Hidden games on Facebook Messenger

​Hidden Facebook Football Game

If you’re attempts at casual chat are turning into a bit of an own goal, Facebook’s hidden football gameshould help lift the mood, assuming your friend’s up for a quick kickabout.

Unearthing the Euro 2016 inspired Facebook football game is pleasingly painless too. If you’ve ensured you’re running the latest iteration of Messenger, all you have to do is unearth the football emoji and send it to a mate.

That’s it. Well, almost. Click on the soccer emoji you’ve sent and a keepy-uppy game will emerge before your eyes. Now all you’ve got to do is tap on the ball to keep it off the ground. Get past 10 points and things will get a bit trickier as… Well, give it a go and see for yourself.

Hidden Facebook Basketball Game

For when your chat is anything but a slam dunk, Facebook’s hidden basketball game can provide hours of fun – seriously, this thing is ridiculously addictive.

Finding the hidden Facebook basketball game is surprisingly simple too. Once you’ve ensured you’re running the latest version of Messenger, all you have to do is send a friend a basketball emoji. That’s it. Now, clicking on that sent b-ball will launch the hidden game. Game on.

Both you and your friend can play within the chat window, with both players’ high scores logged in the message feed – just so bragging rights can be duly appointed. If you hate losing, don’t worry. A crafty YouTuber has found a brilliantly simple way to cheat at Facebook’s hidden basketball game using nothing but a ruler – you’re welcome.

Hidden Facebook Chess Game

Not everyone’s into basic swipe-based ball games. If your gaming tastes are a little more highbrow, Facebook’s hidden chess game is going to be more up your street. Finding Facey-B’s chess title is a little bit trickier than sending a picture-based word replacement. Instead, typing “@fbchess play” into a chat window should see a digital chessboard appear in a magical, Harry Potter-impressing fashion.

Now all you’ve got to do is master how to control the thing – something that’s easier said than done. Instead of pointing and clicking to move your pieces, you’re going to have to remember some shortcuts and square locations.

Every time you want to make a move, you’ll need to type “@fbchess” followed by the piece abbreviation and the code for the square you want the piece to fill – confused?

OK, so here, K stands for King, Q for queen, B for Bishop, N for knight (are we all really that dense?), R for rook, and P for pawn. So, moving your king to square C5 needs you to enter “@fbchess Kc5” – got it?