Back to the board
  • Free
  • Human-like bot
  • 600–2600
  • No account needed

Play chess against the computer

A chess bot that plays like a real person at the rating you choose, from 600 to 2600, and makes the mistakes players at that level really make. It's free, with nothing to install and no account needed.

Play a game

A bot that plays like a person

The usual way to make a chess engine weaker is to have it search less, or play a worse move at random now and then. The result plays nothing like the people you face over the board. It makes long runs of precise engine moves, then an error picked at random that no plan or misreading of the position explains.

This bot chooses its moves the way players at your chosen rating do. In the opening it draws on the moves they played in real games on Lichess, and after that a model trained on Lichess players' games predicts what they would play. So it makes their natural-looking mistakes, follows their typical plans and misses the tactics they tend to miss. It picks among the likely moves at random, weighted by how often players choose each one, so games rarely repeat.

Setting up a game

Rating

600–2600

Your opponent's strength, in steps of 50. The last one you chose is remembered.

Play as

White, Black, or Random, which picks a side for you each game.

Start position

The standard start, a FEN you paste in, or any position set up on the board editor.

Pick the right strength

Below your rating

To practice 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.

Learning an opening? Read its guide in the chess opening guides, then play it against a bot at your level.

During and after the game

If you're stuck, Hint shows the engine's best moves for the position until you move. Take back undoes your last move, and Resign ends the game. Otherwise the engine's arrows and scores stay hidden while you play, so nothing gives the game away.

For how to find the moves that decided the game, see the game review guide. To set up a position to play from, use the board editor.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play chess against the computer for free?

Yes. Every game is free, with no account and nothing to install. Choose a rating and a side, and press Start.

How strong is the chess bot?

As strong as you choose: any rating from 600 to 2600, in steps of 50. You pick it before each game, and the last one you chose is remembered.

How is this different from playing Stockfish on a low level?

A weakened engine such as Stockfish on a low skill level picks among its own candidate moves with some added randomness, so its mistakes rarely look like a person's. This bot makes the kinds of mistakes real players at your chosen rating make, and you will meet the same positions and errors in your own games.

Can I get a hint or take back a move?

Yes. On your turn, Hint shows the engine's best moves for the position until you move. Take back undoes your last move and the bot's reply. You can use both as often as you like.

Can I play from a particular position?

Yes. Paste a FEN into the start position box, or set the position up on the board editor and play from there. You can also right-click any move on the analysis board and choose Play from here.

Can I analyze the game afterwards?

Yes. When the game ends, Analyze puts it on the analysis board, where Stockfish shows where each side went wrong.