Lichess icon
Lichess icon

Lichess

Lichess is the most complete chess experience, with a simple interface that focuses on the game, a massive array of game-related tools, and a huge, worldwide community.

Home page, light background

Cost / License

Application type

Platforms

  • Online
  • Android
  • iPhone
  • Android Tablet
  • iPad
  • F-Droid
Game analysis, custom background
Home page, dark background.
+3
2.5D board and pieces, custom background
Lichess alternatives  
171likes
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Features

  1.  Ad-free
  2.  Multiplayer
  3.  Lessons
  4.  Study Mode
  5.  Single player
  6.  Chess Training
  7.  Online Gaming
  8.  No registration required
  9.  Patron

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Comments and Reviews

   
Comment summary: Lichess is widely praised for being a free and open-source chess platform with a sleek, fast, and user-friendly interface. It is appreciated for its transparency, lack of ads, and excellent cheat detection. Users highlight its comprehensive features such as online play, lessons, tournaments, and mobile app availability. While it stands out against alternatives like Chess.com in certain aspects, some note its lower popularity might affect ELO comparisons. Overall, it is regarded as an outstanding platform for chess enthusiasts.
Top Positive Comment
vondelphia
11

A superior alternative to Chess.com!

lichess.org is awesome, it's transparent too and there doesn't seem to be any ego's involved. It's just a great platform to have rapid games of chess. You can also analyze, study and play in tournaments.

The mobile app is friggin' awesome too!

jamz
0

The best place to play chess online

openlibrary
1

I like Lichess because it's a fast, privacy-friendly, sleek, customizable, and open-source platform with an intuitive UI, a high degree of functionality in regards to collaboration, and allows no-sign-up playing. All of which is especially noticeable when compared to Chess.com.

An issue is that platform is way less popular - meaning - when comparing ELOs with people it can be harder to tell what your ELO means to others. This is an unsolvable issue unless Lichess gets more traction. Another issue is the harsh treatment against email aliasing, at the very least allow aliasing after someone inputs an actual email. Other than that, Lichess is probably one of the most user-friendly chess platforms in the world while maintaining a substantial degree of popularity.

nolaray
1

Whether you want to play online, solve puzzles, watch live games, or learn from the masters, Lichess is great.

Paul
1

The best chess platform out there. It's 100% free and open source, there are no ads, and the platform offers everything for playing, learning, training, etc. It's available online or as a mobile application, and it's even in F-Droid!

smartgrg
1

The interface is sleek and responsive. It meets all my expectations and needs. I have no complaints about it at all.

arsCynic
1

The best chess website on the Web. No ads as a core principle and super fast. The interactive chess lessons and tactics are a godsend as well.

7 of 15 comments

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What is Lichess?

Lichess is the most complete chess experience, with a simple interface that focuses on the game, a massive array of game-related tools, and a huge, worldwide community.

The Lichess covenant:

  • lichess.org will always be free.
  • lichess.org will never contain advertisements.
  • lichess.org will always be open source.

FEATURES

  • Two-player games between humans
  • Single-player games (versus Stockfish, the most powerful open-source engine)
  • Spectator mode
  • Premoves
  • Support for more time
  • Resignation and draw offers
  • Ability to abort uninitiated games
  • Ability to force resignation
  • 'Arena' style tournament feature

Customization

  • Time controls for chess clocks, including Fischer delay
  • Optional Black and White player randomization
  • Ability to request a player to take back a move
  • Support for variants: Chess960, King of the Hill, Three-check Chess, Atomic chess, Antichess, Horde chess
  • User-defined restriction of who can join games, based on player rating
  • Board editor to set up and practice positions against players or people.

Learning

  • Opening puzzles to learn good continuations
  • Tactics puzzles
  • Coordinate the trainer to train the locating of chess squares
  • Curated library of publicly available chess videos
  • PGN import and ability to load positions from FEN

Technology

  • Mobile app for iOS and Android
  • Works in any modern web browser (except Internet Explorer 8 and earlier versions), with no plugins such as Flash or Java needed
  • Availability in over 80 languages
  • Ability to toggle the overall theme of the website between black and white
  • Basic chess set and background theme switching
  • Ability to invite friends to a game via unique links created for every game
  • Optional username and password registration
  • Option for users to close their accounts

Lichess information

AlternativeTo Categories

Games, Social & Communications

Apple AppStore

  •   Updated 
  •   3.83 avg rating
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GitHub repository

  •  18,796 Stars
  •  2,811 Forks
  •  1267 Open Issues
  •   Updated  
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Our users have written 15 comments and reviews about Lichess, and it has gotten 171 likes

Lichess was added to AlternativeTo by hexluther on and this page was last updated . Lichess is sometimes referred to as lichess.org.