Chess
Chess online, free in your browser
The royal game, on a clock.
Chess on a marble-glass tabletop with Gen the wasp at your side: rules that teach themselves as you play, solo against Gentle, Skilled or Grandmaster bots, pass and play on one device, rated duels, co-op 2v2 and today's position, all on a 120, 60 or 30 second move clock. Replay any finished game move by move.
Free in your browser, no account needed to join.
Free while we're in early access: the full game, no charge. See the founder deal
Ways to play
Modes
Solo vs bots
Gentle, Skilled or Grandmaster. Legal moves light up, so the rules teach themselves.
Pass and play
Two players, one device, turn by turn.
Rated duels
Room duels with ELO, challenges and the duel leaderboard. Every player signed in.
Free account needed
Co-op 2v2
Two pairs share a board; bots fill empty seats. Pair leaderboard.
Today's position
One shared position a day, against a bot.
How to play
How Chess plays
- 1
Pick a mode and a bot level, or open a room for a friend.
- 2
Tap a piece: its legal moves light up. Castle, promote and capture en passant without a rulebook.
- 3
Checkmate the king to win. Replay the finished game move by move.
The rules in short
Chess is played on an 8 by 8 board with sixteen pieces a side: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. Each piece moves its own way, and you win by checkmating the opposing king, which means attacking it so that no legal move can save it. The game includes castling, pawn promotion and en passant, and a position can also end in a draw by stalemate, repetition or insufficient material. Online, Gen highlights every legal move for the piece you touch, so the rules teach themselves as you play. Every mode runs on a per-move clock of 120, 60 or 30 seconds, and any finished game can be replayed move by move. The 3D marble-glass tabletop shows each move, capture and promotion.
Signature features
What makes Chess different
Rules that teach themselves
Legal moves light up under your finger; a How it plays panel explains the rest.
Replay
Step through any finished game move by move.
Grandmaster bot
Three levels, from Gentle to Grandmaster, deterministic per game.
Chess questions
More games
Also on the shelf
Host it at your event
Planning a game night, a class or a company event? Tell us about the crowd and the date.
Free while we're new
Every game, every feature, free during early access. Early players get founder perks.