DecodeChess review: scores and evidence
A web service that explains, in English, the moves Stockfish suggests — threats, plans, concepts — for a whole game or a single position, alongside an adaptive computer opponent. There is no aggregation of weaknesses and no exercises; the last blog post dates from April 2023 and the notices still read © 2022.
Overall score
1.9/ 10
Rank
109/ 147
Languages
1
Yearly price
$84/yr ≈ €77 (annual price shown; monthly $8.25); one-off credits from $15 ($1 ≈ €0.92)
What the service is
DecodeChess describes itself on its About page as the debut product of Decodea, a deep-tech company building AI algorithms that mimic high-level human cognitive functions. The same page names the management team: Zeev Fine, CEO and co-founder, Ofer Shamai, Head of R&D and co-founder, and Gideon Segev, VP Marketing. The service puts the moves Stockfish recommends into plain English — threats, plans, the role of each piece, tactical and strategic motifs — either for a game you load or for a position you set up, and is aimed explicitly at players rated up to 2000. It runs on a subscription of $8.25 a month or $84 a year, with a free tier of one game decode a day, a 7-day money-back guarantee and per-unit credits as an alternative. The structured data on the About page dates it to 28 February 2018.
Activity history
- 2024-0325 March 2024: the most recent dated change to the public site, recorded in the About page’s structured data (dateModified).
- 2023-042 April 2023: the last article published in the Insights section; nothing has appeared there since.
- 2023-0116 January 2023: the previous Insights article, making two publications in the whole of 2023.
- 2022-043 April 2022: the last dated change to the pricing page (dateModified in its structured data) — the prices shown have not moved since.
- 2018-0417 April 2018: the pricing page is first published.
- 2018-0228 February 2018: the About page is first published, the oldest date the public site carries.
The scores, evidence by evidence
Every score points to the page read and the fact found there. A fact documented nowhere is not credited: document it, then write to us.
APersonalized diagnosis
2.5A1 :1Importing your games (Chess.com, Lichess, PGN files)
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: “Decode Games” sold one at a time; no Lichess or Chess.com connection on https://decodechess.com/features/
A2 :2Automatic engine analysis of every game
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: Stockfish decoding per game, 1 a day on the free plan and unlimited on the paid one; depth not published
A3 :0Recurring mistakes identified across all your games
https://decodechess.com/features/: nothing is aggregated
A4 :0Types of mistakes covered (tactics, strategy, endgame, time…)
https://decodechess.com/features/: no typology
A5 :3Written explanation of each mistake
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: “explains threats, player plans, and the best line that Stockfish NNUE recommends” for each move
A6 :0Stated verification of the diagnoses (procedure, rates)
no mention on https://decodechess.com/faq/
A7 :0Tracking each weakness over time
no history on https://decodechess.com/features/
A8 :0Comparison with players of the same rating
no comparison on https://decodechess.com/features/
BOpenings
0.0B1 :0Building a personal repertoire
no repertoire on https://decodechess.com/features/
B2 :0Training the repertoire (drills, games)
no drill on https://decodechess.com/features/
B3 :0Spotting where you left your repertoire in your games
no mention on https://decodechess.com/features/
B4 :0Verification of the lines taught (engine, practice)
no information on https://decodechess.com/features/
B5 :0Opening explorer and statistics
no explorer on https://decodechess.com/features/
B6 :0Explanation of opening plans and ideas
nothing that teaches openings on https://decodechess.com/features/
CTargeted training
0.4C1 :0Exercises drawn from your own games
no exercise on https://decodechess.com/features/
C2 :0Bank of tactical exercises (size, themes, rating)
no problem bank on https://decodechess.com/features/
C3 :0Endgame training
no endgame module on https://decodechess.com/features/
C4 :1Strategic and positional training
https://decodechess.com/features/: “Revealing the underlying concepts of any position” (passive)
C5 :0Training defense and alertness
https://decodechess.com/features/: no exercise
C6 :0Training calculation and visualization
no mention on https://decodechess.com/features/
C7 :0Difficulty matched to your real level
no rating on https://decodechess.com/features/
C8 :0Spaced repetition (named algorithm)
https://decodechess.com/features/: none
C9 :0Personalized training plan
https://decodechess.com/features/: none
DPrice and value
5.8D1 :1What the free plan actually lets you do
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: the free plan is “Decode Games: 1 per day”
D2 :1Annual price of the full plan
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: $84/year, about €77
D3 :2Commercial transparency (price shown, trial, cancellation)
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: prices shown up front, “Money-back guarantee 7 days”, monthly or annual subscription
D4 :3Number of paid tiers (how simple the offer is)
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: a single subscription ($8.25 a month or $84 a year) unlocks everything; credits are the alternative
ERigor and honesty
2.5E1 :1Published evidence of effectiveness
https://decodechess.com/testimonials/: testimonials and “200,000+ Members”, with no method given
E2 :0Chess verification of the content (positions, lines)
no information on https://decodechess.com/faq/
E3 :1Transparency of the method (algorithms, code)
https://decodechess.com/about/: “Stockfish” and “AI algorithms”; depth not named
E4 :1Marketing claims that can be checked (no overselling)
https://decodechess.com/: “The first AI chess tutor”, “the most advanced chess analysis software”
FContent and method
0.0F1 :0Courses organized by rating level
no course on https://decodechess.com/
F2 :0Course authors named and titled
no course author on https://decodechess.com/about/
F3 :0Content formats (text, video, interactive)
no teaching content on https://decodechess.com/
F4 :0Published method of progression
no progression method (Idea-Problem-Solution is an analysis framework) https://decodechess.com/features/
F5 :0How often the content is updated
https://decodechess.com/insights/: last post 2 April 2023; © 2022 (more than 3 years old)
GPlaying and practice
1.7G1 :0Playing humans online (pool, anti-cheating)
no play against humans on https://decodechess.com/features/
G2 :2Realistic artificial opponents
https://decodechess.com/features/: “Human-like computer opponent. Adapts to your play style”
G3 :0Replaying one specific position against the machine
https://decodechess.com/features/: “Analyze as you play”; replaying a position from one of your own games not observed
G4 :0Tournaments and organized competition
no tournament on https://decodechess.com/
HExperience and accessibility
2.0H1 :1Platforms available (web, iOS, Android, desktop)
https://decodechess.com/: web only (no app found on Google Play or the App Store on 30/08/2026)
H2 :1User ratings and reviews (stores, press)
https://decodechess.com/: press coverage from 2020 (Guardian, Electronics Weekly); no store rating
H3 :0Interface languages available
one language observed — https://decodechess.com/: English only
H4 :0Accessibility (keyboard, screen reader)
no accessibility information on https://decodechess.com/faq/
H5 :1Offline use and known incidents
https://decodechess.com/: depends on the server; no incident reported
IPreparation and study
3.3I1 :0Preparing for a named opponent
https://decodechess.com/features/: none
I2 :1Annotating and sharing games (studies)
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: “we will save every Decode” for the games you load; no sharing
I3 :1Entering a game played at a club (photo, scoresheet)
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: “Decode Positions” means a position you key in; no photo and no OCR
I4 :2Searching your games (filters, position)
https://decodechess.com/pricing/: games are saved, and “you’ll be able to tag or delete them”
JHuman coaching and community
1.7J1 :0Access to human coaches
no coach on https://decodechess.com/
J2 :0Size and activity of the community
no community on https://decodechess.com/
J3 :0Tools for trainers, clubs and schools
no coach tooling on https://decodechess.com/
J4 :2Engagement mechanics (streaks, virtual currency, reminders)
https://decodechess.com/: no engagement mechanic
KPersonal data and interoperability
1.1K1 :0Exporting your data (games, repertoire)
no export on https://decodechess.com/faq/
K2 :1Protection of personal data (GDPR, hosting)
https://decodechess.com/: Google Analytics and Tag Manager, Facebook, Bing and Smartlook trackers; “Terms & Privacy” present
K3 :0Public API and source code
closed; no API on https://decodechess.com/
Also, outside the grid
Features found that no criterion measures. They do not count towards the score.
- Explanations across 5 tabs (threats, plans, functions, concepts)
- Live decoding while playing the computer