Skip to main content

​
Overview

Lichess offers a comprehensive chess gaming experience with multiple ways to play. Whether you want to play casually with friends, challenge the computer, or compete in rated games, Lichess provides flexible options for every skill level.

​
Game Types

Casual Games

Play unrated games to practice without affecting your rating

Rated Games

Compete in rated matches to improve your official Lichess rating

vs Computer

Challenge Stockfish AI at 8 difficulty levels (1-8)

vs Friend

Create private games and invite specific players

​
Time Controls

Lichess supports a wide range of time controls to match your playing style:

​
Speed Categories

Lightning-fast games under 30 seconds total. Requires quick reflexes and instant decision-making.
  • Example: 15+0 (15 seconds, no increment)
Very fast games between 30 seconds and 3 minutes total.
  • Examples: 1+0, 2+1
  • Rated games require at least 20 completed rated bullet games to participate
Fast-paced games between 3 and 8 minutes.
  • Examples: 3+0, 3+2, 5+0, 5+3
  • Most popular time control on Lichess
  • Rated games require at least 15 completed rated blitz games
Moderate pace games between 8 and 25 minutes.
  • Examples: 10+0, 10+5, 15+10
  • Allows for more calculation and planning
  • Rated games require at least 10 completed rated rapid games
Long, thoughtful games over 25 minutes.
  • Examples: 30+0, 30+20
  • Suitable for serious, in-depth play
  • Rated games require at least 5 completed rated classical games
Games played over days with time measured in days per move.
  • Multiple days to make each move
  • Perfect for analyzing positions deeply
The minimum rated games requirement ensures fair matchmaking and prevents rating manipulation.

​
Chess Variants

Beyond standard chess, Lichess supports 10+ chess variants:
  • Standard - Classic FIDE chess rules
  • Chess960 - Fischer Random with randomized starting positions
  • Crazyhouse - Captured pieces can be dropped back on the board
  • King of the Hill - Control the center to win
  • Three-check - Give check three times to win
  • Antichess - Lose all your pieces or get stalemated to win
  • Atomic - Captures trigger explosions
  • Horde - White has 36 pawns vs Black’s normal army
  • Racing Kings - Race your king to the 8th rank
  • From Position - Start from custom positions

​
Game Features

​
During the Game

1

Move with Drag & Drop

Drag pieces to make moves, or click-click for touch devices
2

Clock Management

Games automatically start the clock when both players have moved. Increment is added after each move.
3

Premove & Predrop

Queue your next move in advance to save time in fast games
4

Chat & Emojis

Communicate with your opponent (can be disabled in preferences)

​
Game Actions

  • Offer Draw - Propose a draw after move 2 (limited to prevent spam)
  • Request Takeback - Ask to undo the last move (casual games only)
  • Resign - Concede the game
  • Abort - Cancel the game if fewer than 2 moves played
  • Berserk - In arena tournaments, halve your clock for extra points
Draw offers cannot be repeated too frequently. There’s a 20-ply cooldown between offers.

​
Blindfold Mode

Enable blindfold mode to hide pieces and test your visualization skills. Available as a per-game option.

​
Game Analysis

After each game, access powerful analysis tools:
  • Computer Analysis - Request Stockfish evaluation of your game
  • Move Times - Review time spent on each move
  • Opening Explorer - See opening statistics and master games
  • Accuracy - View your accuracy percentage based on engine evaluations
  • Blur Detection - System tracks suspicious tabbing behavior

​
Finding Games

​
Create Custom Game

  1. Click “Create a game” from the homepage
  2. Select time control and increment
  3. Choose rated/casual and variant
  4. Set color preference or play random
  5. Wait for an opponent or send invite link

​
Quick Pairing

Use the lobby to find games instantly:
  • Select your preferred time control
  • System matches you with a similarly-rated opponent
  • Game starts automatically when matched

​
Play with Friend

  1. Click “Play with a friend”
  2. Configure game settings
  3. Share the generated URL
  4. Game starts when your friend joins

​
Game History & Export

All your games are saved permanently:
  • Browse game history on your profile
  • Filter by result, variant, speed, or opponent
  • Export games in PGN format
  • Download individual games or bulk export
  • Import games to studies for deeper analysis
Games with fewer than 5 moves are not rated to prevent rating manipulation.

​
Compatibility

​
Board Support

Certain time controls are compatible with DGT electronic boards:
  • Blitz or slower (3+0 and above)
  • Must be rated games against human opponents

​
Bot Support

Bots can play in most time controls except ultra-fast games. API access is required for bot accounts.

​
Fair Play

Lichess employs multiple systems to ensure fair gameplay:
  • Blur tracking - Detects when players tab away from the game
  • Move time analysis - Unusual patterns trigger review
  • Hold alerts - Long pauses between moves are flagged
  • Engine detection - Statistical analysis identifies computer assistance
Games older than 21 days with no moves are automatically marked as abandoned.

Analysis

Deep dive into your games with computer analysis

Tournaments

Compete in scheduled or custom tournaments

Studies

Save and annotate your best games

Puzzles

Improve tactics with puzzle training

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us