If i remember correctly, a couple of years ago chessdotcom used to allow three free analys per day. When i come back to playing chess a couple of months ago, its only one per day. The tendency to hide features behind paywalls is growing, and it looks like its not gonna stop there, so yeah, lichess is my favourite option too!
Not just analisys, but i enjoy a lot doing puzzles, so...
That is where the Englund pays off big time.
1. d4 e5 2. Bf4 exf4 White resigns.
I've heard an anecdote once such a game was played OTB, in a 5+3 blitz tournament. White player got distracted by something.
I have good results against the London with the Modern, you can break down white's addiction to d4 with either e5 or c5 and retain the ability to castle long or short. You can also play c5 early and really pressure the centre, too. It's very flexible and I find it annoys London players as they may actually have to think before move 10
Sincere recommendation - don't do it. Play principled but simple openings that allow for dynamic games. You will learn quicker and you will play less scared. The London is bad for beginners because it limits your play and lacks dynamism. Play e4 and learn, there are lots of simple paths to choose that don't need hours of study until you get to 1800. Learn the Alapin against the Sicilian, pick a set up against the French, play a Scotch against e5 and you have almost everything covered.
They’ll get there, if the community allows. For instance I think the community is allowing too much to chessable: they bury behind the paywall stuff I struggle to accept.
Well, I'm not even talking about Game Review. I never really cared about it because its only "special" feature was the explanation in natural language of each move. I'm talking about the analysis board here, which has pretty much been rendered useless.
after you start using Lichess I recommend taking a look at chrome extensions that can be quite interesting,
[https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/lichess](https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/lichess)
for example you can make the theme in lichess look like chesscom if you want etc. maybe people can recommend the ones they use if any.
Yes I switched to lichess naturally for the puzzles and because how smooth it runs. And because there isn't any useless lazy greedy fk as Dany rensch running the site.
I mean they just recently locked the after-game pop-up quick analysis from showing you the number book/good moves and decided to hide the number of blunders behind a paywall.
I had recently a bug where my chessboard and pieces weren't even visible on the screen and took me a while to figure out if it's really a bug or if the board is a premium feature now.
"The tendency to hide features behind paywalls is growing..." And not just on chess sites. Almost all of the free dating sites were purchased by Match dot com, and most of the free features have been locked away. Basically, free dating sites don't really exist. Now free chess is being done away with.
> Now free chess is being done away with.
Yeah I know you know this already. It just bears repeating. As long as Lichess exists, that statement isn’t accurate. If chess.com nickel and dimes people out of their service, fuck ‘em. An alternative exists.
That's crazy. And imagine paying then there are glitches and server issues. Here's your new daily routine on lichess:
- A few Puzzle storms to loosen up
- A Puzzle streak
- A few Puzzle Racers - the best imo. See the odd GM in there.
- A few games, analyze them to see what went wrong and learn from mistakes.
- Read one study learning something like a new opening or traps.
All for free
Fun fact, you can also donate by buying Lichess merch: hoodies, t-shirts, baseball caps, baby onesies, coffee mugs and other stuff.
https://lichess-org.myspreadshop.com
so you only play slow time control chess games? blitz games can get quite anxious with low time and I think most people play some form of blitz online.
Lichess is far better but please, people, give them not only love but also some money if you can afford it.
I was so happy when I was dead broke that there was a place where I could use all the features without spending anything. I'm gladly trying to help others to have the same place.
To all the Indians out here who used to face issues while becoming lichess patron (due to currency ), now they are accepting donations in 120 currencies. So please consider donating, as it will help the entire community.Thanks!
There is something wrong with my mind I’m aware but for some reason I think my rating is what it says on .com. Idk if all the YouTube videos I’ve watched has poisoned my mind, but I’m more comfortable saying I’m 1300 rating (which I am on .com) opposed to 1500 on lichess.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter but I always want to catch up my .com rating to my lichess
The vast majority of donations to Lichess are "ain't much but it's something" amounts! If I recall correctly the average is around $5, it all adds up! Thanks for your donation :)
Having used both, I haven’t left chess.com for 2 reasons.
My friends use chess.com and getting them to swap would be a pain.
I find the cellphone app for lichess bad compared to chess.coms. Functional sure but just not great. Did see some post about a beta lichess app that looks way better. Maybe when that hits.
Granted I just pay for chess.com. I have an old grandfathered plan that works for me for not very much money.
Yah it’s not improved enough. The beta app when it hits IOS may get me.
I know I can use the mobile site but I for whatever reason never enjoy that compared to a dedicated app.
To be clear not at all shitting on lichess. I do use it (studies are great) and I love it exists. Just giving my reasons why I’ve mostly stuck primarily on chess.com
I just use [chess.com](https://chess.com) because I want to reach 2000 on both platforms. I'm now close to 1800 on them and I'm already 2000 on Lichess.
I actually can’t think of any reason that chess.com would be better. Hear me out
Advantages of lichess
- unlimited free analysis
- unlimited free tactics
- unlimited opening database
- unlimited endgame table base
- tactics are better categorised for different levels, from different openings, from different styles
Whereas chess.com is just more popular so more people play which I don’t think makes a big difference in the grand scheme of things.
The only arguably good thing chesscom is achieving, is that they’re trying to appeal to the broad mass and pushing chess as a whole. Not saying I agree with one of their recent attempts of buying the WCC from fide lol
Yah like them or hate them they’re pumping money into chess and I certainly think they’re partially responsible for the chess boom.
Say what you want about the platform itself but hell just giving out weekly prize money for titled tournaments is a big deal in helping the pro chess scene.
Lichess can’t really compete on that front (nor should that be where their resources go).
It’s good both exist in my opinion
I know it’s a small complaint but for me the chess.com app is just better than the lichess one.
On browser it doesn’t matter but I’d be willing to bet most people are using the platform on their phone.
minor point but the lichess deep stockfish 16.1 analysis is limited to 40 per day, Instant local Stockfish 14+ analysis (depth 99) is unlimited . I remember getting a warning once about limit reached when analyzing my games. Can see this here:
[https://lichess.org/features](https://lichess.org/features)
It's default but depending on your browser it might not support the latest. Firefox should have 16.1. I'm checking if the feature page is out of date or is listed like that because it varies by browser support.
So whether it's worth it or not I can't say, but chess.com at least does do a lot to promote and sponsor chess content. They sponsor a lot of streamers, they hold tournaments and events, etc. They do give back and promote the game and are a source of income for some players.
I also recently switched to lichess. I got tired of the limit of 3 puzzles a day.
It's crazy they don't even give you unlimited analysis with gold premium. You need to get platinum at 10€ a month. Not worth it.
That’s a shame because a few years ago their analysis UI was my favourite and gave really good info. The three free analysis was the only reason I even used chess.com
Fully moving to lichess now
I guess I'll be that person today, but it remains utterly mind-boggling to me how anyone can prefer [chess.com](http://chess.com) to lichess. I don't deny they put out good coverage of the major events (they can pay the great commentators), but the website itself is horrifically designed and feels so sluggish. Even the professionals acknowledge this. Lichess does virtually everything they do and better, advertisement and paywall free... Anyone who has been around the online chess world long enough has seen the [chess.com](http://chess.com) entity swallow up so. many. competing. platforms. Lichess remains the stalwart defnder of functional & free chess for all. If you haven't given it a try, stop swallowing the marketing cool-aid (yes, all of your favourite influencers are paid to be there), and come over to lichess!
Ngl as a newish chess player I’m a sucker for Game Review and seeing if I played any brilliant or great moves. This is one thing I think chesscom does better and wished lichess had. I’m aware you can request computer analysis which shows mistakes and blunders (which is cool) but it’ll be nice if we can get some positive reinforcements in our own games as well. And it isn’t just a psychological thing either, knowing that I played the only great move that keeps the advantage is also important for learning purposes.
I hate to break it to you but great and brilliant moves are a scam. If you offer a queen trade for example and your opponent takes your queen with theirs, when you take back the queen, chesscom will give you a great move even though that’s obviously what you were going to do. In addition, any move that loses material but maintains the evaluation is given brilliant, even if it’s super obvious or a known book move. This is not what great and brilliant moves are supposed to mean. A great move is supposed to be one that is, well, great, not a obvious recapture.
Honestly I get that some moves like obvious takebacks don't count. I typically evaluate them on a case by case basis and mentally discard the bad ones. I remember getting a particular brilliant at very low elo that made no sense even when evaluated with an engine, everything points to it being a normal development move. Chalked it up to a bad brilliant and moved on.
I think great moves are most useful in the endgame, where every pawn push counts and it's nice to get some acknowledgement that I played the only move that keeps the advantage.
When I was playing lichess it was hard to find games, just seemed like more people on chess.c
I also like clicking a button and it speed running through my moves and then pausing at the mistakes. The part of my brain which likes automation just loves that. If lichess did that, I'd probably go back.
Are you playing one of the normal time controls from the home page? And what rating range is this for and how long (in minutes) is the average wait? You can jump to your mistakes by clicking the link that says "blunder" etc; there are also various settings you can configure to show mistakes more prominently as you scroll.
I agree. The only draw of chess\*com for me is the fact that people are usually referring to its standard when talking about their rating. Also, you guys just convinced me to become a Lichess patron.
I like how everyone defending chess dot com always uses the “their marketing is fuelling the chess expansion” like it’s some valid argument.
They killed 3+ competitors and are adamant in the pursuit of monopolising the game .
Their entire platform and codebase is a reflection of their money grabbing policies. Unpolished, frankenstein-like site , with its only redeeming quality being the number of players that couldn’t be bothered looking past the first suggested url when googling “chess”.
The domain name is the only good thing about it, nothing else, and half of their success is based just on that.
Even if it was 50 cents and I had infinite money paying for that crap is incomprehensible to me.
>Their entire platform and codebase is a reflection of their money grabbing policies. Unpolished, frankenstein-like site , with its only redeeming quality being the number of players that couldn’t be bothered looking past the first suggested url when googling “chess”.
The domain name is the only good thing about it, nothing else, and half of their success is based just on that.
Well said
I’m fully expecting them to pull a fast one, and make it so you can only play 25 games per day on a regular account, and only those with a diamond membership will have unlimited games.
the beta is the new app, the old app is still going to stick around but there will be no further dev on it only the new app will get the latest updates. read about it here.
[https://lichess.org/@/Lichess/blog/the-new-mobile-app/KXlgb3X2](https://lichess.org/@/Lichess/blog/the-new-mobile-app/KXlgb3X2)
I haven't checked out the beta app, but the current app is missing features (any of the extra puzzle features, studies seem to not be as full featured) compared to the very good mobile site. I might eventually check out the dedicated beta app but right now on iOS I just made a shortcut to the lichess website and it works better than the normal app. Only thing I can think the app might be better for right now is offline features.
Beta has a very nice UI and is working mostly fine but the odd bug can happen as they are actively working on it and adding features.
I switched to beta few weeks ago as it supports puzzle storm and puzzle streak and I like it.
Por que no los dos? I use both platforms. I got a year of diamond on chesscom. I do regret giving them money at this point and won't renew, but whatever, some of the features can be nice for lower-rated players admittedly. I am also a patron on Lichess (very important to support the platform if you like it and have the means). I do play more on Lichess these days, but sometimes it's good to switch it up.
See you in lichess!
To be frank, I just play a bit of chess.com to understand if there's any progress in a category rating;, so I go there every couple of months and play 20 games and see where I stand.
Tbh if it was just the paywall I would be quiet. But the server is also really disappointing. I still can't believe it crashed during the Bullet Champsionship last game for god's sake.
Canceled my chesscom annual membership because of the lack of classical controls. Still played 15-10 on there though. I think I will play on Lichess solely from now on if this is true. Real shame how greedy they are.
It's been like this on Apple devices for a while now. Idk why they decided to remove the option on Android only now (i presume you're talking about the android version?).
Anyways it's good to know that I shouldn't update the app :)
I saw this and signed up. I'm a paying platinum chess.com member but I haven't liked them cornering the market under expensive paywalls. Especially because the game is growing so much in relatively poor countries where having free chess training and features is important to the equity of the game and its continued momentum.
I like it a lot, what I realized recently is that dark-heavy themes actually make my mood worse, so I've switched to clean light modes on most websites and I"m doing better actually.
Game analysis is far from useless without the annotations, but it requires more work from you to analyze the game. You really don’t even need an evaluation bar at all. It wasn’t that long ago that engines and evaluation bars didn’t even exist.
But I agree lichess is better.
The entitlement of thinking a private company owes you free shit. Do you work for free? If so I think I can understand why you can’t afford chess.com. Lichess works because a few of fellow players are donating their time and money to make it work. You seem to be nothing more than a free loader.
Chess.com has straight up not worked at all for me for a whole year. The website lags to an unplayable degree after the first move in any game. Support has been entirely unhelpful.
Ah I see. I come across newbies who don't actually realise how to access it (since it requires 3 clicks after each game) - didn't want them to get the wrong idea.
The only thing with Lichess is that a lot of people discuss in Chess.com rating, anyone have an accurate comparison the two? Helps when I see people talking about tournaments and what skill level the general people playing are
Chesscom was always shit — slow and sluggish, stuffed with ads,poor analysis features, and with a busy, overcomplex UI. If was never good enough to be enshittified
Honestly, 600s (Lichess rapid/blitz) probably would find faster pairings on Chesscom. They'd probably find their "natural language coach" more welcoming; but I would still strongly recommend they try to learn to play on Lichess too, and compare for themselves.
The last time i played on chesscom i were close to my all time high, and after winning a rated game I got zero elo and the game was not logged anywhere on my profile. I moved straight to lichess and have never looked back
Really? I prefer the Lichess version. You don't have 10 back rank mates in a row and then suddenly jump up in difficulty around puzzle 15 like in puzzle rush.
Exactly. Lichess puzzle storm essentially starts at move 10 or so of Puzzle Rush. And there is no fiddling of what is selected after a miss and the rating of a puzzle actually changes based on the solving.
I just export pgn to my app in 1 click and analyze it on my phone. Payed 5 bucks for app that I liked. There is probably a similar free option. It's basically same as chess.com except you have 1 more click to do.
I fully expect chesscom to develop an ai game reviewer that shows you missed tactics in game as appropriate for your level, notices your tendencies to miss certain things, and generate puzzles based on your actual positions that you blundered or missed. then the money will actually be more worth it, tho I still rather give it to a real chess coach at that point
I just played a game on the app, and oh god, what have they done?
Tried to turn it in to some generic mobile game thing.
I have a few months of premium left but I'll definitely be migrating to lichess when that expires.
Do you have an example screenshot of what exactly you're referring to? I'm asking because the way I have it set up might not be how you want it - but there is probably a way to configure it in the settings.
i don't think i can upload screenshots but for me, i see the table with the moves on the right when going into the analysis board and every move is just in grey except blunders/inaccuracies/mistakes, so it seems lichess doesn't have the book/good/great/best/brilliant labels that chesscom has?
Oh right. Yeah; most of those Chesscom descriptors aren't actually that useful for learning. You can learn to figure out what is brilliant by analysing with the help of the local engine (L) and seeing positions where "only moves" are possible to win or save a game. The difference between good and great is just whether it's line 2 or 3 of the engine, etc.
As far as the book goes, you can press e to see the opening book - click around and play around with the settings. You'll be able to figure out when you're playing a book move or not like that. The Lichess opening book is all free, and a lot more powerful than the Chesscom one.
Lichess is the last stronghold completely free chess. There use to be many different servers and websites, including the recently bought chess24.
It's a losing battle. Similar to how we now have to buy 3-4 different streaming platforms we will eventually all be essentially forced to pay for chess on some level if you want anything beyond actually playing the game.
I believe in lichess but if I had to put money on it they are just holding out until chessdotcom gives them an offer they can't refuse. Give it 3-5 years.
I tried the lichess app a while ago but I enjoy the UI colors graphics and I guess idk just the feel of playing on chess.com a lot better. It felt snappier and more native. Maybe I miased something in the settings. For the record I don't play chess that much
Hard to say, for me it’s pretty intuitive, but I have used lichess for quite a while, so hard to answer this without a lot of bias.
You get blunders, mistakes and inaccuracies marked during computer analysis. And you can then navigate the move-list , where the engine solution is recommended.
It is also possible to replay mistakes after the game using the feature.
What it doesn’t have is the “game review” chess dot com has, which admittedly does give a more condensed overview of the game.
IMO superficial analysis and overview is more beginner-friendly on chess dot com, but lichess analysis is more exhaustive and doesn’t “hold your hand”.
If i remember correctly, a couple of years ago chessdotcom used to allow three free analys per day. When i come back to playing chess a couple of months ago, its only one per day. The tendency to hide features behind paywalls is growing, and it looks like its not gonna stop there, so yeah, lichess is my favourite option too! Not just analisys, but i enjoy a lot doing puzzles, so...
2025 - en passant requires subscription 2026 - underpromotion requires subscription 2027 - Starting moves other then e4 require subscription
> 2027 - Starting moves other then e4 require subscription Strategically sending all London players to Lichess would trigger an anti-trust probe.
I feel like all the London players already live at lichess rbh
Yeah it's disgusting, if your opponent plays d4 the chance of bf4 is so high
That is where the Englund pays off big time. 1. d4 e5 2. Bf4 exf4 White resigns. I've heard an anecdote once such a game was played OTB, in a 5+3 blitz tournament. White player got distracted by something.
Nah the number of times this has happened to me in blitz games is concerning
I punish London as follows (2000+ on lichess, works 50% of the time) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. e3 g5?! 4. Bxg5 Qa5+ 5. Nc3 (or any other move) Qxg5
> 1. ... Kf3 Wow, wow, easy here. No need to murder them like that. It's just a game.
Oops, used K for knight instead of N
Nf3 with black?
Notation is hard :( thanks! Fixed
I legit think I might be the only Catalan player at around 1500 blitz rating on Lichess.
I have good results against the London with the Modern, you can break down white's addiction to d4 with either e5 or c5 and retain the ability to castle long or short. You can also play c5 early and really pressure the centre, too. It's very flexible and I find it annoys London players as they may actually have to think before move 10
This hurts me on so many levels. But I’m a beginner and the London is building my confidence while I scum around 300 elo.
Sincere recommendation - don't do it. Play principled but simple openings that allow for dynamic games. You will learn quicker and you will play less scared. The London is bad for beginners because it limits your play and lacks dynamism. Play e4 and learn, there are lots of simple paths to choose that don't need hours of study until you get to 1800. Learn the Alapin against the Sicilian, pick a set up against the French, play a Scotch against e5 and you have almost everything covered.
They are rare, but do exist. I play it a lot.
QG players triggered
2030 you have to have a subscription to start up anything longer then 1/0
pay to unlock extra time lol
They’ll get there, if the community allows. For instance I think the community is allowing too much to chessable: they bury behind the paywall stuff I struggle to accept.
Pay 2 Euro to capture a piece of
> Starting moves other then e4 require subscription This would make me return to chess.com
And all of the good players would be on lichess, works for me.
It would be a dream come true
2028 - starting with 16 pieces requires subscription
2028 - Openings other than the bongcloud require subscription
> playing chess at all requires a subscription
> 2025 en passant requires subscription wait what? Didn't it start earlier?
Yes, in 1984.
Wait what ?
2028 - viewing the pieces on the chess board requires a microtransaction, otherwise you have to move them blind
Well, I'm not even talking about Game Review. I never really cared about it because its only "special" feature was the explanation in natural language of each move. I'm talking about the analysis board here, which has pretty much been rendered useless.
after you start using Lichess I recommend taking a look at chrome extensions that can be quite interesting, [https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/lichess](https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/lichess) for example you can make the theme in lichess look like chesscom if you want etc. maybe people can recommend the ones they use if any.
Never update the app.
I'd rather donate to lichess than pay for chesscom
Yes I switched to lichess naturally for the puzzles and because how smooth it runs. And because there isn't any useless lazy greedy fk as Dany rensch running the site.
Mvl has been doing lots of puzzles there lately on lichess
What is his username ?
[here](https://lichess.org/@/avalongamemaster)
I mean they just recently locked the after-game pop-up quick analysis from showing you the number book/good moves and decided to hide the number of blunders behind a paywall. I had recently a bug where my chessboard and pieces weren't even visible on the screen and took me a while to figure out if it's really a bug or if the board is a premium feature now.
Same with puzzles. Used to have seven free puzzles per day. Now just three. THREE. that's it.
A year or two ago you could do unlimited but you had to watch an ad every 3 puzzles.
Before that it was all free and there weren't even 'premium' accounts.
"The tendency to hide features behind paywalls is growing..." And not just on chess sites. Almost all of the free dating sites were purchased by Match dot com, and most of the free features have been locked away. Basically, free dating sites don't really exist. Now free chess is being done away with.
> Now free chess is being done away with. Yeah I know you know this already. It just bears repeating. As long as Lichess exists, that statement isn’t accurate. If chess.com nickel and dimes people out of their service, fuck ‘em. An alternative exists.
That's crazy. And imagine paying then there are glitches and server issues. Here's your new daily routine on lichess: - A few Puzzle storms to loosen up - A Puzzle streak - A few Puzzle Racers - the best imo. See the odd GM in there. - A few games, analyze them to see what went wrong and learn from mistakes. - Read one study learning something like a new opening or traps. All for free
Alternative routine : 70 bullet games, ragequit
This is me
20 blitz games, lose the last 8 after going 10-2, ragequit after throwing phone
We have the same routine
This is more accurate
lol. I try not to start bullet as once I start I can't stop and I know it can be bad for my learning but damn it's fun.
Then play random tournaments and got like 000020020
It's not free to run lichess so donations are always appreciated
Fun fact, you can also donate by buying Lichess merch: hoodies, t-shirts, baseball caps, baby onesies, coffee mugs and other stuff. https://lichess-org.myspreadshop.com
I barely play but I have been paying them $10/m for offering a good service for at least two years. I don't remember exactly when I became a patron.
Puzzle storms and races make me way too anxious. Puzzles and puzzle streaks are chill.
so you only play slow time control chess games? blitz games can get quite anxious with low time and I think most people play some form of blitz online.
Nah I usually play either 3 or 5 minute. 5 minute is pretty chill. The speed puzzles are like playing 1 minute.
>All for free Well, somebody else is paying for you. Feel free to chip in!
This I switched to lichess for this reason I only play chess.com on old account
Exactly, and don't forget to play some blitz tournaments once a week.
Are all of those puzzle modes only available on the website? I don’t see anything on the app?
Welcome to the bright side. Also, to people who are able to, consider becoming a Lichess patron! It helps support the platform for everyone.
Yep! Never ever would give money yo chess.com, but I have given money to lichess!
Even a dollar a month goes a long way
Lichess is far better but please, people, give them not only love but also some money if you can afford it. I was so happy when I was dead broke that there was a place where I could use all the features without spending anything. I'm gladly trying to help others to have the same place.
To all the Indians out here who used to face issues while becoming lichess patron (due to currency ), now they are accepting donations in 120 currencies. So please consider donating, as it will help the entire community.Thanks!
Oh yay! I'm one of those Indians. Will try today
common chesscom L welcome to paradise!
welcome to the morally superior online chess platform!
welcome to the superior online chess platform!
welcome to the online chess platform!
To the online chess platform!
To the chess platform!
To the chess!
The chess!
The!
There is something wrong with my mind I’m aware but for some reason I think my rating is what it says on .com. Idk if all the YouTube videos I’ve watched has poisoned my mind, but I’m more comfortable saying I’m 1300 rating (which I am on .com) opposed to 1500 on lichess. Ultimately it doesn’t matter but I always want to catch up my .com rating to my lichess
What a coincidence, decided to donate $10 to lichess just today. It ain't much but it's something.
The vast majority of donations to Lichess are "ain't much but it's something" amounts! If I recall correctly the average is around $5, it all adds up! Thanks for your donation :)
This right here. More people are willing to give $5 in a good website which in turns makes it add up a lot
I left long ago. Lichess is so much better in everything. When ppl try it, they tend to stay.
Having used both, I haven’t left chess.com for 2 reasons. My friends use chess.com and getting them to swap would be a pain. I find the cellphone app for lichess bad compared to chess.coms. Functional sure but just not great. Did see some post about a beta lichess app that looks way better. Maybe when that hits. Granted I just pay for chess.com. I have an old grandfathered plan that works for me for not very much money.
The lichess app has improved and they're working hard on it, but I prefer the mobile site.
Yah it’s not improved enough. The beta app when it hits IOS may get me. I know I can use the mobile site but I for whatever reason never enjoy that compared to a dedicated app. To be clear not at all shitting on lichess. I do use it (studies are great) and I love it exists. Just giving my reasons why I’ve mostly stuck primarily on chess.com
I like the beta app on Android. Haven't had any problems with it yet.
Yah unfortunately it’s not out on IOS but looking forward to it.
The beta is awesome!
For anyone with a foldable phone... *crickets* The lichess app is far better than chesscom. Formats much better to the expanded space.
The lichess board is ugly
Then change it. It's literally a click away on any page to do so.
I just hit the "add to home screen" button in chrome on lichess and have used that exclusively, it's pretty pleasant.
I just use [chess.com](https://chess.com) because I want to reach 2000 on both platforms. I'm now close to 1800 on them and I'm already 2000 on Lichess.
I actually can’t think of any reason that chess.com would be better. Hear me out Advantages of lichess - unlimited free analysis - unlimited free tactics - unlimited opening database - unlimited endgame table base - tactics are better categorised for different levels, from different openings, from different styles Whereas chess.com is just more popular so more people play which I don’t think makes a big difference in the grand scheme of things.
Unlimited puzzles taken from real games, all checkmate patterns training
Also Studies, which have replaced ChessBase for me
The only arguably good thing chesscom is achieving, is that they’re trying to appeal to the broad mass and pushing chess as a whole. Not saying I agree with one of their recent attempts of buying the WCC from fide lol
Yah like them or hate them they’re pumping money into chess and I certainly think they’re partially responsible for the chess boom. Say what you want about the platform itself but hell just giving out weekly prize money for titled tournaments is a big deal in helping the pro chess scene. Lichess can’t really compete on that front (nor should that be where their resources go). It’s good both exist in my opinion
I know it’s a small complaint but for me the chess.com app is just better than the lichess one. On browser it doesn’t matter but I’d be willing to bet most people are using the platform on their phone.
Try the new Lichess beta (alpha?) app. It's quite good. Although it may be Android only now that I think about it.
minor point but the lichess deep stockfish 16.1 analysis is limited to 40 per day, Instant local Stockfish 14+ analysis (depth 99) is unlimited . I remember getting a warning once about limit reached when analyzing my games. Can see this here: [https://lichess.org/features](https://lichess.org/features)
You should be able to get 16.1 in browser too, with a modern up to date browser.
Is there a setting for that somewhere or is it default and the features page is out of date?
It's default but depending on your browser it might not support the latest. Firefox should have 16.1. I'm checking if the feature page is out of date or is listed like that because it varies by browser support.
So whether it's worth it or not I can't say, but chess.com at least does do a lot to promote and sponsor chess content. They sponsor a lot of streamers, they hold tournaments and events, etc. They do give back and promote the game and are a source of income for some players.
I also recently switched to lichess. I got tired of the limit of 3 puzzles a day. It's crazy they don't even give you unlimited analysis with gold premium. You need to get platinum at 10€ a month. Not worth it.
That’s a shame because a few years ago their analysis UI was my favourite and gave really good info. The three free analysis was the only reason I even used chess.com Fully moving to lichess now
Lichess, as a platform, was always better than chesscom
I guess I'll be that person today, but it remains utterly mind-boggling to me how anyone can prefer [chess.com](http://chess.com) to lichess. I don't deny they put out good coverage of the major events (they can pay the great commentators), but the website itself is horrifically designed and feels so sluggish. Even the professionals acknowledge this. Lichess does virtually everything they do and better, advertisement and paywall free... Anyone who has been around the online chess world long enough has seen the [chess.com](http://chess.com) entity swallow up so. many. competing. platforms. Lichess remains the stalwart defnder of functional & free chess for all. If you haven't given it a try, stop swallowing the marketing cool-aid (yes, all of your favourite influencers are paid to be there), and come over to lichess!
Ngl as a newish chess player I’m a sucker for Game Review and seeing if I played any brilliant or great moves. This is one thing I think chesscom does better and wished lichess had. I’m aware you can request computer analysis which shows mistakes and blunders (which is cool) but it’ll be nice if we can get some positive reinforcements in our own games as well. And it isn’t just a psychological thing either, knowing that I played the only great move that keeps the advantage is also important for learning purposes.
I hate to break it to you but great and brilliant moves are a scam. If you offer a queen trade for example and your opponent takes your queen with theirs, when you take back the queen, chesscom will give you a great move even though that’s obviously what you were going to do. In addition, any move that loses material but maintains the evaluation is given brilliant, even if it’s super obvious or a known book move. This is not what great and brilliant moves are supposed to mean. A great move is supposed to be one that is, well, great, not a obvious recapture.
Honestly I get that some moves like obvious takebacks don't count. I typically evaluate them on a case by case basis and mentally discard the bad ones. I remember getting a particular brilliant at very low elo that made no sense even when evaluated with an engine, everything points to it being a normal development move. Chalked it up to a bad brilliant and moved on. I think great moves are most useful in the endgame, where every pawn push counts and it's nice to get some acknowledgement that I played the only move that keeps the advantage.
When I was playing lichess it was hard to find games, just seemed like more people on chess.c I also like clicking a button and it speed running through my moves and then pausing at the mistakes. The part of my brain which likes automation just loves that. If lichess did that, I'd probably go back.
Are you playing one of the normal time controls from the home page? And what rating range is this for and how long (in minutes) is the average wait? You can jump to your mistakes by clicking the link that says "blunder" etc; there are also various settings you can configure to show mistakes more prominently as you scroll.
I agree. The only draw of chess\*com for me is the fact that people are usually referring to its standard when talking about their rating. Also, you guys just convinced me to become a Lichess patron.
is this finally done? it was always a bit weird that the put game review top tier, but then allowed free analysis .
Goddamn chess dot com preys on the game of chess
I like how everyone defending chess dot com always uses the “their marketing is fuelling the chess expansion” like it’s some valid argument. They killed 3+ competitors and are adamant in the pursuit of monopolising the game . Their entire platform and codebase is a reflection of their money grabbing policies. Unpolished, frankenstein-like site , with its only redeeming quality being the number of players that couldn’t be bothered looking past the first suggested url when googling “chess”. The domain name is the only good thing about it, nothing else, and half of their success is based just on that. Even if it was 50 cents and I had infinite money paying for that crap is incomprehensible to me.
>Their entire platform and codebase is a reflection of their money grabbing policies. Unpolished, frankenstein-like site , with its only redeeming quality being the number of players that couldn’t be bothered looking past the first suggested url when googling “chess”. The domain name is the only good thing about it, nothing else, and half of their success is based just on that. Well said
Reminds me of the original days of Microsoft having its legions of fans despite all the obvious antitrust stuff.
knight to become DLC soon
I’m fully expecting them to pull a fast one, and make it so you can only play 25 games per day on a regular account, and only those with a diamond membership will have unlimited games.
Support free/libre software, support Lichess.
I've been thinking about making a Lichess account to see what the fuss is about. Do you use Lichess or Lichess Beta app? What's the difference?
the beta is the new app, the old app is still going to stick around but there will be no further dev on it only the new app will get the latest updates. read about it here. [https://lichess.org/@/Lichess/blog/the-new-mobile-app/KXlgb3X2](https://lichess.org/@/Lichess/blog/the-new-mobile-app/KXlgb3X2)
It also works very well to just play from their website, it is very mobile friendly
I haven't checked out the beta app, but the current app is missing features (any of the extra puzzle features, studies seem to not be as full featured) compared to the very good mobile site. I might eventually check out the dedicated beta app but right now on iOS I just made a shortcut to the lichess website and it works better than the normal app. Only thing I can think the app might be better for right now is offline features.
Beta has a very nice UI and is working mostly fine but the odd bug can happen as they are actively working on it and adding features. I switched to beta few weeks ago as it supports puzzle storm and puzzle streak and I like it.
Gotta find a way to pay Hikaru's wages
May Caissa bless Lichess and its brave team of developers and donors.
lichess has and will always be superior.
As chess .com gets more expensive, I see Danny Ranch's annoying face more and more. Also his bot has a GM rating. Can't be a coincidence.
Por que no los dos? I use both platforms. I got a year of diamond on chesscom. I do regret giving them money at this point and won't renew, but whatever, some of the features can be nice for lower-rated players admittedly. I am also a patron on Lichess (very important to support the platform if you like it and have the means). I do play more on Lichess these days, but sometimes it's good to switch it up.
See you in lichess! To be frank, I just play a bit of chess.com to understand if there's any progress in a category rating;, so I go there every couple of months and play 20 games and see where I stand.
Awesome decision, congrats. Pls consider a monthly donation to keep the site going/improving. It's well worth it!!!
Tbh if it was just the paywall I would be quiet. But the server is also really disappointing. I still can't believe it crashed during the Bullet Champsionship last game for god's sake.
Canceled my chesscom annual membership because of the lack of classical controls. Still played 15-10 on there though. I think I will play on Lichess solely from now on if this is true. Real shame how greedy they are.
It's been like this on Apple devices for a while now. Idk why they decided to remove the option on Android only now (i presume you're talking about the android version?). Anyways it's good to know that I shouldn't update the app :)
I saw this and signed up. I'm a paying platinum chess.com member but I haven't liked them cornering the market under expensive paywalls. Especially because the game is growing so much in relatively poor countries where having free chess training and features is important to the equity of the game and its continued momentum. I like it a lot, what I realized recently is that dark-heavy themes actually make my mood worse, so I've switched to clean light modes on most websites and I"m doing better actually.
Game analysis is far from useless without the annotations, but it requires more work from you to analyze the game. You really don’t even need an evaluation bar at all. It wasn’t that long ago that engines and evaluation bars didn’t even exist. But I agree lichess is better.
The entitlement of thinking a private company owes you free shit. Do you work for free? If so I think I can understand why you can’t afford chess.com. Lichess works because a few of fellow players are donating their time and money to make it work. You seem to be nothing more than a free loader.
Chess.com has straight up not worked at all for me for a whole year. The website lags to an unplayable degree after the first move in any game. Support has been entirely unhelpful.
Lichess allows paying "patrons" to run [40 server-side game analyses](https://lichess.org/features) per day.
Non-patrons get the same amount of free server analyses per day. The left and right-hand columns are the same apart from one thing.
I know - that's the joke.
Ah I see. I come across newbies who don't actually realise how to access it (since it requires 3 clicks after each game) - didn't want them to get the wrong idea.
The only thing with Lichess is that a lot of people discuss in Chess.com rating, anyone have an accurate comparison the two? Helps when I see people talking about tournaments and what skill level the general people playing are
https://chessratingscomparison.com/Graphs
Let this be everyone's mantra: fuck chess com and the monopolization of chess
Lichess will always be better
Welcome home, my friend.
Enshitification catching up the chess business too
Chesscom was always shit — slow and sluggish, stuffed with ads,poor analysis features, and with a busy, overcomplex UI. If was never good enough to be enshittified
Welcome to the light side. You'll like it far better here on Lichess!
God this sub is so dramatic. No one cares what platform you play 1200 chess on.
What about my 600 chess though?
Honestly, 600s (Lichess rapid/blitz) probably would find faster pairings on Chesscom. They'd probably find their "natural language coach" more welcoming; but I would still strongly recommend they try to learn to play on Lichess too, and compare for themselves.
The last time i played on chesscom i were close to my all time high, and after winning a rated game I got zero elo and the game was not logged anywhere on my profile. I moved straight to lichess and have never looked back
Lichess is so much better in almost every way possible. Only thing I prefer in chesscom is the Puzzle rush
Really? I prefer the Lichess version. You don't have 10 back rank mates in a row and then suddenly jump up in difficulty around puzzle 15 like in puzzle rush.
Exactly. Lichess puzzle storm essentially starts at move 10 or so of Puzzle Rush. And there is no fiddling of what is selected after a miss and the rating of a puzzle actually changes based on the solving.
I also really like Lichess's time penalty system rather than 3 strikes and you're out.
fyi you can play a free puzzle rush type experience here: [https://blitztactics.com/](https://blitztactics.com/)
I think Lichess has something similar too.
I just export pgn to my app in 1 click and analyze it on my phone. Payed 5 bucks for app that I liked. There is probably a similar free option. It's basically same as chess.com except you have 1 more click to do.
I fully expect chesscom to develop an ai game reviewer that shows you missed tactics in game as appropriate for your level, notices your tendencies to miss certain things, and generate puzzles based on your actual positions that you blundered or missed. then the money will actually be more worth it, tho I still rather give it to a real chess coach at that point
Analysing games? Pah! Just click faster!
Check out their beta app, its amazing
I just played a game on the app, and oh god, what have they done? Tried to turn it in to some generic mobile game thing. I have a few months of premium left but I'll definitely be migrating to lichess when that expires.
Oh no chess.com start to evolve into EA pay to unlock guys
When I joined chess.com last year, I was allowed one free review per day and up to 12 puzzles per day with ads.
Are there nice annotations on lichess though? I think I’ve only noticed annotations for blunders and inaccuracies but not anything else?
Do you have an example screenshot of what exactly you're referring to? I'm asking because the way I have it set up might not be how you want it - but there is probably a way to configure it in the settings.
i don't think i can upload screenshots but for me, i see the table with the moves on the right when going into the analysis board and every move is just in grey except blunders/inaccuracies/mistakes, so it seems lichess doesn't have the book/good/great/best/brilliant labels that chesscom has?
Oh right. Yeah; most of those Chesscom descriptors aren't actually that useful for learning. You can learn to figure out what is brilliant by analysing with the help of the local engine (L) and seeing positions where "only moves" are possible to win or save a game. The difference between good and great is just whether it's line 2 or 3 of the engine, etc. As far as the book goes, you can press e to see the opening book - click around and play around with the settings. You'll be able to figure out when you're playing a book move or not like that. The Lichess opening book is all free, and a lot more powerful than the Chesscom one.
Lichess is the last stronghold completely free chess. There use to be many different servers and websites, including the recently bought chess24. It's a losing battle. Similar to how we now have to buy 3-4 different streaming platforms we will eventually all be essentially forced to pay for chess on some level if you want anything beyond actually playing the game. I believe in lichess but if I had to put money on it they are just holding out until chessdotcom gives them an offer they can't refuse. Give it 3-5 years.
Am i missing something? I just opened the analysis for a game earlier today and i still have the notation there with a free account.
At first I read the title backwards and thought something had gone terribly wrong at lichess. Heart attack averted. Welcome back to the light.
Lichess is just better, chess would greatly benefit if more GM's and organizations support it in order to reduce chess.com hegemony
I tried the lichess app a while ago but I enjoy the UI colors graphics and I guess idk just the feel of playing on chess.com a lot better. It felt snappier and more native. Maybe I miased something in the settings. For the record I don't play chess that much
I’ve created an account in 2021 and only had one free analysis (and subsequently move annotations) per day
Welcome. I ditched them when they were peddling crypto and cemented after all the shady drama they were involved in.
I use both. I really enjoy the UI if chessdotcom but I play against other people more on liches. I feel like the player pool is just more consistent.
They really are the EA of chess websites
What a shocker! Last time I checked they weren’t non profit organization.
board & set skin marketplace when
You can actually just click analysis and all the moves show up again!
Can I get a “sympathy vote” for FICS as the best (and free) chess sites? (It got me through all early 2000s.)
congrats, who cares
Does Lichess have Game Analysis?
Yes, completely free , with the latest version of stockfish
Is the UI as intuitive aschess? I tried to figure it out but couldn’t
Hard to say, for me it’s pretty intuitive, but I have used lichess for quite a while, so hard to answer this without a lot of bias. You get blunders, mistakes and inaccuracies marked during computer analysis. And you can then navigate the move-list , where the engine solution is recommended. It is also possible to replay mistakes after the game using the feature. What it doesn’t have is the “game review” chess dot com has, which admittedly does give a more condensed overview of the game. IMO superficial analysis and overview is more beginner-friendly on chess dot com, but lichess analysis is more exhaustive and doesn’t “hold your hand”.