chessGM · User guide
Learn chess with chessGM, from 0 to 2600+.
A free chess app, explained in plain words: what to do first, what to practise at your rating, and what every feature is for. Written with the chessGM team and checked against the app.
- 38 sections
- English
Find your rating band
Not sure where you are? Start at the band closest to your rating; the guide tells you when to move up.
0 to 400: the very beginning
Learn the rules, how every piece moves, check and checkmate, and win your first bot games.
400 to 800: first real games
Piece values, basic checkmates, forks, pins and the first simple opening plan.
800 to 1200: club beginner
Tactics first. Learn back-rank mates, discovered attacks, king and pawn endings and two opening lines.
1200 to 1600: improving player
Deeper openings, combinations, positional ideas, rook and queen endings and honest reviews.
1600 to 2000: strong club player
Positional play, calculation, rook endings, time management and a real repertoire.
2000 to 2400: expert to master
Deep preparation, opponent prep, endgame mastery, calculation and analysing with the engine.
2400 to 2600+: titled strength
Titled-player level: very deep preparation, opponent prep, endgame mastery, calculation, time and engine analysis.
Start here
Install, play a first game, tell chessGM your level, and learn the loop that every plan uses.
Install, sign in or play as a guest
Open chessGM in a minute: in the browser, as an installed app, as a guest or with an account.
Your first game
Press Play, choose a time, make a move. Then let the review teach you.
The level question
Tell chessGM how strong you are so bots, puzzles and courses start at the right level.
Settings basics
Language, coach voice, board and pieces, sound and notifications in five minutes.
How to improve: the chessGM loop
Play, review, fix your mistakes, learn one thing, repeat. The rhythm behind every plan in this guide.
Every feature, A to Z
What each part of chessGM does, how to use it and what it costs.
Account
Guest, sign-in options, your username, privacy and deleting your account.
Analysis board
A free board with a strong engine: set up positions, try moves, see the best lines and a rating for each move.
Beat the chess.com bots
A guide to each chess.com computer bot and a practice partner of the same strength on chessGM.
Bots
Computer opponents from beginner to master, with personalities and levels you can trust.
Challenges and friends
Play a friend by link, add friends, send messages and play on one phone.
Coach mode
Play with a spoken coach (our chess engine plus explanation rules, not a chatbot) that speaks after each move. Talk your moves if you like.
Courses and lessons
Step-by-step courses from "how the pieces move" to master-level calculation, with a rating for each.
Daily puzzle
One puzzle a day, the same for everyone. A streak of a minute that keeps your eye sharp.
Game Review
The computer walks you through every move: accuracy, labels with icons, key moments, the line and a deep review.
Learn hub
One place for lessons, openings, puzzles by theme and your games.
Notifications
Choose what may ping you: your move, challenges, messages and gentle reminders.
Offline use
Bots, puzzles, the analysis board and the guide work without internet once they are saved.
Opening explorer
See what players actually play in any position, with results, to choose your moves.
Opening lines trainer
Learn openings with explained moves, drill them with spaced repetition and never forget them.
Opponent prep
Learn how to defeat your opponent: a plan built from their recent games.
Play
Quick pairing, time controls, rated or casual, clocks, premoves, draws and takebacks.
Profile and ratings
Your public page, ratings per category (Glicko), puzzle and course ratings, and how to read them.
Puzzle Rush
Solve as many puzzles as you can. Three modes, three misses, and a leaderboard.
Puzzles
Rated puzzles, themes, hints, Next and Skip, and a queue of your mistakes.
Rewarded ads and free daily limits
chessGM is free. A few things have a daily free amount, and in the app an ad gives one more.
Settings
Board, pieces, coordinates, animation, move labels, sound, voice, language and your level.
Troubleshooting
Fix a stuck board, no sound, missing voices, a slow engine, a failed deep review and more.
Voice chat and calls
Talk with your opponent or a friend during a game.
Watch games
See live games in real time, highest rated first.
Using an AI assistant? Give it this guide.
chessGM is not affiliated with Chess.com, Lichess or Stockfish; they are named only to say what the app can read or compare with.
Want a game or a realtime app built this way?
We design, build and run games and realtime platforms end to end: apps, servers, stores and operations.