Questions about Chess Path
Answers about Chess Path: how strong each bot level really is (measured, not guessed), where the puzzles come from, playing people, free game reviews, and what an app can and cannot do for your chess.
How strong is each bot level?
| Level | Name | About | How we know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | First steps | 250 | estimated from puzzles |
| 1 | Pawn | 400 | estimated from puzzles |
| 2 | Knight | 500 | estimated from puzzles |
| 3 | Bishop | 850 | estimated from puzzles |
| 4 | Rook | 1015 | measured in games |
| 5 | Queen | 1260 | measured in games |
| 6 | King | 1425 | measured in games |
| 7 | Castle | 1410 | measured in games |
| 8 | Crown | 1570 | measured in games |
| 9 | Club champion | 1750 | Stockfish's own scale |
| 10 | Expert | 2000 | Stockfish's own scale |
| 11 | Master | 2300 | Stockfish's own scale |
| 12 | Grandmaster | 2600 | Stockfish's own scale |
| 13 | Super Grandmaster | 2900 | Stockfish's own scale |
| 14 | Stockfish | 3000+ | no limit |
Levels 4 to 8 were measured in 144 games against Stockfish held to 1320, 1500 and 1700. Levels 0 to 3 play below the weakest Stockfish setting, so their numbers are estimates from rated puzzles. Level 0 was also checked in games: it beats a random mover almost every time and loses most games to Level 1. Levels 6 and 7 came out the same strength in games. Levels 9 and up are Stockfish 19, held to a rating by its own strength limit.
Questions
How hard is the Chess Path bot?
As hard as you want. There are 15 levels, from First steps (about 250) to full-strength Stockfish (3000+, stronger than any human). Levels 0 to 8 are our own bot, built to play like a person who misses things: we measured Levels 4 to 8 in 144 games against Stockfish held to known ratings, so their numbers are game strength, give or take 60 to 100. The levels below that are too weak to measure against Stockfish, so their numbers are estimates from rated puzzles. Every level also solved 386 rated Lichess puzzles, and each one scores 350 to 500 points higher on puzzles than it plays in games, which is why we show the game number. Levels 9 to 14 are Stockfish 19 running on your own device, held to 1750, 2000, 2300, 2600, 2900 with its built-in strength limit, then with no limit at all. Those numbers are Stockfish's own rating scale, which its makers fitted against engine games, so treat them as a guide rather than a FIDE rating.
Can I play a grandmaster-strength bot?
Yes. Pick Grandmaster (Stockfish held to about 2600) or Super Grandmaster (about 2900), or take on Stockfish with no limit. The engine is downloaded once, about 1.9 MB, the first time you pick one of those levels, and then thinks on your phone or computer, not on our server. A limited Stockfish still plays like an engine, not a person: it is precise for long stretches and then drops a little. If it cannot load in your browser, Crown plays instead and the game tells you so.
Why does the bot make mistakes on purpose?
Lower levels search fewer moves ahead and sometimes choose a good-but-not-best move, so they miss deeper tactics the way a newer player does. They do not throw pieces away at random, and every level takes a mate in one, so the first lessons (do not leave pieces loose, watch for mate) land from your first game.
Which level should I start at?
If you have never played, start at First steps. If you know the moves, take the placement test: 12 puzzles that adapt to your answers, and units below your level are marked as tested out. After you play the bot, your bot games give you a rating of their own, and the bot moves up a level each time you win.
Is it free? Do I need to sign up?
It is free with no sign-up, and once opened it keeps working offline. Your progress is saved on your device. An account is optional: it adds online games, leaderboards and your progress on more than one device, and you can sign in with a passkey (face, fingerprint or Windows Hello).
Where do the puzzles come from?
About 13,000 real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (free for anyone to use), sorted by difficulty. Each one was replayed through our own rules engine before it shipped. Puzzles you miss come back the next day; ones you solve come back later, so they stick.
Can I play against people?
Yes, with an account. Send a friend an invite link, or look for a game at your rating. If nobody is free within about 20 seconds you can play the bot instead, and the bot is always labelled as the bot. Daily games give each player 1, 3 or 7 days per move, so you never need to be online at the same time.
Can it review my Chess.com or Lichess games?
Yes, for free. Type your username and Stockfish reviews your recent games on our server. Every mistake and blunder it finds becomes a puzzle from your own game. We read only the games those sites already show publicly, and we never ask for your password.
What do the different ratings mean?
Your puzzle rating tracks how hard the puzzles you solve are. Your bot-game rating comes from your results against the bot levels. Your online rating (Glicko-2, the system Lichess uses) appears after your first rated game against a person. They measure different things, so they will not always match.
Can I put it on my phone like an app?
Yes. Open it in your phone's browser and choose Add to Home Screen. It gets its own icon and opens full screen.
Will this make me a master?
It can take you from your first move to strong club level: rules, tactics, openings, endgames checked against tablebases, and your own mistakes turned into practice. Master strength also takes years of serious games against people, and no app can skip that part. We would rather say so than promise it.
How to play chess · Puzzles by theme · Openings with their plans · Endgames
Puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Engine levels and reviews by Stockfish (GPLv3; the in-browser build is stockfish.js, github.com/nmrugg/stockfish.js, licence at engine/COPYING.txt). Part of Chess Path, a free chess course. Free coach for your Chess.com and Lichess games.