Lichess TV

The new and improved lichess tv (regular lichess tv, not streams) is just that, new and improved! I love the changes, but it seems odd that the feature that most needs a spectator chat does not have one. Another minor issue is that when viewing 3+ games you cannot see how many checks have been played. With these changes lichess TV would be perfect!

Thumbs up for this

I agree with that :D

It's a shame it doesn't show the previous game history like before. Also it's still switching from game to game without finishing a complete match which is very annoying.

In addition to all the improvements listed above, I'd like to request a special TV for every user that shows ongoing games played by who they are currently. Sometimes I just want to watch my friends play in a tournament, and the regular user/tv only works one at a time. :P

Spectator chat was originally there but was removed because it was very difficult to moderate. Moreover, no-one talked in it for days on end, and when they did, it would usually be a drive-by comment and no conversation ever came of it whatsoever. Seriously, for years. It's not a technical issue, it's a social issue. One that's not fixed simply by putting the feature back.

#6: I don't disagree with most of that but having a spectator chat enables seeing system messages like "Takeback request sent" or draw offers. With the chat disabled, it's confusing to see moves rolled back, for instance.

I agree, the TV feature desperately needs to have a chat option so people can interact while watching.

+1. This would be very cool. Kibitzing during the games is an option they have on ICC and Chess.com so it would be really nice to see it here, too.