lichess.org • Free Online Chess
Free online chess server. Play chess in a clean interface. No registration, no ads, no plugin required. Play chess with the computer, friends or random opponents.
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Lichess.org is a free, open-source online chess server that allows players of all levels to play, learn, and analyze chess games without ads, registration requirements, or paywalls.
🚀 Overview
Lichess.org is a popular, non-profit chess platform that provides a completely free experience for playing chess online. Launched in 2010 by Thibault Duplessis, it has grown to host over five million games daily, making it one of the world's top chess websites. Unlike commercial alternatives, Lichess remains ad-free and fully featured for everyone, funded entirely by donations and powered by volunteers.
This project solves the problem of accessible, high-quality online chess by offering realtime multiplayer games, computer analysis, puzzles, tournaments, and educational tools without any monetization barriers. It's built for chess enthusiasts worldwide—from casual players and beginners learning the basics to grandmasters competing in titled arenas. The motivation is pure passion for chess and open-source principles, ensuring the game remains libre and available to all.
✨ Key Features
- Realtime multiplayer chess with friends, random opponents, or AI, supporting variants like Chess960, Crazyhouse, and Antichess
- In-depth game analysis using Stockfish engine, opening explorer with millions of master games, and shared studies for collaboration
- Training tools including puzzles (Storm, Racer modes), tactics trainer, basics/coordinate drills, and video library
- Tournaments, simultaneous exhibitions (simuls), teams, forums, Lichess TV for live broadcasts, and mobile apps
- Optional: Upcoming features via active development, like enhanced AI clusters and events
🛠 Tech Stack
- Frontend: TypeScript, SCSS, snabbdom (virtual DOM)
- Backend: Scala 3, Play 2.8 framework, scalatags (templating), Akka streams
- Database: MongoDB (games), Redis (WebSockets), Elasticsearch (search)
- Auth: Custom (anonymous play supported)
- Hosting: Self-hosted with nginx proxy, distributed Stockfish via Fishnet
👥 Who Is This For?
This project is useful for:
- Chess players who want to play live or correspondence games for free
- Learners looking for puzzles, analysis, and training tools
- Organizers building tournaments, teams, and community events
📸 Screenshots / Demo
- Live demo: https://lichess.org
- GitHub: https://github.com/lichess-org/lila
🔥 Project Status
- 🟢 Actively building
Last updated: 2026-03-24
❓ FAQ
Is this project free?
Yes — 100% free and adless, no paywalls or data selling. Funded by donations.
Is the source code available?
Yes — https://github.com/lichess-org/lila and https://lichess.org/source
Can I contribute?
Yes — report issues or submit PRs on GitHub, translate via Crowdin, join Discord for dev support, or donate as patron.
📬 Contact & Links
- Website: https://lichess.org
- GitHub: https://github.com/lichess-org/lila
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lichess
- Email: contact@lichess.org
Built with ❤️ and kept warm on WarmIndex.
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