Lichess

Chess for playing, studying, and watching

Lichess is a chess app for Android that covers the game from casual matches to serious analysis. It suits players who want to play online, practise against bots, solve puzzles, follow tournaments, or review their own games without moving between several separate tools. The app is free and open source, with development supported by volunteers and donations.

Several ways to play

You can start a real-time game, play correspondence chess at a slower pace, or challenge an online bot. Arena tournaments add a competitive format, while over-the-board play lets two people use the same device. A built-in chess clock is also available for games played in person.

• Play online, against bots, or locally with a friend
• Join arena tournaments
• Use the board editor to set up positions
• Choose from different board themes and piece sets

Practice and analysis tools

Lichess includes puzzle training with varied themes, plus Puzzle Storm for timed solving. Puzzles can be used online or offline. Games can be analysed locally or on the server with Stockfish, making it easier to inspect mistakes and test alternatives. Studies provide a collaborative way to work through positions, and a separate lesson helps players learn board coordinates.

For keeping up with chess

The app also works as a viewing platform. Users can follow live broadcasts from major chess events, watch Lichess TV, and view online streamers. It is translated into 55 languages and supports system colours on Android 12 and later.

Lichess has 1,000,000+ installs and a rating of 3.11 from 7,856 reviews. It is published by lichess.org, and is best suited to players who want a broad chess toolkit rather than a simple board for occasional games.