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This guide will take you through the basics of using En Croissant, from opening the application to analyzing your first chess game.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Installed En Croissant on your system (see Installation)
  • A chess game you want to analyze (PGN file, Lichess/Chess.com URL, or you can use a sample game)

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Your first game analysis

1

Launch En Croissant

Open En Croissant from your applications menu or desktop shortcut.You’ll be greeted with the home screen showing several action cards:
  • Play Chess - Start a new game against an engine
  • Analysis Board - Open a blank board for position analysis
  • New Repertoire - Create an opening repertoire
  • Import Game - Import a game from PGN, URL, or FEN
  • Puzzle - Practice tactical puzzles
2

Import a game

Let’s import a game to analyze. Click the Import Game card.You have three options for importing:

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From a PGN file

  1. Select the PGN tab
  2. Click “Click to select” and choose a .pgn file from your computer
  3. Optionally check “Save to collection” to keep the game in your library
  4. Click Import

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From an online game

  1. Select the Link tab
  2. Paste a Lichess or Chess.com game URL
  3. Click Import
You can import games directly from Lichess.org and Chess.com by pasting the game URL. This is perfect for analyzing your recent online games.

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From a position (FEN)

  1. Select the FEN tab
  2. Enter the FEN string of the position you want to analyze
  3. Click Import
3

Explore the interface

Once your game is imported, you’ll see the main analysis interface:

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Board view

The chessboard is displayed in the center, showing the current position. You can:
  • Click and drag pieces to make moves
  • Right-click to draw arrows and highlight squares
  • Flip the board using the controls below

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Move controls

Below the board, you’ll find navigation controls:
  • ⏮ - Go to the start
  • ◀ - Previous move
  • ▶ - Next move
  • ⏭ - Go to the end
  • Use arrow keys on your keyboard for quick navigation

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Game notation

The right panel shows the game moves in standard chess notation. Click any move to jump to that position.

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Information panels

The interface includes several panels that provide additional information:
  • Info Panel - Game details, player information, and game metadata
  • Database Panel - Position statistics from chess databases
  • Analysis Panel - Engine evaluation and best moves
4

Analyze with an engine

To get computer analysis of your position:
  1. Look for the Analysis Panel (usually on the right side)
  2. If no engine is running, click Start Engine
  3. The engine will begin analyzing the position and show:
    • Evaluation score (e.g., +0.5 means White is slightly better)
    • Best move suggestions
    • Principal variation (sequence of best moves)
En Croissant supports multiple engines running simultaneously. You can add more engines from the Engines page in the sidebar.
5

Navigate through the game

Move through the game using:
  • Arrow keys - Navigate moves quickly
  • Click on moves - Jump directly to any position
  • Board moves - Click a suggested engine move to add it as a variation
As you navigate, watch how the engine evaluation changes and compare it to the moves played in the game.
6

Check the database

The Database Panel shows how often the current position has been played:
  1. Look for the Database Panel
  2. You’ll see a list of moves played in this position
  3. Each move shows:
    • Number of games with that move
    • Win/draw/loss statistics
    • Average rating of players who played it
This is extremely useful for opening preparation - you can see which moves are popular and successful at different rating levels.

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Next steps

Now that you’ve analyzed your first game, explore more features:

Play Chess

Play against engines or friends with time controls

Repertoire Training

Build and train your opening repertoire with spaced repetition

Engine Setup

Install and configure chess engines for deeper analysis

Puzzle Practice

Improve your tactics by solving chess puzzles

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Tips for effective analysis

  • Use the engine wisely - Don’t just look at the evaluation. Try to understand why the engine suggests certain moves.
  • Check multiple moves - The best move isn’t always the only good move. Explore alternatives.
  • Study your mistakes - Focus on positions where you made errors. The engine will help you find better moves.
  • Save important positions - You can annotate games and save specific positions to your repertoire.

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Getting help

If you need assistance:

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