ChessMess — Free chess with bots, a coach, game review and friends

Play chess free: 19 bots, a coach that explains every move, unlimited Stockfish 19 game reviews, and friend games by link, code or QR. No ads during games.

ChessMess is a free chess website. Play 19 bots from 250 to 3200 rating, get move-by-move coaching, solve 100,000 rated puzzles, take 57 interactive lessons, 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 paywall and no trial; a free account is optional.
Ads: small Google AdSense banners on some menu and reading pages, never on the game screen. Optional short reward videos unlock Coach for 24 hours, takebacks for the rest of a bot game, and premium boards or piece sets for 3 days; if no video is available, the feature unlocks anyway.
Supporters ($3 a month or $24 a year, one-time payments, nothing renews) see no ads or videos and get a crown badge and the Gilded theme. Tips and early name or handle changes are also optional.
Engine: Stockfish 19, running in the player's browser (WebAssembly), so game review and analysis are unlimited.
Bots: 19 in all: 18 characters (Pip 250 to Seraphine 2800) with styles (aggressive, solid, tricky, positional) and Stockfish at full strength (3200). Echo, an adaptive bot, is extra.
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.
Puzzles: 100,000 puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0) in 73 themes, with a Glicko-2 puzzle rating that follows the player's level, a daily puzzle, Sprint (3 or 5 minutes, three lives), Streak (one mistake ends it, one skip) and leaderboards. Free and unlimited, no account needed.
Learn: 57 interactive lessons written for ChessMess: a path in four stages (Learn to play, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) and a library of rules, openings, tactics, strategy, endgames and classic games. Steps include finding the move, quizzes, mini-games and playing positions out against Stockfish; every answer is checked with Stockfish. Free, and progress syncs to a free account.
Contact: support@chessmess.online. Terms: https://www.chessmess.online/terms. Privacy: https://www.chessmess.online/privacy.

Everything on ChessMess

Play a bot: 18 human-like bots from 250 to 2800 rating, an adaptive bot, and full Stockfish (3200)
Play with Coach: bot games with move-by-move feedback, hints, threats and takebacks; one short video unlocks Coach for 24 hours
Play a friend: private games by link, 6-digit code or QR code, no account needed
Play online: rated games from bullet to classical
Learn: 57 interactive lessons from first moves to advanced endgames, plus openings and classic games
Puzzles: 100,000 rated puzzles in 73 themes, a daily puzzle, Sprint, Streak and leaderboards
Analysis board: Stockfish 19 with up to five lines, PGN and FEN
Mistake trainer: practise the mistakes from your own reviewed games, with spaced repetition
Play like your opponent: a practice bot built from any Lichess or Chess.com player's public games
World Tour: a campaign through ten worlds, from 250 to full Stockfish
Stream with viewers: viewer queue with QR code and OBS overlay for streamers
Support ChessMess: optional one-time payments; supporters see no ads or videos

Guides

Getting started with ChessMess: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: How free ChessMess accounts work: email confirmation, your @handle and display name, friends, password resets, and what data we keep.
Learn chess: 57 free interactive lessons: A free path from how the pieces move to Lucena and Philidor, plus openings and classic games: find the move, quizzes, mini-games and play-outs against Stockfish.
Chess puzzles: rated, by theme, daily, Sprint and Streak: 100,000 free chess puzzles with a rating that follows your level, 73 themes, a daily puzzle, Sprint, Streak and leaderboards. Unlimited, no account needed.
Mistake trainer: practise the positions you got wrong: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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): Playing and learning stay free. Here's what ChessMess costs to run, where ads appear (never during games), and what supporters get, including no ads.
ChessMess 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: Unlimited game reviews, coaching while you play, bots of every level and play-with-friends links — all free on ChessMess, with no trial and no ads during games.
How to play chess with a friend online (no sign-up needed): 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: Meet the ChessMess bot ladder: 18 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: 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: 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: 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.
How to stop blundering in chess: a 5-question checklist: To blunder less, slow down and ask five questions before every move: what changed, what's loose, is my square safe, what stops being guarded, and what's their best reply.
A free chess website with no paywall: exactly what's free on ChessMess: ChessMess is free with no paywall, trial or sign-up: 19 bots, a coach, unlimited game reviews, 100,000 puzzles and 57 lessons. Every limit and ad is listed here.
What is a good chess rating? Ranges explained, site by site: A good chess rating is one that beats where you started. What ratings mean on FIDE, Lichess, Chess.com and ChessMess, the title thresholds, and a bot ladder to climb.
Chess piece values: how many points each piece is worth: Pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. What each chess piece is worth, when the numbers bend, what research found, and a free material calculator.
Blitz, rapid or classical: which time control should you play?: Blitz is 10 minutes or less per player, rapid is over 10 and under 60, classical is 60 or more. What each one trains, and how to choose one to improve.
How to analyse your own chess games, step by step: Analyse your own game before you ask an engine: write down what you were thinking, find the turning points, then check with Game Review and practise the mistakes.

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