Online chess

You have recently approached the world of chess but you already feel that you cannot do without it anymore. Indeed, you would like to cultivate this passion even more and develop new techniques by challenging other players from all over the world. Well, if that’s the case, you can only turn to the Internet. In fact, there are now many online chess games that can be used directly from the browser, without installing any software on your computer: all you have to do is find the one that suits you best and start using it. How do you say? Not very familiar with online games and don’t know where to start? Well, no problem: if you want, I’ll help you.

Below you will find a selection, not very long but I hope equally satisfactory, of chess titles that can be used both from computers and portable devices. Yes, you read that right! You can carry your passion for chess always with you and resume your games at any time simply by taking your smartphone out of your pocket. The cost? Almost always zero, but for details about each service or app, I refer you to the information below.

The hardware requirements necessary for the games to work are very low, so you can have fun without any problem even if your PC is not very recent or if you have an inexpensive mobile device. As for multiplayer games, I will reveal one last gem: if you have friends who are passionate about chess among your Facebook contacts, in many cases, you can also play with them: you can find all the details below!

Index

• Free online chess
  • com
  • org
  • it
  • Other free online chess games
• Online chess app
  • Chess
  • Lichess
  • Other online chess apps

Free online chess

Let’s start this examination dedicated to free online chess games  (at least in their basic functions) with some titles that will help you become an increasingly strong and skilled chess player.

Chess.com

The first service I want to recommend is Chess.com : it is one of the most famous chess sites in the world, thanks to which it is possible to play directly online against thousands of users from all over the world (including Facebook friends  ) and it is available also in the form of an app for Android and iOS  (which I’ll tell you about in detail later ).

The service is free but paid subscriptions are available (starting from 5.49 euros / month) that allow you to eliminate the advertising of the site and unlock various extra features, such as resources for training and more advanced tournaments. More info here .

To create your free account on Chess.com , connect to the home page of the service and click on the Play Now button located in the center of it. Then decide whether to register on the site using your email address (by filling out the form that is proposed to you) or whether to log in via Facebook  or Google (using the appropriate button visible on the screen). Do not forget to visit the confirmation link that you will receive via email, otherwise some functions of the service will be blocked.

Once registered, you are ready to start playing. To do so, select the game time by clicking on one of the available options (e.g. 5 min , 10 min , etc.) and the type of game (e.g. 960 live , to play a game with the official rules but with the pieces arranged in random order; Third check , to make a game in which the one who manages to checkmate three times wins and so on). When you are ready, click on the orange Play button  , located on the right, to start your challenge.

If, on the other hand, you want to challenge another friend who is registered on Chess.com , select the Challenge a friend tab and search for the friend by his username or by his email address . If, on the other hand, you want to play against the computer, you can do so by clicking on the Challenge the computer item .

Lichess.org

Lichess.org is a free and open source chess game that can be used directly from the browser, on the computer, or through the app for Android  and iOS mobile  devices  (which I will talk about in detail  later ). It can also be used without registration and includes numerous learning tools to improve your playing techniques.

To play Lichess.org , connect to its home page and click on the Create a game button  to create a new “open” game (that is, other random challengers can enter). Alternatively, click the Play With Friend button  to create a game to invite your friends to, or the Play Against Computer button  if you want to start a single-player game against the computer. If you want, you can select one of the game tables listed in the center of the page and enter games opened by other users (you can choose between  timed and  correspondence games , using the tabs located at the top).

For each game you can decide the game variant you prefer (eg  Standard ,  Chess960 ,  Atomic ,  Horde , etc.), the  duration and the  color you want to use. Furthermore, by selecting the Tournaments item   from the Play menu   (top left), you can also try your hand at a tournament: there are many to choose from.

As mentioned above, it is not mandatory to register on the site to play Lichess.org . However, if the service is to your liking and you want to keep track of your scores, I advise you to create a free account: to do so, first click on the entry  Enter , located at the top right, and then on  Register .

I also invite you to consider making a donation to the site via PayPal: being it free and without advertising banners, it is supported only through donations. If you care that the service continues to work, support it concretely!

ChessFriends.it

Another portal that I invite you to consider to play chess online is ChessFriends.it , which is free and does not require registration in order to be used (although it is advisable to create an account to keep track of your score). Its interface is 90’s style, which makes it very special and fascinating for vintage enthusiasts.

Before describing how the site works, however, it is my duty to inform you that the page contains advertising banners that allow its development. They are not invasive, but in any case it is possible to remove them by subscribing to one of the Premium plans among those available, starting from € 6.95 / month, thanks to which it is possible to unlock all the functions of ChessFriends.it , such as access to everyone’s statistics the players, and support the project.

That said, to take advantage of ChessFriends.it , connected to its main page , click on the yellow button Play now and, in the box that opens, select the game modes you prefer to set up for your first game. Then put the mark on the square against the computer , if you intend to start a solo game against the computer, or on the square against the person , if you want to start a game against another “real” user.

Through the appropriate menus, then, indicate the game time by setting both the minimum and the  maximum and, as soon as you are ready to do so, click on the blue button Play! , to start the game.

If you intend to register on the site, know that you can do so by going to its main page, clicking on the Register button and registering with your email address.

Other free online chess games

Of course, there are many other free online chess games that deserve to be considered. Here are some that can definitely be right for you.

• com– this is a portal entirely dedicated to the game of chess, which can be used either by creating a free account or as a guest (in the latter case, however, your score is not tracked).
• it– is a site that collects many free games, including many titles related to the world of chess. All you have to do is find the one that’s right for you and start challenging other users or, if you prefer to play solo, the computer.
• com– is a portal similar to Giochi.it , which hosts titles of various genres, including some dedicated to the world of chess.

Online chess app

Do you prefer to play using online chess apps ? Well, then let me describe the operation of some of them which, in my opinion, are among the best available on the Google and Apple stores.

Chess

The first app I recommend you to try is Chess , which works almost identical to its web counterpart ( Chess.com ) which I told you about a few lines above. It is possible to download it for free on both  Android  and  iOS , even if, if desired, it is possible to subscribe to a paid membership which, starting from € 5.49, allows access to advanced tournaments and other extra resources.

After installing and starting Chess on your device, tap the Subscribe button at the bottom, write the username you want to use in the appropriate text field and then register with your email address . If you prefer, alternatively, you can also log in through your Facebook account or your Google account , by tapping on the appropriate buttons and entering the login information for the chosen account.

After registration, select the type of challenge you want to do (eg. Open Challenges , Play with a Friend , Sign Up for a Tournament , Play against the computer , etc.), define the details of the game and then tap the Play button or It begins .

Lichess

Another chess app that I recommend you try is Lichess . Also in this case, it is a free solution that allows you to challenge players from all over the world and also try your hand at solitary matches against the computer. which does not require registration. Its operation does not differ much from that of the online service of the same name that I told you about previously. The app is available for both  Android  and  iOS .

After installing and starting Lichess, tap the (≡) button , located at the top left, and select the game mode you like best: Create a game , Play with a friend , Play against the computer , Tournament , Training and so on. After selecting the type of game and selecting the various game settings available, press the button at the bottom of the box that appeared on the screen to start the match.

I remind you that, to monitor game progress and your score, you need to register for free. To create an account, just press the button (≡) at the top left, select the Enter item , press the Register item and register via your email address .

Other chess apps

If the apps I told you about in the previous lines weren’t to your liking, take a look at these other titles – I’m sure you’ll find some to your liking.

• Chess Chess Free( Android ) – is a very easy to use chess app for Android that allows you to start games against the computer or against real players from all over the world.
• Real Chess( Android / iOS ) – with this app you can play using fantastic three-dimensional chessboards with a very realistic look. With over 1 million users, it is possible to compete with players from various countries and with varying degrees of experience.
• Chess( iOS ) – is an application available exclusively for Apple devices, which allows you to start chess games by customizing the degree of difficulty (and more), based on your level of knowledge of the game.