About this site
Published · Updated
Who runs it
chessplayonline.com is an independent site made and run by one person, who goes by TG. It is not a company product, there is no team behind it, and it is not affiliated with any chess federation or with the larger chess sites. TG builds a handful of small browser board-game sites, of which this is the chess one. TG is responsible for what appears here.
Why it exists
The aim is simple: a chess board that opens straight away, with no sign-up and no app to install, where you can play the computer at a level that suits you or get a random opponent online. Larger chess sites do much more, and our comparison of free chess sites says honestly when one of them will suit you better. This site is for the quick game, and for people learning the game who want plain explanations next to the board.
What you can do here
- Play the computer at Easy, Normal or Hard, as White or Black, with take-backs.
- Play a random opponent from the public online queue. Moves are checked on a server, and each turn has a ten-minute limit.
- Read the articles: the rules, openings, strategy, endgames, tactics, example games, history and a glossary.
The pieces are drawn in 3D with WebGL, with a flat 2D board as a fallback. The design sources and licences are on the board assets page.
How the articles are written
The articles are written for this site and are not copied from other sites. Every move sequence and diagram position was checked with a chess rules library before publication, and the endgame results were checked against a public endgame tablebase. Historical statements are kept to well-documented facts. If you find a mistake, please report it through the contact page; corrections are published with an updated date.
How the site is paid for
The site is free to use. It is intended to be supported by advertising served by Google AdSense. Ads are kept away from the board itself. What advertising may store in your browser is explained on the privacy page.
Contact
Corrections, bug reports and questions go to [email protected]. The contact page lists what to include.