How to Play

The One Rule

The first letter of your player's first name must match the first letter of the previous player's last name. That's the whole game.

Each player can only be used once per game, and you have a limited time to answer before the clock runs out. When you can't come up with a name in time, the round is over.

Pick Your League

The game covers three leagues, each with its own complete player pool:

• MLB — over 11,000 baseball players
• NFL — over 27,000 football players
• NBA — over 4,000 basketball players

Player names cover the 1970–2026 era, plus select Hall of Fame legends from before 1970 in every league — so Babe Ruth, Jim Brown, and the other all-time greats count even though they played earlier.

Pick Your Difficulty

• All-Star (the default) — for everyday fans. The computer plays at full strength.
• Rookie — for beginners. The computer goes easier on you, so it's a good way to learn the rhythm of the chain before stepping up.

Spelling Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

You don't need to be a spelling bee champion. The game is built to be forgiving:

• Close misspellings count — type "Aaron Judje" and the game knows you mean Aaron Judge.
• Accents are handled automatically, so "Jose Ramirez" matches José Ramírez.
• You can skip Jr. and Sr. — "Cal Ripken" matches Cal Ripken Jr.

If a name is too far off or could match two different players, the game will ask you to try again rather than guess wrong on your behalf.

Strategy: How to Beat SNG

Once you know the rule, winning comes down to a few habits the best players share:

1. Think one move ahead. Before you submit a name, look at its last name. If you answer with a player whose last name starts with a rare letter, you might be setting a trap for the computer — or for yourself on the next turn.
2. Bank your common letters. First names starting with J, M, D, and R are everywhere in pro sports. Don't burn your easy ones early if a harder answer also works.
3. Beware the dead-end letters. Last names starting with Q, X, U, and Z are rare — if the chain hands you one of those, you'll need your deep cuts.
4. Go position by position. Stuck on a letter? Run through a mental roster: quarterbacks, then running backs, then receivers. Working a structure beats staring at the clock.
5. Use the eras. The pool spans more than fifty years. If you can't think of a current player, an 80s or 90s star is just as valid.

Scores, Stats, and Leaderboards

Every correct name moves your score up, and your best runs land on the daily and all-time leaderboards for each league, shared by all players and kept anonymous. You can play as a guest with nothing to set up. If you choose to sign in (with Google or a 6-digit email code — no password to remember), the game also saves your personal stats: your all-time high scores and the players you've named most.

Spot a real player the game wouldn't accept? Use the "Report a missing player" button on the home screen and we'll review it for the next data update.