Play chess vs AI in the browser
This page is a single-player game against Stockfish, one of the strongest open chess engines. Pick White, Black, or random, set a difficulty, and start. There is no clock and no rating on the line. Use Undo if you want to take back a line and try something else. You do not need an account.
The six levels are meant to read like people, not engine settings:
- Beginner (~200) — blunders often. Fine for first games and kids.
- Easy (~500) — casual. It still leaves pieces hanging.
- Medium (~1200) — club-ish. You have to be careful.
- Hard (~1800) — strong club. Few free points.
- Expert (~2400) — very accurate. Good for testing an opening you just studied.
- Master (2800+) — near full engine strength. Expect almost no gifts.
Stockfish is limited on purpose at the lower levels: a shallower search, and sometimes a weaker move, so the game stays human. Expert and Master search deeper and reply almost immediately. There is no clock, so you can think as long as you want—useful when you are working on a new opening or a lost endgame.
Use this when you want a full game without waiting for a partner. Play out an opening from the openings guide, finish a middlegame you set up on the analyzer, or practice being a pawn down. When you want the engine’s preferred move instead of a game, go back to the analyzer. For a tactic with a known answer, use the daily puzzle. For longer plans, see chess strategies and the rest of the articles. If a friend is free, switch to Play vs Friend.
Want to check a tactic from the game? The tactics guide covers forks, pins, and discovered attacks in plain language.