# ChessMess

> ChessMess is a free, ad-free chess website. Play 19 human-like bots from 250 to 3200 rating, get move-by-move coaching, review every game with Stockfish 19 for free and without limits, practise your own mistakes, rehearse against a bot built from any Lichess or Chess.com player's games, and play friends by link, 6-digit code or QR code.

Key facts:
- Website: https://www.chessmess.online
- Price: free. No ads, no trial, no paywall. A free account is optional. Optional one-time payments only buy thank-you extras: supporter time ($3 a month or $24 a year; crown badge and the Gilded theme), tips, or an early display-name or handle change. Nothing renews automatically.
- Engine: Stockfish 19, running in the player's browser (WebAssembly), so game review and analysis are unlimited.
- Bots: 19 characters (Pip 250 to Seraphine 2800) with styles (aggressive, solid, tricky, positional), Echo (adaptive), and Stockfish at full strength (3200).
- Coach mode: grades every move (Brilliant, Great, Best, Excellent, Good, Book, Inaccuracy, Mistake, Missed win, Blunder) with plain-language explanations.
- Game Review: accuracy, move labels, evaluation graph, key moments and a performance estimate for every game.
- Play friends: invite by link, 6-digit code or QR code; friends list and challenges by @handle with a free account.
- Customisation: 10 worlds, 24 boards, 14 piece sets, sound sets, accessibility options.
- Mistake trainer: every Game Review adds the player's mistakes, missed wins and blunders to a personal deck, practised with spaced repetition (1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60 days).
- Play like your opponent: a practice bot built from up to 200 public games of any Lichess or Chess.com player; it copies their openings and plays at about their rating (it is not that person).
- Friend rooms: invite by link, code or QR; optional time odds and coach hints per player; "Review together" after the game; streamer viewer queue with QR code and OBS overlay.
- Share a clip: vertical video (1080×1920) or images of a key move with the coach's caption, made in the browser.
- World Tour: a campaign through ten worlds with stars and titles. Break suggestions after a losing streak (can be turned off).
- Online games against strangers currently use AI opponents matched to the player's rating while the community grows.
- Coming soon: rated puzzles and interactive lessons.
- Contact: support@chessmess.online. Terms: https://www.chessmess.online/terms. Privacy: https://www.chessmess.online/privacy.

## App
- [Play a bot](https://www.chessmess.online/play/bots): 19 human-like bots from 250 to 2800 rating, an adaptive bot, and full Stockfish (3200)
- [Play with Coach](https://www.chessmess.online/play/coach): bot games with move-by-move feedback, hints, threats and takebacks
- [Play a friend](https://www.chessmess.online/play/friend): private games by link, 6-digit code or QR code, no account needed
- [Play online](https://www.chessmess.online/online): rated games from bullet to classical
- [Analysis board](https://www.chessmess.online/analysis): Stockfish 19 with up to five lines, PGN and FEN
- [Mistake trainer](https://www.chessmess.online/train): practise the mistakes from your own reviewed games, with spaced repetition
- [Play like your opponent](https://www.chessmess.online/play/opponent): a practice bot built from any Lichess or Chess.com player's public games
- [World Tour](https://www.chessmess.online/journey): a campaign through ten worlds, from 250 to full Stockfish
- [Stream with viewers](https://www.chessmess.online/stream): viewer queue with QR code and OBS overlay for streamers
- [Support ChessMess](https://www.chessmess.online/support): optional one-time payments for thank-you extras; every tool stays free

## Guide
- [Getting started with ChessMess](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/getting-started): What ChessMess is, what's free (everything), and how to play your first game against a bot, a friend or the coach in under a minute.
- [Play chess against bots — 19 characters from 250 to 3200](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/play-against-bots): How the ChessMess bots work: human-like characters from beginner to grandmaster strength, an adaptive bot that grows with you, and full-strength Stockfish.
- [Play chess with friends — invite by link, 6-digit code or QR](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/play-with-friends): Create a game and invite a friend with a link, a 6-digit code or a QR code. No account needed. Or add friends by @handle and challenge them.
- [Coach mode — feedback on every move while you play](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/coach-mode): Play against a bot while a coach grades every move, explains mistakes in plain words, shows threats and hints, and lets you take back and try again.
- [Free, unlimited Game Review with Stockfish 19](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/game-review): Review every chess game for free: accuracy, move labels from Brilliant to Blunder, an evaluation graph, key moments, a performance estimate and coach explanations.
- [Analysis board — Stockfish 19, multiple lines, PGN and FEN](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/analysis-board): Analyse any position with Stockfish 19: up to five engine lines, arrows, variations, opening names, and PGN/FEN import and export. Free and unlimited.
- [Worlds, boards and piece sets — make the board yours](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/worlds-boards-and-pieces): Ten worlds restyle the whole site in one click — page, board, pieces, sounds and scenery — plus 24 boards, 14 piece sets and accessibility options.
- [Accounts, handles, friends and privacy](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/accounts-and-privacy): How free ChessMess accounts work: email confirmation, your @handle and display name, friends, password resets, and what data we keep.
- [Mistake trainer: practise the positions you got wrong](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/mistake-trainer): Every Game Review adds your mistakes and blunders to a personal deck. Find the better move, and spaced repetition brings each one back until it sticks.
- [Play like your opponent: practise against any player's style](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/play-like-your-opponent): Type a Lichess or Chess.com username and play a practice bot that copies that player's openings and plays at about their rating. Free, no account needed.
- [World Tour: a chess campaign through ten worlds](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/world-tour): Travel through ten themed worlds, beat every bot in each to earn its title, and collect up to three stars per bot. Free, from 250 rating to full Stockfish.
- [Share a clip: turn your best move into a video](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/share-a-clip): Make a vertical video or image of a brilliant move or a big blunder, with the coach's caption, for TikTok, Reels, Shorts or X. Made in your browser, free.
- [Review together: go through a game with your opponent](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/review-together): After a game with a friend, step through it together in sync — move labels, eval bar and best moves on both screens. Free, no account needed.
- [Odds and coach hints: fair games between different levels](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/odds-and-coach-hints): Give a newer friend more time or coach hints in a private game, so players of different levels can enjoy a real game. Free, set when you create a room.
- [Stream with viewers: a free chess viewer queue with QR code](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/stream-with-viewers): Streamers: open a viewer queue, put the QR code on stream, and play viewers one by one. Free OBS overlay included, no accounts needed for viewers.
- [Break suggestions: a gentle nudge when you're tilted](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/break-suggestions): Lost a few in a row? ChessMess may suggest a short break, an easier bot or a review. Why tilt hurts your chess, and how to switch the suggestions off.
- [How ChessMess is funded (and why it stays free)](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/how-chessmess-is-funded): Every tool for playing and learning is free, with no ads. Here's what ChessMess costs to run, how supporters help, and what supporters get.
- [ChessMess FAQ](https://www.chessmess.online/guide/faq): Answers to common questions about ChessMess: is it really free, do I need an account, how strong are the bots, how do I play friends, and more.

## Articles
- [A free alternative to Chess.com premium features](https://www.chessmess.online/articles/free-chess-com-premium-alternative): Unlimited game reviews, coaching while you play, bots of every level and play-with-friends links — all free on ChessMess, with no ads and no trial.
- [How to play chess with a friend online (no sign-up needed)](https://www.chessmess.online/articles/how-to-play-chess-with-friends-online): Three ways to start a private chess game with a friend in seconds: send a link, read out a 6-digit code, or scan a QR code. Free, with clocks and rematches.
- [Chess bots for every level, from 250 to 3200](https://www.chessmess.online/articles/chess-bots-for-every-level): Meet the ChessMess bot ladder: 19 characters with their own styles, from first-time beginners to grandmaster strength, plus an adaptive bot and full Stockfish.
- [Chess game review explained: accuracy, blunders and brilliant moves](https://www.chessmess.online/articles/chess-game-review-explained): What accuracy means, how moves are labelled from Brilliant to Blunder, how to read an evaluation graph, and how to use a game review to actually improve.
- [How to get better at chess for free: a 4-week routine](https://www.chessmess.online/articles/how-to-get-better-at-chess-for-free): A simple 4-week plan to improve at chess using only free tools: coached games, game reviews, focused bot practice and games with friends.
- [What is Stockfish? The chess engine behind ChessMess](https://www.chessmess.online/articles/what-is-stockfish): Stockfish is the strongest open-source chess engine. Learn how it works, how strong it is, and how ChessMess runs Stockfish 19 in your browser for free.

## Comparisons
- [ChessMess vs Chess.com vs Lichess: free chess sites compared](https://www.chessmess.online/compare): What's actually free on ChessMess, Chess.com and Lichess in 2026: game review, coaching, bots, puzzles, lessons and ads — and who each site suits best.
- [ChessMess vs Chess.com: what's free, what's paid, and which to use](https://www.chessmess.online/compare/chessmess-vs-chess-com): Chess.com's free plan gives 1 game review a day and 1 Coach game a month. ChessMess gives unlimited reviews and coaching free. A fair, sourced comparison.
- [ChessMess vs Lichess: two free, ad-free chess sites compared](https://www.chessmess.online/compare/chessmess-vs-lichess): Both are free with no ads. Lichess leads on community, puzzles and tournaments; ChessMess on coaching, plain-language move explanations and bot characters.
- [The best free chess websites in 2026, by what you want to do](https://www.chessmess.online/compare/best-free-chess-websites): Honest picks for playing, learning, game review, puzzles and kids — with what's really free on each chess site, checked in October 2026.
- [Free chess game review compared: ChessMess, Chess.com, Lichess and DecodeChess](https://www.chessmess.online/compare/free-chess-game-review-compared): How many games can you review free, and what do you get? Accuracy, move labels, explanations and daily limits on four review tools, side by side.

## Policies
- [Terms of Service](https://www.chessmess.online/terms): The rules for using ChessMess: free play, fair play, accounts, optional payments, and what we can and can't promise.
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.chessmess.online/privacy): What ChessMess collects, why, who helps us run the site, how long we keep data, and how to see or delete yours. No ads, no trackers, no selling data.
- Contact: support@chessmess.online