Lichess review: scores and evidence
Open-source chess server (AGPL): online play at every time control, tournaments, Stockfish analysis, 6M themed puzzles, studies, beginner lessons, a directory of titled coaches, classes, a public API and public databases. It produces no diagnosis of named recurring weaknesses, no training plan and no courses structured by level.
Overall score
6.2/ 10
Rank
2/ 147
Languages
80
Yearly price
€0 (free, rule: free; optional "Patron" donation, amount not shown before clicking through on lichess.org/patron, with no reserved feature)
What the service is
Lichess is run by a non-profit association registered in France: the Patron page states “We are a non-profit association” and links to the association’s act of creation in the French official journal. The site was started in 2010 by Thibault Duplessis, described on that same page as the full-time developer paid by the association. The server code is public on GitHub (the lila repository, AGPL-3.0, opened in February 2012) and the About page reports “more than five million games every day”. Funding comes from Patron donations alone, with no advertising and no reserved feature: “All features are free for everybody, forever” (Features page), Patron status buying nothing but cosmetic wings.
Activity history
- 2026-08Half-year update published on 12 Aug 2026: partial 8-piece tablebases on the analysis board (63 TiB to download), a redesigned game setup dialog and stronger cheat detection.
- 2026-06A part-time developer (@rook_the_cook, 20 hours a week) was hired from 1 June 2026, as announced in the same update.
- 2026-03Blog post “Lichess Mobile App Update” of 24 Mar 2026 on the new mobile app.
- 2025-05The current Lichess app (App Store id1662361230, publisher LICHESS.ORG) carries a release date of 15 May 2025; version 0.26.6 shipped on 21 Aug 2026.
- 2012-02The lila GitHub repository was created on 21 Feb 2012 under the AGPL-3.0 licence (18,691 stars, last pushed 31 Aug 2026).
- 2010“In 2010, Thibault Duplessis began work on Lichess as a hobby project” (About page).
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
3.3A1 :2Importing your games (Chess.com, Lichess, PGN files)
https://lichess.org/ Tools menu › “Import game”; games played on Lichess are native. No Chess.com connection.
A2 :1Automatic engine analysis of every game
https://lichess.org/faq Stockfish analysis on request (“Request a computer analysis”, site.xml); neither automatic nor with a published depth.
A3 :1Recurring mistakes identified across all your games
https://lichess.org/insights/thibault — Insights = aggregated statistics (openings, accuracy); no error named and counted
A4 :1Types of mistakes covered (tactics, strategy, endgame, time…)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzle.xml — “Improvement areas” by puzzle theme: the tactical axis alone, no typology across games
A5 :1Written explanation of each mistake
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/site.xml — blunder/mistake/inaccuracy labels, “Learn from your mistakes”; no explanatory text per error
A6 :0Stated verification of the diagnoses (procedure, rates)
no mention of diagnostic reliability on https://lichess.org/faq or https://lichess.org/about
A7 :1Tracking each weakness over time
https://lichess.org/player rating curves and leaderboards by time control; no per-period play indicator found.
A8 :1Comparison with players of the same rating
https://lichess.org/player standing in the global leaderboards; no per-axis comparison against a rating band.
BOpenings
6.1B1 :2Building a personal repertoire
https://lichess.org/study studies: chapters, game/PGN import, editable variation tree; no suggestion drawn from the player’s own games.
B2 :2Training the repertoire (drills, games)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/study.xml “Interactive lesson” mode (play the right move); neither spaced repetition nor an opponent playing the repertoire.
B3 :1Spotting where you left your repertoire in your games
https://lichess.org/insights/thibault statistics by opening; no detection of a deviation from a repertoire.
B4 :2Verification of the lines taught (engine, practice)
https://lichess.org/api/openapi.yaml sourced explorer (masters/lichess/player) + “cloud evaluations”; no published protocol or threshold.
B5 :3Opening explorer and statistics
https://lichess.org/api/openapi.yaml /masters, /lichess and /player explorer + cloud evaluations; time-control and rating filters on https://lichess.org/opening.
B6 :1Explanation of opening plans and ideas
https://lichess.org/opening names, moves, popularity and statistics; no written plan found on the page consulted.
CTargeted training
5.6C1 :2Exercises drawn from your own games
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzleTheme.xml “Player games: puzzles generated from your games”; no success rate per weakness.
C2 :3Bank of tactical exercises (size, themes, rating)
https://database.lichess.org/ 6,057,356 puzzles “rated, and tagged”; themes (lichess.org/training/themes); “Great/Bad puzzle” votes (puzzle.xml).
C3 :2Endgame training
https://lichess.org/practice Pawn endgames and Rook endgames modules (Lucena, Philidor); partial 8-piece tablebases (blog, 12 Aug 2026).
C4 :1Strategic and positional training
https://lichess.org/study — community studies (passive content); Practice = endgames/mates, no native positional exercise
C5 :2Training defense and alertness
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzleTheme.xml — “Defensive move” theme (a single sub-type); hangingPiece/trappedPiece are attacking themes
C6 :1Training calculation and visualization
https://lichess.org/ Learn menu › “Coordinates”; no calculation/visualisation programme found.
C7 :2Difficulty matched to your real level
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzle.xml “Rating: %s”, difficulty Easiest→Hardest relative to the “puzzle rating” (Glicko-2, faq).
C8 :1Spaced repetition (named algorithm)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzle.xml — “Puzzle history” (replay the puzzles you failed); no spaced repetition
C9 :1Personalized training plan
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzle.xml — “Improvement areas — Train these to optimise your progress”: generic advice, not a daily queue
DPrice and value
10.0D1 :3What the free plan actually lets you do
https://lichess.org/patron “Lichess is entirely free, forever, and for everyone”; Patron = cosmetic wings only.
D2 :3Annual price of the full plan
https://lichess.org/patron €0: no paid offering, optional donation (rule: free).
D3 :3Commercial transparency (price shown, trial, cancellation)
https://lichess.org/patron nothing to buy; the donation can be changed or cancelled on the patron page or through PayPal; 14-day refund (terms-of-service).
D4 :3Number of paid tiers (how simple the offer is)
https://lichess.org/features — “All features are free for everybody, forever”; Patron = a donation with no reserved feature
ERigor and honesty
5.0E1 :0Published evidence of effectiveness
no effectiveness data on https://lichess.org/about or https://lichess.org/faq
E2 :1Chess verification of the content (positions, lines)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/puzzle.xml “Great puzzle! / Bad puzzle!” votes: fixes once reported; no published protocol.
E3 :3Transparency of the method (algorithms, code)
https://github.com/lichess-org/lila AGPL-3.0, 18,689 stars, pushed 30 Aug 2026; https://lichess.org/source lists the repositories, fishnet/Stockfish.
E4 :2Marketing claims that can be checked (no overselling)
https://lichess.org/about factual wording (“free/libre, open-source, no ads”); no limitation explicitly stated.
FContent and method
5.3F1 :1Courses organized by rating level
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/learn.xml beginner lessons (pieces, mate in 1, castling) and Practice, with no level label.
F2 :1Course authors named and titled
https://lichess.org/study study authors named (contributors); title not shown in the list consulted.
F3 :2Content formats (text, video, interactive)
https://lichess.org/ Learn (text/interactive: Chess basics, Practice, Study) + Watch › “Video library”; videos not tied to the exercises.
F4 :1Published method of progression
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/learn.xml stage progression for the basics only; no curriculum beyond that.
F5 :3How often the content is updated
https://lichess.org/blog posts dated 16 Aug, 12 Aug, 7 Aug, 4 Aug and 6 Jul 2026: monthly publishing documented.
GPlaying and practice
8.3G1 :3Playing humans online (pool, anti-cheating)
https://lichess.org/about “more than five million games every day”; all time controls (faq); https://lichess.org/page/fair-play documented anti-cheating.
G2 :2Realistic artificial opponents
https://lichess.org/@/maia1 “BOT maia1 … human-like neural network … trained on 10 million Lichess games between 1100s”; thinking time not documented.
G3 :2Replaying one specific position against the machine
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/site.xml “Continue from here” + “Practice with computer” from the analysis of your own games.
G4 :3Tournaments and organized competition
https://lichess.org/tournament hourly and daily arenas, Swiss, “Titled Arena”; blog, 12 Aug 2026: Bundesliga at its 672nd edition, team leagues.
HExperience and accessibility
7.3H1 :3Platforms available (web, iOS, Android, desktop)
https://lichess.org/mobile links to Google Play (org.lichess.mobileV2), the App Store (id1662361230) and F-Droid; plus the website.
H2 :1User ratings and reviews (stores, press)
https://apps.apple.com/app/lichess/id1662361230 4.0/5 (556 ratings); https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lichess.mobileV2 3.8/5 (13.8K ratings).
H3 :3Interface languages available
https://lichess.org/faq and https://crowdin.com/project/lichess: more than 80 interface languages translated by the community, content (puzzles, practice, training) localised, move notation can be localised in the preferences
H4 :2Accessibility (keyboard, screen reader)
https://lichess.org/about “blind mode”; nvui.xml screen reader, keyboardMove.xml keyboard input; no accessibility guide found.
H5 :2Offline use and known incidents
https://apps.apple.com/app/lichess/id1662361230 offline puzzles and engine analysis; blog VGPcQtN3 offline play against the computer. status.lichess.org did not resolve.
IPreparation and study
7.5I1 :2Preparing for a named opponent
https://lichess.org/features — “Personal opening explorer (also works on other players)”: repertoire by colour and results for a named player; other players' insights (insight.xml)
I2 :3Annotating and sharing games (studies)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/study.xml — multi-chapter studies, contributors (“Add members”, “Contributor”), real-time sync, public/unlisted, cloning
I3 :1Entering a game played at a club (photo, scoresheet)
https://lichess.org/features — “Board editor”, “Import game” (paste a PGN); no photo/OCR recognition
I4 :3Searching your games (filters, position)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila-openingexplorer/master/README.md — /player: the player’s games by position; search.xml: opponent, colour, result and date filters
JHuman coaching and community
8.3J1 :3Access to human coaches
https://lichess.org/coach “NM or FIDE title” required and verified (coach.xml), hourly rate, “Accepting students”, private message.
J2 :3Size and activity of the community
https://lichess.org/forum 691,600 messages (General), activity the same day; https://lichess.org/team “Lichess Swiss” 729,996 members.
J3 :1Tools for trainers, clubs and schools
https://lichess.org/class generated student accounts, “Track student progress in games and puzzles”; no homework found (class.xml).
J4 :3Engagement mechanics (streaks, virtual currency, reminders)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lichess-org/lila/master/translation/source/preferences.xml “Show player ratings” can be switched off, “Zen mode”; no paid mechanic (lichess.org/patron).
KPersonal data and interoperability
8.9K1 :2Exporting your data (games, repertoire)
https://lichess.org/api/openapi.yaml “Download all games of any user in PGN”; personal data on request (privacy); no full self-service export.
K2 :3Protection of personal data (GDPR, hosting)
https://lichess.org/privacy GDPR, DPO gdpr@lichess.org, “servers located in the European Union”, no advertising and no trackers.
K3 :3Public API and source code
https://github.com/lichess-org/lila source code under AGPL-3.0; public API documented at https://lichess.org/api.
Also, outside the grid
Features found that no criterion measures. They do not count towards the score.
- Live tournament broadcasts
- 8 chess variants
- Puzzle Storm / Racer against the clock
- Correspondence games with pre-moves
- Simuls and Lichess TV