Help Center

How can we help you?

Search for answers in the Frequently Asked Questions.

Does this website use cookies?

No, chesslablab.com allows to learn and play chess online without being tracked. It does not use cookies of any sort and does not store information as other apps do, not even nicknames or chess games.

Besides, ChesslaBlab is open-source. It can be used by developers to create amazing chess web apps. A bunch of public repos ranging from React and JavaScript to PHP are available on the ChesslaBlab community on GitHub.

What are the chess variants available for playing?

Three different variants are supported.

  • Classical
  • Fischer Random 960
  • Capablanca
Can I send an invitation to a friend to play chess?

Yes, just follow the steps below.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Play > Play a Friend
Figure 2
Figure 2. Set the minutes per side, increment in seconds, color and variant.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Click on Create Invite Code and share the invite code with a friend.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Click on Copy and Play and wait for your friend to join the game.
How are invite codes accepted?

After receiving an invitation from a friend, enter your invite code as it is described below.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Play > Enter Invite Code
Figure 2
Figure 2. Enter your invite code and click on Play
Figure 3
Figure 3. Enjoy your chess game!
Can I play a particular position with a friend?

Sure, you may want to play a particular chess position with a friend.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Play > Play a Friend
Figure 2
Figure 2. Set the minutes per side, increment in seconds, color, variant as well as FEN position.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Click on Create Invite Code and share the invite code with a friend.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Click on Copy and Play and wait for your friend to join the game.
What is FEN?

FEN stands for Forsyth-Edwards Notation. It is the standard for describing a particular board position. Described below is the classical starting position in FEN format. 

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq -
How can I play chess against the computer?

This is how to play chess against Stockfish, the strongest chess engine available to the public, from the starting position.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Play > Play Computer
Figure 2
Figure 2. Set a difficulty level as well as a color.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Click on Create Game and make chess moves.
Can I play a particular position against the computer?

Yes, for analysis purposes you may want to play a particular chess position against the computer.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Play > Play Computer
Figure 2
Figure 2. Set a difficulty level and enter the position you want to analyze in FEN format.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Click on Create Game and make chess moves.
How are the difficulty levels set up?

There are four different levels of difficulty set up using Stockfish.

Difficulty
Skill Level Depth
6 2
11 4
17 8
20 12
Can I improve my chess skills using the database?

Studying games from titled FIDE players is definitely a great way to improve your game.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Database > Search Games and enter some search criteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Click on the Search button, and find up to 25 random games matching the criteria on a database of one million games.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Click on the game you want to study.
How many chess games are in the database?

There are about one million games in the database.

What are heuristics in chess?

If you ask a chess pro why a chess move is good, they'll probably give you a bunch of reasons, many of them intuitive, about why they made that decision.

Heuristics are quick, mental shortcuts that we humans use to make decisions and solve problems in our daily lives. While far from being perfect, heuristics are approximations that help manage cognitive load.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on the Heuristics button located at the bottom of the game panel.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Look at the chess game from a heuristics perspective.
Can chess heuristics be shown while playing?

Yes, a simplified heuristics chart describing the current position can be shown to help better understand a position as opposed to the entire game.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Settings and check the Show heuristics while playing option.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Click on the Accept button and look at the position from a heuristics perspective.
What is SAN?

SAN stands for Standard Algebraic Notation. It is a human-readable text format that allows chess players to read and write chess games in Portable Game Notation (PGN) format. A SAN movetext is basically the same thing as a RAV movetext with the only difference that it doesn't include variations.

Can I load SAN games for further study?

The Internet contains a lot of information and ChesslaBlab comes with a free-to-use SAN reader.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Analysis Board > SAN Movetext, paste a movetext and click on Load
Figure 2
Figure 2. Read a chess game without variations and comments.
What is RAV?

RAV stands for Recursive Annotation Variation. It is the standard format for annotated chess games.

What are annotated games?

Annotated games are games with comments that help understand what is going on the chessboard. They usually include variations showing the development of the game in selected positions that require an in-depth understanding.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Database > Annotated Games and select a chess game.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Read the comments and explore the variations.
How many annotated chess games are in the database?

While the chess games database contains one million records, the annotated chess games database contains a few only. This is mainly because annotations may be subject to copyright. Contributions are welcome!

Can I load RAV games for further study?

The Internet contains a lot of information and ChesslaBlab comes with a free-to-use RAV reader.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Analysis Board > RAV Movetext, paste a movetext and click on Load
Figure 2
Figure 2. Read the comments and explore the variations.
What is correspondence chess?

Correspondence chess allows people to play one another not necessarily sitting in front of the board at the same time.

How can I create a correspondence chess inbox?

ChesslaBlab allows to play correspondence chess with easy-to-use shared inboxes. Both players can send a move to a shared correspondence inbox. Have a nice game!

Figure 1
Figure 1. Click on Inbox > Create Inbox
Figure 2
Figure 2. Click on Copy Inbox Code and share the inbox code with a friend.
How can I play correspondence chess?
Figure 1
Figure 1. Cick on Inbox > Read Inbox and enter a correspondence inbox code.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Make a move in PGN format and click on Send
How can I delete a correspondence chess inbox?

ChesslaBlab correspondence inboxes will automatically be deleted after thirty days from the last move that was made.

The Frequently Asked Questions are currently being documented. Stay tuned!

Did we miss something?

Please let us know by either raising an issue on a GitHub repository or by opening a discussion. Your feedback is very much appreciated! Thank you.