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General Questions

En Croissant is an open-source, cross-platform chess GUI (Graphical User Interface) designed to be powerful, customizable, and easy to use. It provides a complete toolkit for chess analysis, game management, and training.Built with modern technologies (Rust and React), En Croissant combines the performance of native applications with a clean, intuitive interface.
En Croissant supports all UCI (Universal Chess Interface) engines. This includes popular engines like:
  • Stockfish
  • Leela Chess Zero (Lc0)
  • Dragon
  • Komodo
  • Any other UCI-compatible engine
The application provides built-in engine management, making it easy to install, configure, and use multiple engines simultaneously for analysis.
En Croissant supports multi-engine analysis, allowing you to compare evaluations from different engines side by side.
En Croissant is cross-platform and runs on:
  • Windows (7 and later)
  • macOS (10.13 High Sierra and later)
  • Linux (various distributions)
The application is built with Tauri, ensuring consistent behavior across all platforms with native performance.
You can import games in several ways:
  1. From online platforms: Directly download your games from lichess.org and chess.com using the built-in OAuth integration
  2. PGN files: Import standard PGN (Portable Game Notation) files from any source
  3. Manual entry: Enter games manually using the board interface
See the Importing Games guide for detailed instructions.
En Croissant uses SQLite as its primary database format, which provides:
  • Fast performance for searching and filtering
  • Compact file size with efficient compression
  • Full support for position search (both absolute and partial positions)
  • Player statistics and tournament data
You can also:
  • Import from PGN files
  • Export databases back to PGN format
  • Merge multiple databases
  • Create and manage multiple separate databases

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Features & Functionality

Yes! En Croissant supports multi-engine analysis, one of its standout features.You can:
  • Run multiple UCI engines at the same time
  • Compare evaluations and suggested moves
  • Configure each engine with different settings
  • See multiple principal variations side by side
This is particularly useful for understanding positions more deeply by seeing how different engines evaluate the same position.
En Croissant includes a sophisticated repertoire training system with spaced repetition:
  • Build your opening repertoire for both White and Black
  • Practice your lines with intelligent scheduling based on the spaced repetition algorithm
  • Track your performance and identify weak spots
  • Get reminded to review positions at optimal intervals
The system helps you memorize your openings effectively by showing you positions just before you’re likely to forget them.
Yes, En Croissant supports advanced position search:
  • Absolute position search: Find exact position matches
  • Partial position search: Search for positions with specific piece patterns, regardless of other pieces
This is powerful for studying specific pawn structures, endgames, or tactical patterns across your entire game database.
Yes, En Croissant supports chess puzzle training. You can:
  • Import puzzle databases
  • Practice tactics with immediate feedback
  • Filter puzzles by theme and difficulty
  • Track your puzzle rating and progress
See the Puzzles feature page for more information.

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Licensing & Privacy

Yes! En Croissant is completely free and licensed under the GPL-3.0 License.This means:
  • The source code is publicly available on GitHub
  • You can use it for free, forever
  • You can modify and redistribute it under the same license
  • The community can contribute improvements
If you find En Croissant valuable, consider supporting the development through donations.
En Croissant distinguishes itself through:
  • Modern technology stack: Built with Rust and React for excellent performance and maintainability
  • Cross-platform consistency: Native performance on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Multi-engine analysis: Compare multiple engines simultaneously
  • Integrated cloud sync: Direct import from lichess.org and chess.com
  • Spaced repetition training: Advanced repertoire learning system
  • Position search: Powerful database search capabilities
  • Open source: Transparent development and community contributions
  • Modern UI: Clean, intuitive interface with customization options
En Croissant includes optional analytics through PostHog for understanding usage patterns and improving the application.Your privacy is respected:
  • No personal information or game data is collected
  • Analytics can be disabled in settings
  • All game databases are stored locally on your machine
  • OAuth authentication with chess platforms uses secure, standard protocols
The application is open source, so you can verify exactly what data is collected by reviewing the code.
Absolutely! Contributions are welcome and appreciated.Ways to contribute:
  • Report bugs and request features on GitHub
  • Submit code contributions (see the Contributing Guide)
  • Improve documentation
  • Help other users on Discord
  • Share feedback and suggestions
See the Contributing page for more details.

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Technical Questions

En Croissant uses a modern technology stack:Backend (Rust):
  • Tauri for the application framework
  • SQLite with Diesel ORM for database operations
  • Shakmaty for chess logic and position handling
  • vampirc-uci for UCI engine communication
Frontend (TypeScript/React):
  • React 19 for the UI
  • Vite for build tooling
  • Mantine for component library
  • Chessground for the board visualization
  • TanStack Router for routing
  • Jotai for state management
This combination provides excellent performance, maintainability, and cross-platform support.
Yes! Building from source is straightforward:
  1. Install prerequisites (Node.js, Rust, pnpm)
  2. Clone the repository
  3. Run pnpm install
  4. Run pnpm build
See the Building from Source guide for detailed instructions and platform-specific requirements.
BMI2 is a CPU instruction set extension that some chess engines use for faster move generation.
  • Modern Intel and AMD processors (2013+) typically support BMI2
  • Some engines offer BMI2-optimized builds for better performance
  • En Croissant can detect BMI2 support to help you choose the right engine binary
If you have an older processor, use the standard (non-BMI2) engine builds.
En Croissant stores data in standard application directories:
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\en-croissant
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.encroissant.app
  • Linux: ~/.config/en-croissant or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/en-croissant
Your databases, engine configurations, and application settings are all stored in these locations.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Check the Troubleshooting page or ask in the community.

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