Chess, an age-old game, is still as enjoyable to play today as 1,500 years ago. Even better is that finding opportunities to play has never been easier. Thanks to the Internet, you can play chess online on various websites without downloading anything.
Numerous beautiful websites allow you to play chess online with friends and assist you in improving your skills. While you may need to pay for professional chess lessons, all of the sites listed here provide some form of free chess training and allows you to play chess online for free.
Play chess online – 15 websites where you can play chess with friends
Here is a list of the top 15 websites to play chess online:
- Chess
- Red Hot Pawn
- Lichess
- Chess24
- Sparkchess
- ChessTempo
- GameKnot
- Chessworld
- ItsyourTurn
- FICS (Free Internet Chess Server)
- Chessable
- Internet Chess Club (ICC)
- Chessmatec
- Chessgames
- FIDE Arena
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Chess
Chess.com is a free website dedicated to chess, with some paid features. You can sign up and begin to play against a machine or a human opponent within seconds. Free users have access to almost everything an average player may want, but they must endure a few advertisements. The following are some of the most notable features of Chess.com:
- There are no limits to the number of chess games; you can play in various styles and variations.
- Encouragement to join groups and leagues.
- A system of unlockable achievements.
- Based on the skills you can choose from 4 levels – New to chess, beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Red Hot Pawn
RedHotPawn.com offers a unique experience if you wish to play regular slow-paced chess over-rapid or blitz. As a result, the site makes managing, joining, and creating correspondence games a breeze. It has a vast, fantastic community of players and a perfectly functional, albeit plain, chessboard. You can also download its mobile app. The following are some notable Red Hot Pawn features:
- Excellent, simple interface that makes switching between games a breeze.
- An educational forum with a community assistance system.
Lichess
Lichess.org has no advertisements, no payment obligations, and allows users to learn and play chess. That sounds like an ideal solution, but you should know that the website is also quite basic. While there is nothing wrong with that, getting a solid sense of where everything is can take some time. The following are some features of Lichess:
- Cloud-based chess engine analysis of eight chess variants in addition to normal chess.
- A comprehensive series of chess fundamentals lessons.
- There is no advertising at all.
- The website supports almost 80 languages.
- Access to chess forum.
Chess24
Chess24.com provides free access to chess games and instructional materials, although there are some limitations. For example, only premium members have access to live instructional videos and streaming content from chess masters.
Chess24’s genuine online chess board is a remarkable feature. It is visually appealing and provides a bit more than the normal free online chess service. You will especially like how it clearly illustrates each move with an arrow while displaying it in chess notation. The built-in clocks are also incredibly user-friendly and straightforward to read. You can also download the app version of the game to play on the go. The following are some of the aspects of Chess24:
- A welcoming chess course for beginners.
- Consists of a fantastic chess lexicon.
- Easy-to-use chessboard with a nice design.
Sparkchess
Sparkchess.com is one of the more restricted free chess alternatives on this list. You can play against the computer and other human opponents online but you won’t be able to access the chess educational features unless you upgrade.
Although you can play online against other players for free on Sparkchess, however, you will have to pay if you want to play live local 2-player matches. You can download the app for iOS and Android, but it is chargeable. The following are some of the features of Sparkchess:
- Chessboard in three dimensions.
- Ability to make the chessboard full-screen.
- Interactive lessons to learn chess.
- Ability to play famous chess games.
ChessTempo
ChessTempo.com provides a free online chess game, but its true worth lies in its numerous resources for analyzing and understanding the game. The website runs every rated game through a robust analysis engine, providing players with extensive information on what transpired during the game. This will allow you to understand your playing style better.
ChessTempo is designed for folks who are already familiar with the fundamentals of chess but wish to improve their skills through intensive training on chess tactics. The free version of the program already includes substantial tactical instruction.
The following are some of the features of ChessTempo:
- Play as many online games as you like.
- You can use a chess engine to analyze them if you have rated games.
- Two endgame tasks to tackle daily.
- Access a database of games that have been recorded.
- Unlimited tactics instruction, with over 110,000 real-game situations to study and solve.
GameKnot
With over a million members, GameKnot.com is one of the largest correspondence-only sites, and it is entirely free to use. Other features include a game database, tactics training, annotated games, and a pleasing user interface. Also, on GameKnot, you decide how often you move; there is no obligation to finish your chess games in one sitting. You can come back whenever you have time today or tomorrow to play online. You can also play multiple chess games online simultaneously, experimenting with different strategies and chess openings.
The following are some of the features of GameKnot:
- Monthly leagues and tournaments.
- Annotated chess games.
- Latest news related to chess games.
Chessworld
Chessworld.net is a renowned online correspondence chess service developed by Tryfon Gavriel, alias Kingscrusher, a popular online chess vlogger. Although basic membership is free, paying members do get additional benefits. Here are the features of Chessworld.net:
- Thousands of active members.
- Daily paired tournaments.
- Free unlimited games.
- Coaching facilities and chess courses.
- Helpdesk support.
ItsyourTurn
ItsyourTurn.com is a much more basic option than the others, and it is better for casual players than serious competitors. The website offers simple correspondence-style play with no bells or whistles. Depending on your preferences, you can play real-time chess with an opponent or turn-based chess. The site also allows you to start multiple games simultaneously and play them at your leisure. The vast number of additional matches available on this site is a significant benefit. The game can also be downloaded for iPhones. Here are the features of ItsyourTurn.com:
- No need to be logged on. Choose when and who you want to play.
- Optional membership.
- Invite specific user to play a game.
FICS (Free Internet Chess Server)
FICS or freechess.org is one of the oldest chess servers on the internet. It began as a free alternative to the Internet Chess Club (ICC) when the latter started charging players for membership. FICS provides you with the choice of downloading an interface software or playing online. Enter the regular information (username, real name, and email) and then the activation code provided to you in the Activation Form to activate your account.
If you are new to FICS, there is a helpful guide that will assist you through the procedure. If you are a complete newbie, there are pages with chess rules available.
Chessable
Chessable.com is a newcomer to online chess, but it offers a few unique characteristics that set it apart. Chessable, unlike the other sites on this list, is solely dedicated to chess instruction. It employs several novel techniques to ensure that players improve their game, including teaching through repetition. Even for expert players, the free edition of the site provides a lot of resources. You can practice tactics, the opening game, or the final game on the site by downloading free chess books.
Internet Chess Club (ICC)
ICC or chessclub.com was the most popular website to play chess for a long time. It was the best place to play against International Masters and Grandmasters. The tournament coverage on ICC is outstanding, and the news section will keep you up to date on what’s going on in the chess world. Although membership is not free, there is a free trial period of one month.
Chessmatec.com
ChessMatec.com is a dynamic platform that allows players to feel in command of their game. The platform may be used in various languages, participants can choose the level of their game along with the time limit, and even the Chess pieces are interchangeable. Players can choose to play with traditional Chess pieces or the colorful and animated ChessMatec pieces!
Chessgames
Chessgames.com is a chess community on the internet with approximately 224,000 members. The website hosts a massive library of chess games, each with its discussion page for feedback and analysis. The database begins with the earliest known recorded games and is updated with games from current top-level tournaments. It is limited primarily to games where at least one player is of master strength. Basic membership is free, and the site is open to gamers of all skill levels, with Premium users having access to additional features.
FIDE Arena
Due to the long-term benefits of earning an online chess title, chessarena.com, owned by World Chess, is one of the fastest-growing websites to play on. FIDE Arena is the only chess website that awards you a title and a rating when you reach a particular level.
- Grandmaster (AGM): 50 games in Rapid Time Control, 100 games of Blitz, or 150 games of Bullet with a rating of 2000 or above.
- International Master (AIM): A score of 1700 or higher in 50 games of Rapid Time Control, 100 games of Blitz, or 150 games of Bullet.
- FIDE Master (AFM): 50 games in Rapid time control, 100 games in Blitz, or 150 games in Bullet with a rating of 1400 or higher.
Now play skill-based strategy games with quick gameplay and easy rules. Play online games like Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, and Trump cards on Zupee! Download the app and stand a chance to win 10 Lakhs!
StaleMate!
There is no better way to become a great chess player than to play a lot of games. You can discover opponents of various levels on the websites listed above at any time of day or night. There are so many possibilities for playing chess online with buddies that there is no harm in trying them all.
Play Chess Online – FAQs
You can go to any chess website and sign up to play chess online with friends. One can then send a link to their friend and play together online.
Many websites that allow a person to play chess online also have a dedicated section to teach new players how to play chess online. To become a world-class chess player, you can browse through that section and learn different tactics and strategies.
Yes, in online chess, you can start and play multiple chess games on different tabs. Moreover, you can also choose to play different types of chess formats, such as rapid, blitz, etc., on your favorite chess website.
You can benefit from playing chess in various ways. Especially online, when you play with chess computers at different difficulty levels, it definitely helps improve your mental abilities and endurance. Here are the 20 benefits of playing chess.