I. What Is Signal?

Signal is a free, open-source messaging application available for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and desktop computers (Windows, macOS, and Linux). It provides text messaging, voice calls, video calls, and group chats. All communications conducted through Signal are protected by end-to-end encryption by default: no third party — including Signal’s own operators — can read the content of a message in transit. The application is developed and maintained by the Signal Foundation, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide private, secure communication.

Signal does not display advertising. It does not sell user data. It does not have a commercial parent company with interests contrary to those of its users. For these reasons it has been consistently regarded as the most privacy-respecting general-purpose messaging application available to ordinary users. Its security architecture has been audited repeatedly by independent researchers and found to be sound.

Signal is free to download and to use without limitation. No subscription or payment is required.

II. Why the IRF Uses Signal

Live remote Raumschach presents a practical coordination problem. Two players connecting across a network from different locations — possibly different time zones — need a reliable, low-friction channel through which they can do the following things in real time: confirm readiness before a game begins, communicate a technical difficulty if the connection to the game client is interrupted, agree on a draw or resignation, and report a result to the administrator. Email is too slow for these purposes. The telephone involves the exchange of personal numbers. Many other messaging platforms are encumbered by advertising accounts, proprietary lock-in, or data-collection practices incompatible with the IRF’s privacy commitments.

Signal satisfies all of the IRF’s requirements:

Signal is used by the IRF for two distinct purposes: coordination during casual live remote games arranged between members by mutual agreement, and coordination during official tournaments with scheduled rounds. In both cases, the game itself is played through the web client at raumschach.org/raumschach.html; Signal is not a substitute for that interface.

III. Creating a Signal Username

What you will need

Signal requires a mobile phone number to register an account. This is a technical requirement of Signal itself, not of the IRF. However, once your account is created, Signal allows you to set a username — a short handle of your choosing — and to configure your privacy settings so that your phone number is not visible to people who do not already have it in their contacts. The IRF will never ask for, record, or use your phone number. Only your Signal username is shared with the federation.

Step by step

Choosing your username and profile name

Your Signal username and profile name are visible to other members of the IRF group (see § IV for a full explanation of what is visible to whom). Both should be chosen with the same care you would apply to your IRF member name: clean, professional, and free of anything that would be out of place in a formal correspondence. The same norms that govern conduct under the IRF Charter apply here. A name that would cause hesitation on a tournament register should not appear on Signal either.

As a practical guide: your IRF member name itself, or a modest variant of it, is the obvious and appropriate choice.

IV. What Other Members Will See

This is a reasonable question and one the IRF has considered carefully. The answer depends on what Signal calls the profile name and the username, and on the privacy settings each member applies.

In summary: yes, members of an IRF Signal group will see each other’s profile names and usernames. This is expected and appropriate for a group of players coordinating live games together. Phone numbers, however, are not exposed, provided the privacy setting described above is applied. The IRF strongly recommends every member configure that setting before joining the group.

V. Privacy Commitment

The IRF’s handling of Signal usernames is governed by the same principles set out in the Privacy Policy. The commitments applicable to email correspondence apply equally to Signal:

VI. Administrator: Setting Up the IRF Signal Group

This section is a reference for the IRF administrator on how to create and configure the official Signal group. It documents the recommended settings and the reasoning behind them.

Creating the group

Open Signal, tap the compose icon, and select New Group. Add any initial member(s) or create with only yourself initially and add members by username as they register. Give the group a clear, official name.

Recommended settings

Adding members

Members should be added by their Signal username only. The IRF administrator should never request or record a member’s phone number for any purpose. When a new member registers, they provide their username to the administrator by email; the administrator searches for them by username in Signal and adds them to the group. Confirm with the new member that they have received the group invitation and accepted it.

Pinned message

Consider pinning a brief message at the top of the group explaining its purpose and norms — something like: “This group is for IRF live play coordination only. Please keep messages relevant to scheduling, results, and play. Full rules and charter: raumschach.org/charter.html.”

VII. Checklist — Casual Live Remote Play

The following checklist is for members arranging an informal rated or unrated live game by mutual agreement, outside the tournament calendar.

VIII. Checklist — Tournament Play

The following checklist applies to live remote games played under the official IRF tournament calendar. These requirements supplement those stated in the Charter and Tournament Regulations; in any conflict, the Charter governs.