Play chess against a human-like bot
Most computer opponents play perfectly and then throw a piece away at random. This one plays like a person at the level you pick.
Why "human-like" matters
The usual way to make an engine weaker is to make it search less deeply, or to have it play a random bad move now and then. Both produce an opponent that does not resemble any human being: it defends perfectly for thirty moves, then hangs its queen for no reason.
A human-like bot instead plays the moves that players at that rating actually play - including the natural-looking mistakes, the typical plans, and the tactics they typically miss. Practising against that transfers to real games in a way that practising against a crippled engine does not.
Pick the right strength
- Below your rating - to practise converting an advantage without the pressure of losing.
- At your rating - the most realistic training, and the best test of an opening you are learning.
- Above your rating - to feel where your plans break down against better play.
The most useful habit: play the game, then send it straight to the analysis board and run the report before playing another. Ten reviewed games teach more than a hundred unreviewed ones.
Analyse the moment it ends
When the game finishes, one click puts it on the analysis board with the engine running. You get the full report - every inaccuracy, mistake and blunder for both sides - while the game is still fresh enough that you remember what you were thinking.
Keep going
Game analyzer
Review the game you just played, move by move.
Tactics puzzles
Train the patterns you keep missing over the board.
Opening guides
Prepare a line, then test it against a bot at your level.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play chess against the computer for free?
Yes. Choose an opponent rating and play, with no account and nothing to install.
How is this different from playing Stockfish on a low level?
A weakened Stockfish plays near-perfectly and then blunders arbitrarily. A human-like bot makes the kinds of mistakes real players at that rating make, so the positions and the errors are ones you will meet again in your own games.
Can I choose how strong the bot is?
Yes - pick the rating you want to face before the game starts.
Can I analyse the game afterwards?
Yes. The finished game goes straight to the analysis board, where Stockfish marks every mistake for both players.