaboration is a crossover between Old School RuneScape and the chess platform Chess.com. In its original November 2025 run, five famous OSRS characters were turned into chess opponents that players could challenge directly on the Chess.com website.
The conceit is simple and playful: each NPC 'accepts' your chess challenge in character. Beat them on the board and you progress up the ladder toward the toughest opponent — the Wise Old Man, who plays at a grandmaster-style rating.
The collaboration is a marketing crossover rather than a game update: it does not touch the OSRS client, does not add items to the game, and runs entirely on Chess.com. You just need a Chess.com account (the free tier is enough) and the event URL.
The five opponents: ratings and personalities
The roster spans every skill level, from absolute beginners to strong club players. At the bottom sit General Bentnoze and General Wartface, the squabbling goblin generals of the Big High War God, playing at a friendly rating of 300 — their dialogue is half chess, half goblin war council, and they are the natural first stop for new players.
Next up is Vannaka (rating 650), the sword-and-Dragon Slayer master you meet early in the game; his 'lesson' framing gives every move a martial flavour. Bob the Cat (1350) is Unferth's black cat from Ardougne — the self-styled 'grandmaster amongst cats' — and a solid mid-level challenge.
Sliske (1800) brings the Mahjarrat's signature mind games: manipulative, patient and happy to 'play with you in OSRS' while testing players at an above-average level. At the top, the Wise Old Man (3150) is a task for even seasoned players — the Draynor Village wizard who once robbed the bank, felled the Queen of the Kalphites and now treats chess like just another old man's game.
How to play the collaboration
Playing only takes a minute to set up: open go.chess.com/jagex (the official collab link from the Jagex news post), sign in with your Chess.com account, and pick an opponent. Each character has a pre-match, in-match and victory (or defeat) line, so the chess itself is wrapped in OSRS-flavoured banter.
There is no OSRS client involvement — no launcher, plugin or membership required. Because the bots are normal Chess.com game modes, you can play from a browser, the Chess.com mobile app or the desktop client, and you keep your Chess.com history and rating results like any other game.
If you have not played since the November 2025 run, the way in is unchanged. The OSRS Wiki maintains a full transcript of every character's dialogue, which the community updated through early September 2026 — a handy reference if you want the exact lore-flavoured lines (or just to see what the Wise Old Man says when he loses).
What you get for winning
The honest answer: no OSRS items. The collaboration deliberately keeps the game world separate, so there is no quest, no cosmetic, no pet and no chat badge to unlock inside Old School RuneScape itself.
What you do get is the satisfaction of beating each character, a five-rung difficulty ladder to climb, and the community-shared bragging rights — beating the 3150-rated Wise Old Man genuinely means something at a chess club level.
For OSRS players curious about chess, it is also a gentle on-ramp: the goblins at 300 are a genuinely approachable introduction, and each step up teaches a little more before the final boss of the board. If the collaboration returns in the future, the roster and play link are the parts to watch for on the official OSRS news feed.
Questions players ask
How do I play the OSRS Chess.com collaboration?+
Open the official link go.chess.com/jagex, sign in with your Chess.com account (the free tier works) and challenge one of the five NPC bots. No downloads or OSRS client are required.
Who are the chess bots in the OSRS collaboration?+
General Bentnoze & General Wartface (rating 300), Vannaka (650), Bob the Cat (1350), Sliske (1800) and the Wise Old Man (3150).
Are there any in-game OSRS rewards for the Chess.com collaboration?+
No. The collab runs entirely on Chess.com and grants no OSRS items, currency, quests or cosmetics. The reward is beating the bots and the bragging rights.
When did the OSRS Chess.com collaboration run?+
The limited-time event originally ran from 3 to 30 November 2025, announced in an official Jagex news post. A full dialogue transcript is preserved on the OSRS Wiki, updated as recently as early September 2026.
Is the Chess.com collaboration related to OSRS Sailing or in-game events?+
No — it is an external crossover with the Chess.com platform. It is separate from in-game events like LANscape or the Sailing content, and adds nothing to the game itself.
Do I need Chess.com membership to play the collaboration?+
The original run worked with a free Chess.com account; the bots were playable game modes rather than exclusive premium content. Check the official collab page for any paid features when the event is active.
Sources and verification
These references support the game mechanic or live-data boundary described above. Check the current source before a large in-game decision.
Independent fan-made OSRS content. No Jagex affiliation or endorsement.