Chess Duel Play free chess vs computer rivals, from beginner to master
Play chess against four computer rivals with their own styles, from eager beginner Pip to Maestra Ilse, plus a fresh puzzle every day.
About Chess Duel
Chess Duel is free online chess against the computer that you can play in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to download and no sign-up: the first game starts straight away against Pip, a friendly beginner, and the board remembers your game if you leave in the middle of it. Every rival you beat unlocks the next one, so the game grows with you from your first checkmate to a real fight.
There are four rivals, and each one plays in a style of its own rather than just getting deeper. Pip is eager and loves to bring the queen out early, and it leaves pieces hanging now and then, which makes it the perfect first opponent. Hazel plays solid, sensible chess and likes to trade pieces when she is ahead, but she misses deeper tactics. Corvin is a patient club player who hoards pawns, plays slow positional chess and rarely blunders. Maestra Ilse is sharp and calculating and makes no deliberate mistakes at all. All four run on our own chess engine, which thinks on a background thread so the board never freezes, and every rival takes a calm moment before answering.
Moving is simple. Tap a piece to see its legal squares as dots, with rings on the squares where you can capture, then tap where you want it to go. You can also drag pieces. When a pawn reaches the last rank, four big buttons let you choose the new piece, or turn on auto-queen in the menu. The eval bar above the board slides toward whoever is winning, so you always have a feel for the game. Stuck? A hint draws an arrow for the best move and explains the idea in a short line, such as "wins the knight" or "leads to mate in 2". Undo takes back your last move and the rival's reply.
Your score turns the result into a number: a win is worth 250 points per rival level plus a speed bonus for quick wins, a draw is worth 100 per level, and each undo or hint costs a few points. Medals reward the way you win: bronze for your first win against a rival, silver for a win with no undo and no hint, and gold for winning as Dark in 40 moves or fewer. If a rival beats you three times in a row, the next game offers a head start.
The puzzle of the day is the same for everyone, worldwide. It is a mate in one to three moves or a tactic that wins material, made by our own engine. Solve it on the first try for 100 points and keep your puzzle streak alive day after day; the month calendar fills up as you go.
Tips: develop your knights and bishops before you move the same piece twice, castle early to keep your king safe, and before every move check what your opponent's last move attacks. Against Pip, look for loose pieces you can win. Against Corvin, open lines for your rooks. Against Ilse, avoid weakening pawn moves in front of your king.
How to play
Tap a piece to see its legal moves as dots (rings mean a capture), then tap a dot to move. You can also drag a piece. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter to pick a piece and a square, or simply type a move such as e4, Nf3 or e2e4. U undoes, Shift+H or H gives a hint, F flips the board, Esc cancels, P pauses and M mutes. Checkmate the rival's king to win.
Controls and devices
- Controls: Touch, Mouse, Keyboard
- Works on: phones, tablets and computers
- Screen: portrait orientation
- Price: free, no download or sign-up
FAQ
- Is Chess Duel free, and does it work on my phone?
- Yes. It is free and runs in the browser on Android phones, iPhones, tablets and computers, with nothing to download.
- How strong are the rivals?
- Pip is a beginner who makes real mistakes, Hazel is a casual player, Corvin plays like a solid club player and Maestra Ilse is an expert who makes no deliberate mistakes. Each one unlocks when you beat the one before.
- Can I take back a move or get a hint?
- Yes. Undo takes back your last move and the rival's reply. Each game has three free hints, and you can watch an ad once per game for three more. Undos and hints cost a few points from your score.
- When does the puzzle of the day change?
- At midnight UTC. Everyone gets the same puzzle on the same day. Solve it each day to grow your puzzle streak.
- Will my game be saved if I close the page?
- Yes. An unfinished game is saved after every move and continues when you come back. Your records, medals and streak are saved on this device, and to your account when you are signed in.
- Do you use another chess engine?
- No. The rivals and hints run on our own engine. The chess rules come from the open-source chess.js library (BSD license).
Credits
- Game design, code, chess engine, puzzles, art and sound: Playora Games
- Chess rules and notation: chess.js by Jeff Hlywa (BSD-2-Clause)