BetterChess review: scores and evidence

A1 :1Importing your games (Chess.com, Lichess, PGN files)

https://betterchess.co/review — "Paste a PGN or your online chess username": one game at a time

A2 :2Automatic engine analysis of every game

https://betterchess.co/review — Stockfish in the browser on the pasted game; depth not displayed

A3 :2Recurring mistakes identified across all your games

https://betterchess.co/: "personal weakness model: hanging pieces, missed pins, where you fall apart"; no ranking by cost.

A4 :1Types of mistakes covered (tactics, strategy, endgame, time…)

https://betterchess.co/: all motifs cited are tactical.

A5 :2Written explanation of each mistake

https://betterchess.co/: "Ranked move choices with the why", "plain English"; no public example citing a variation.

A6 :0Stated verification of the diagnoses (procedure, rates)

https://betterchess.co/faq — no procedure or rate published

A7 :0Tracking each weakness over time

https://betterchess.co/faq — "No specific tracking dashboard details"

A8 :0Comparison with players of the same rating

https://betterchess.co/ — no comparison

B1 :1Building a personal repertoire

https://betterchess.co/ — "Full openings trainer with saved progress", fixed lines

B2 :2Training the repertoire (drills, games)

https://betterchess.co/ — interactive trainer (play the moves)

B3 :0Spotting where you left your repertoire in your games

https://betterchess.co/ — no deviation detected

B4 :0Verification of the lines taught (engine, practice)

https://betterchess.co/ — no information on where the lines come from

B5 :0Opening explorer and statistics

https://betterchess.co/ — no explorer

B6 :1Explanation of opening plans and ideas

https://betterchess.co/ — trainer with no written plans found

C1 :1Exercises drawn from your own games

https://betterchess.co/faq — "personalized practice" on weak points, personal bank not shown

C2 :1Bank of tactical exercises (size, themes, rating)

https://betterchess.co/ — "Daily puzzle + unlimited tactics" with no figure

C3 :0Endgame training

https://betterchess.co/faq — "endgames not explicitly discussed"

C4 :1Strategic and positional training

https://betterchess.co/games: famous games "explained move by move" (passive); no positional exercise.

C5 :1Training defense and alertness

https://betterchess.co/: the coach "interrupts" before the blunder during games against bots.

C6 :0Training calculation and visualization

https://betterchess.co/ — no calculation/visualisation

C7 :1Difficulty matched to your real level

https://betterchess.co/ — level adjusted during play against bots; no exercise rating

C8 :2Spaced repetition (named algorithm)

https://betterchess.co/: "puzzles on your weak motifs, scheduled with spaced repetition"; algorithm not named.

C9 :1Personalized training plan

https://betterchess.co/faq: advice from the coach; neither a daily queue nor a quantified plan.

D1 :2What the free plan actually lets you do

https://betterchess.co/review — free review with no daily limit; 1 free coached game per week

D2 :1Annual price of the full plan

https://betterchess.co/terms — "US $129 per year" ≈ €119

D3 :2Commercial transparency (price shown, trial, cancellation)

https://betterchess.co/terms — price displayed, 7-day trial, "cancel at any time"; "non-refundable"

D4 :2Number of paid tiers (how simple the offer is)

https://betterchess.co/faq: Pro $19.99/month or $129/year unlocks everything; /clubs: Club tier $249/month (25 seats).

E1 :0Published evidence of effectiveness

https://betterchess.co/about — no data

E2 :2Chess verification of the content (positions, lines)

https://betterchess.co/about — "All position analysis… performed by the Stockfish chess engine"

E3 :2Transparency of the method (algorithms, code)

https://betterchess.co/privacy — Stockfish, Anthropic, ElevenLabs named

E4 :3Marketing claims that can be checked (no overselling)

https://betterchess.co/ — "We make no guarantee that you’ll reach 1800"; /about "We don’t promise miracles"

F1 :0Courses organized by rating level

https://betterchess.co/ — no course

F2 :0Course authors named and titled

https://betterchess.co/about — no author named

F3 :2Content formats (text, video, interactive)

https://betterchess.co/ — annotated games (text) + interactive exercises

F4 :0Published method of progression

https://betterchess.co/ — no method

F5 :0How often the content is updated

https://betterchess.co/ — no dated content, no changelog

G1 :0Playing humans online (pool, anti-cheating)

https://betterchess.co/ — play against bots only

G2 :1Realistic artificial opponents

https://betterchess.co/ — "Unlimited games vs the bots", adjusted level

G3 :0Replaying one specific position against the machine

https://betterchess.co/ — no position replay found

G4 :0Tournaments and organized competition

https://betterchess.co/ — no tournament

H1 :1Platforms available (web, iOS, Android, desktop)

https://betterchess.co/faq — web only, "Mobile app… not addressed"

H2 :0User ratings and reviews (stores, press)

https://betterchess.co/ — no store rating or third-party review

H3 :0Interface languages available

https://betterchess.co/ — English only, no language switcher or hreflang

H4 :0Accessibility (keyboard, screen reader)

https://betterchess.co/faq — no mention

H5 :1Offline use and known incidents

https://betterchess.co/privacy — Vercel/Supabase; no incident reported

I1 :0Preparing for a named opponent

https://betterchess.co/players: profiles of legendary players (Capablanca, Carlsen); no report on a real opponent.

I2 :0Annotating and sharing games (studies)

https://betterchess.co/games: 50+ famous games annotated by the publisher; no user annotation.

I3 :0Entering a game played at a club (photo, scoresheet)

https://betterchess.co/faq: no game entry or scanning.

I4 :0Searching your games (filters, position)

https://betterchess.co/: review of one game by PGN/username; no history or search.

J1 :0Access to human coaches

https://betterchess.co/ — no human coach

J2 :0Size and activity of the community

https://betterchess.co/ — no community

J3 :0Tools for trainers, clubs and schools

https://betterchess.co/ — no coach tool

J4 :2Engagement mechanics (streaks, virtual currency, reminders)

https://betterchess.co/ — no currency or nagging found

K1 :1Exporting your data (games, repertoire)

https://betterchess.co/privacy — export "by emailing info@betterchess.co"

K2 :1Protection of personal data (GDPR, hosting)

https://betterchess.co/privacy — controller "[LEGAL ENTITY NAME]" left blank; no resale, session cookie only

K3 :0Public API and source code

https://betterchess.co/ — closed