The official Zenith Chess League rulebook defines several actions that constitute cheating in Rule 4A. One of these is receiving any form of outside assistance during a game. This includes streamers who receive outside assistance from chat during their games.

Due to the risk of streamers violating the leagues' rules by receiving assistance during streams - inadvertently or otherwise - the leagues' moderators have set out some guidelines below that should be followed by anyone planning to livestream their league games:
 

• If the viewers of a stream are deemed by league moderators to have provided outside assistance in a stream's chat, and the player livestreaming the game has read that chat at any point during the game, then the streamer is deemed to have received outside assistance and has thus violated Rule 4A.
   

• Streamers bear full responsibility for the actions of their viewers, including all messages sent in stream chat and other forms of outside assistance possible to be sent from a viewer.
   

• If there is any conflict between a streamer's desire to interact with their viewers and the leagues' fair play rules, it is the streamer's responsibility to resolve this conflict in a way that is fully compliant with the leagues' rules. If they feel that this won't be possible, they shouldn't stream their league games. If they choose to stream their league games without acknowledging or addressing this conflict, they bear full responsibility for the consequences.
  
  What defines "outside assistance"?
   

It is important to note that a streamer receiving any information that could influence their game in any manner would be considered outside assistance. Here are some examples of outside assistance that can happen during a stream (but note that this is not an exhaustive list):
 

• references to clock times, e.g. time remaining for either player

• references to the evaluation (or any other aspect) of a position

• references to other games or variations of the streamer's (e.g. opening lines), related or unrelated to the current game

• references to general ideas in a position, even if referring to ideas that are no longer possible (but were relevant earlier)

• references to general ideas in positions unrelated to the streamer's game

• references to playing style(s) or advice about playing style(s) related or unrelated to the streamer's game
   

Note that this is not an exhaustive list. A streamer receiving any information from viewers that could influence their game in any manner would be considered outside assistance.

I'm a streamer or plan to stream-how can I prevent myself from receiving outside assistance?

There are recommended, not recommended, and disallowed methods of preventing yourself from receiving outside assistance. Here are some examples (but note that this is not an exhaustive list):

RECOMMENDED

Doing one or more of the following during your stream:
 

• Preventing yourself from viewing stream chat by removing it from your screen during the game
   

• Disabling stream chat altogether, preventing viewers from sending outside assistance to a viewer
   

• Enabling a very long broadcast delay on your stream (e.g. 2 hr.) or "live-streaming" your prerecorded game post-game
  
  This is recommended as it prevents you from receiving any kind of outside assistance during your game.
  
  DISCOURAGED
  
  Enabling and actively reading viewers' live messages while doing one or more of the following:
   

• Implementing automod text filters for all square and piece names
   

• Placing a large banner on their stream warning viewers not to discuss the current game in chat
   

• Telling your viewers not to post move suggestions or otherwise discuss the current game.
  
  Note that even if you take these precautions, you are still responsible for what their viewers post in chat-this is why they are not recommended.
  
  DISALLOWED
  
  Enabling and actively reading viewers' live messages while not following any advice above and/or doing one or more of the following:
   

• Leaving stream chat with outside assistance visible and unfiltered while reading it during the game
   

• Engaging in active discussion about your ongoing game with the chat
   

• Streaming your game with no delay and no safeguards in place
  
  Note that these methods do not automatically constitute an infraction if no outside assistance is deemed to have reached the streamer, but if viewers send any form of outside assistance to the streamer, the streamer will have automatically violated Rule 4A-thus greatly increasing the chances of an infraction.
  
  Streamer F.A.Q
  
  Popular streamers like Hikaru Nakamura or the Botez Sisters get advice suggestions on their streams without having any issues!
  
  That is true, but these streamers do not play their games under the rules of the Zenith Chess League. Also, most of these streamers are much stronger than the majority of their viewers.
  
  My viewer only wrote that my opponent's threatening mate in 1! Of course, I saw that myself! How can something that obvious be classed as "outside assistance"?
  
  Obviously, there will be some chess-related comments that won't useful for the streamer. However, in most situations it's unclear if a particular comment helped that particular streamer in that particular situation or not. That's why we have a single clear rule: receiving any form of outside assistance during a game is not allowed.
  
  How can I control what my viewers are posting in chat? / Why am I held responsible for the actions of other people?
  
  Streamers choose whether they want to stream their league games and interact with their viewers. Those who make that choice are responsible for ensuring that they don't break the leagues' rules during their games by following the advice listed above. The ZCL moderators recommend that streamers should follow the advice in the "Recommended" tier, but ultimately this is something streamers have to decide for themselves. If you would like to interact with your viewers, we strongly suggest following the advice in at least the second tier of advice, but you are still responsible for any outside assistance sent to you by viewers.
  
  I'm doing my best-I followed the advice in the second tier and I told my viewers to stop posting move suggestions immediately after I saw they were doing it. And then I even removed them from the stream.
   

​Thanks - we appreciate that the vast majority of players in the league don't try or even want to get outside assistance. We only ask that streamers do their best to comply with the rules. If, after reviewing a stream, we conclude that outside assistance was received, even if the streamer made a good faith effort to not receive outside assistance, the streamer has violated Rule 4A. We strongly recommend you follow the advice in the "Recommended" tier.​