diff --git a/client/src/Board.css b/client/src/Board.css
index 5d4c628..289e58e 100755
--- a/client/src/Board.css
+++ b/client/src/Board.css
@@ -108,6 +108,30 @@
   scroll-behavior: smooth;
 } 
 
+#ChatList .MuiListItem-gutters {
+  padding: 2px 0 2px 0;
+}
+
+#ChatList .MuiTypography-body1 {
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+}
+
+#ChatList .MuiTypography-body2 {
+  font-size: 0.7rem;
+}
+
+#ChatList .MuiListItemText-multiline {
+  margin-top: 0;
+  margin-bottom: 0;
+  padding: 4px 0px 4px 4px;
+}
+
+#ChatList .PlayerColor {
+  width: 1em;
+  height: 1em;
+  padding: 0px;
+}
+
 .Players {
   padding: 0.5em;
   user-select: none;
@@ -123,6 +147,10 @@
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
+.Players .PlayerSelector[data-selected=true] {
+  background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.5);
+}
+
 .Players .PlayerToggle {
   min-width: 5em;
   display: inline-flex;
@@ -229,13 +257,13 @@ button {
   user-select: none;
 }
 
-.Message div {
-  display: inline-flex;
+.Message .PlayerColor {
+  width: 1em;
+  height: 1em;
 }
 
-.Message .PlayerColor {
-  position: relative;
-  top: -0.25em;
+.Message div {
+  display: inline-flex;
 }
 
 .PlayerName {
diff --git a/client/src/Board.js b/client/src/Board.js
index 750c15b..614e732 100755
--- a/client/src/Board.js
+++ b/client/src/Board.js
@@ -6,12 +6,11 @@ import Button from '@material-ui/core/Button';
 import TextField from '@material-ui/core/TextField';
 import List from '@material-ui/core/List';
 import ListItem from '@material-ui/core/ListItem';
+import ListItemAvatar from  '@material-ui/core/ListItemAvatar';
 import ListItemText from '@material-ui/core/ListItemText';
-import ListItemAvatar from '@material-ui/core/ListItemAvatar';
 import { makeStyles } from '@material-ui/core/styles';
 import { deepOrange, lightBlue, red, grey } from '@material-ui/core/colors';
 import Avatar from '@material-ui/core/Avatar';
-import Switch from '@material-ui/core/Switch';
 import Moment from 'react-moment';
 //import moment from 'moment';
 
@@ -72,16 +71,9 @@ const useStyles = makeStyles((theme) => ({
 }));
 
 const PlayerColor = ({ color }) => {
-  const colors = getPlayerColors(color)
+  const classes = useStyles();
   return (
-    <div className="PlayerColor" 
-      style={{
-        backgroundColor: colors.fillStyle,
-        borderColor: colors.strokeStyle,
-        color: colors.strokeStyle
-      }}>
-        <div>{color}</div>
-    </div>
+    <Avatar className={['PlayerColor', classes[color]]}/>
   );
 };
 
@@ -293,8 +285,6 @@ const Chat = ({ board, promoteGameState }) => {
     }
   };
 
-  const classes = useStyles();
-
   useEffect(() => {
     const chatList = document.getElementById("ChatList"),
       currentTop = Math.round(chatList.scrollTop);
@@ -318,13 +308,10 @@ const Chat = ({ board, promoteGameState }) => {
   //const timeDelta = game.timestamp - Date.now();
   const messages = board.game.chat.map((item, index) => {
     /* If the date is in the future, set it to now */
-    item.date = item.date > Date.now() ? Date.now() : item.date;
     return (
-      <ListItem key={`msg-${index}`}>
-        <ListItemAvatar>
-          <Avatar className={classes[item.from]}>{item.from}</Avatar>
-        </ListItemAvatar>
-        <ListItemText primary={item.message} secondary={(<Moment fromNow date={item.date} interval={1000}/>)} />
+      <ListItem key={`msg-${item.date}`}>
+        <PlayerColor color={item.from}/>
+        <ListItemText primary={item.message} secondary={(<Moment fromNow date={item.date > Date.now() ? Date.now() : item.date} interval={1000}/>)} />
       </ListItem>
     );
   });
@@ -436,8 +423,6 @@ const Players = ({ board }) => {
     board.setSelected(board.game.color === key ? "" : key);
   }
 
-  const classes = useStyles();
-
   const players = [];
   for (let color in board.game.players) {
     const item = board.game.players[color];
@@ -445,35 +430,22 @@ const Players = ({ board }) => {
       continue;
     }
     const name = getPlayerName(board.game.sessions, color),
-      selectable = item.status === 'Not active' || board.game.color === color;
-    item.lastActive = item.lastActive > Date.now() ? Date.now() : item.lastActive;
-    let toggleText;
-    if (selectable) {
-      if (board.game.state !== 'lobby') {
-        toggleText = 'Exit to lobby.';
-      } else {
-        toggleText = item.status === 'Not active'
-          ? <span>Play as <PlayerColor color={color}/>{board.game.color ? ' instead' : ''}.</span>
-          : <span>Stop playing as <PlayerColor color={color}/>.</span>;
-      }
-    }
+      selectable = board.game.state === 'lobby' && (item.status === 'Not active' || board.game.color === color);
+    let toggleText = name ? name : "Available";
     players.push((
       <ListItem
-        data-selectable={selectable} 
-        onClick={() => { selectable && toggleSelected(color) }} className="PlayerSelector" key={`player-${color}`}>
-        <ListItemAvatar>
-          <Avatar className={classes[color]}>{color}</Avatar>
-        </ListItemAvatar>
-        <ListItemText primary={name} secondary={(
-          <>
-            { item.status + ' ' }
-            { item.status !== 'Not active' && <Moment fromNow date={item.lastActive}/>}
-          </>)} />
-        { selectable &&
-          <div className='PlayerToggle'>
-            <Switch edge="end" checked={board.game.color === color}/>
-            {toggleText}
-          </div>
+        data-selectable={selectable}
+        data-selected={board.game.color === color}
+        className="PlayerSelector"
+        key={`player-${color}`}>
+        <PlayerColor onClick={() => { selectable && toggleSelected(color) }} color={color}/>
+        <ListItemText onClick={() => { selectable && toggleSelected(color) }}primary={toggleText} secondary={(
+        <>
+          { item.status + ' ' }
+          { item.status !== 'Not active' && <Moment fromNow date={item.lastActive > Date.now() ? Date.now() : item.lastActive}/>}
+        </>)} />
+        { board.game.state !== 'lobby' && board.game.color === color && 
+          <Button onClick={() => toggleSelected(color)}>exit to lobby</Button>
         }
       </ListItem>
     ));
diff --git a/server/routes/games.js b/server/routes/games.js
index a917d5d..17ac1e9 100755
--- a/server/routes/games.js
+++ b/server/routes/games.js
@@ -501,6 +501,7 @@ const getActiveCount = (game) => {
 const sendGame = async (req, res, game, error) => {
   const active = getActiveCount(game);
 
+  /* Enforce game limit of >= 2 players */
   if (active < 2 && game.state != 'lobby' && game.state != 'invalid') {
     let message = "Insufficient players in game. Setting back to lobby."
     game.chat.push({ date: Date.now(),  message: message });
@@ -509,6 +510,7 @@ const sendGame = async (req, res, game, error) => {
   }
   game.active = active;
   
+  /* Update the session lastActive clock */
   let session;
   if (req.session) {
     session = getSession(game, req.session);
@@ -522,6 +524,15 @@ const sendGame = async (req, res, game, error) => {
     };
   }
   
+  /* Ensure chat messages have a unique date: stamp as it is used as the index key */
+  let lastTime = 0;
+  if (game.chat) game.chat.forEach((message) => {
+    if (message.date <= lastTime) {
+      message.date = lastTime + 1;
+    }
+    lastTime = message.date;
+  });
+
   /* Shallow copy game, filling its sessions with a shallow copy of sessions so we can then
    * delete the player field from them */
   const reducedGame = Object.assign({}, game, { sessions: {} }),