Chess.net Gold

Chess.net Gold is a commercial version of Chess.net for Windows that was available on CD. It's a client that lets you play online chess against players from all over the world through the Chess.net servers. Once started the game connects you to a chat room, where you can see people who are currently in the lobby and talk with them to pick your opponent. Once you are in a game you can only talk with your opponent. The game automatically calculates your chess rating, to make it easier to find a worthy match to play against.

Unlike the free version of Chess.net for Windows available at the time, this retail version offers a 3D view of the chess board, a game study feature, a chess AI to play against and a web phone which can be used to talk with other players with a Gold version.

Later the Gold version was replaced with a Gold Member account where players had to pay a yearly fee for the removal of banners, increased journal/aliases/notifies space and other benefits.