Online Chess Help

Q: I just joined a mini-tournament, and all new games already have several moves made in them. Why?

A: You have just joined a so-called "thematic mini-tournament". A mini-tournament can be created with predefined first several moves. You can see the starting moves by clicking on the "mini-tournament" link on the game page (in the right upper corner). Because each player plays 2 games, one for each side, even if the starting moves are not equally balanced for each side, it is not possible to use thematic mini-tournaments to gain unfair advantage.