Play chess against the computer

Four levels, from first games to real resistance

Beginner

Plays legal, sensible chess but leaves pieces hanging now and then. Good for learning how the pieces move and for practising simple checkmates.

Casual

Develops its pieces, takes free material and spots short tactics. A fair opponent for club newcomers and for a relaxed game after work.

Challenging

Searches deeper, punishes loose pieces and converts winning positions. Expect to work for every point.

Expert

The strongest setting: the deepest search, and it always plays the move it rates best. Use it to test your opening preparation and your endgame technique.

The three lower levels choose among several good moves, so the same opening rarely leads to the same game twice. The computer also takes a moment before it replies instead of moving in the same instant, which keeps the game readable and gives you time to see what changed on the board.

The engine runs on the server, not on your phone

The Chessdox computer searches on our server and sends back its move. Your device only shows the board, so an older phone plays exactly as well as a new laptop, the battery is spared, and nothing has to be downloaded or installed. Moves are validated by the same server, which means the rules are applied identically for you and for the engine: castling, en passant, promotion, stalemate, threefold repetition and the fifty-move rule all work as in a tournament game.

Pick a clock that suits the session

Play without a clock when you want to think freely or study an opening, or choose blitz, rapid or classical time controls to practise under pressure. When the clock is on, the computer spends its own time as well and manages it over the whole game, so a 3 + 2 game against the engine feels like a real blitz game.

After the game

Step back through the move list to see where the game turned, then download the score as PGN to analyse it in any chess program. If you leave the public replay option switched on, an anonymous copy of the finished game can appear in the replay library, where other players can step through it move by move. Switch it off in the form and the game stays private.

Looking for a human opponent instead? Invite a friend to a private game with a single link.