Lumichess review: scores and evidence
Lumichess reads Chess.com/Lichess games by username, analyses them with Stockfish 18 in the browser (per-game report, 40-game profile on 6 axes compared with the rating band, improvement plan) and offers Glicko-2 puzzles, Woodpecker training and replaying your own mistakes. It has no mobile app, no opening repertoire, no courses and no coach; online play is a Lichess client.
Read on August 30, 2026 from the service’s public pages — every score cites the page read.
Overall score
4.0/ 10
Rank
13/ 128
Languages
1
Listed price
€0 (free, funded by Google AdSense — lumichess.com/privacy; no pricing page, /pricing = 404)
What the service is
Lumichess is a website created by Sriram Samudrala, a software engineer and product manager, a self-taught player who went from about 600 to 1850 on Chess.com and has held a FIDE rating since 2026 (About page). No publishing company or country is stated on the site, and the launch date is not documented: the oldest blog posts are dated 18 May 2026 and the privacy policy reads "Last updated: June 10, 2026". The service reads the games of a Chess.com or Lichess account from its username and analyses them with Stockfish 18 running in the browser; it produces a per-game report (accuracy, evaluation graph, moves classified by win probability), a profile report on the last 40 rated games with six axes scored from 0 to 100 against the player’s rating band, and three to five suggested next steps. It also offers puzzles by rating band and by theme with a Woodpecker mode, an "Insights" module (rating curves, filters on game history, FIDE player search) and a client for playing on Lichess. Everything is free and unlimited; the site has no pricing page and is funded by Google AdSense according to its privacy policy. It has no mobile app, no opening repertoire, no courses and no coaches, and the interface exists in English only.
Activity history
- 2026-0610 June 2026: post introducing the free puzzles and the Woodpecker method (sets by difficulty from beginner to master, themed sets, repeated cycles solved ever faster); the privacy policy is updated the same day.
- 2026-065 June 2026: post "How to actually review your chess games", advice on reviewing one’s games.
- 2026-062 and 3 June 2026: posts on free online play (Lichess client) and on "Chess Insights", a seven-tab dashboard (rating curves per time control, filterable game list, FIDE player search).
- 2026-0518 May 2026: first blog posts introducing the Game Report (Stockfish 18 in the browser, nothing sent to a server, no daily limit) and the Profile Report (last 40 games, six rating-adjusted axes, three to five next steps).
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
5.4A1 :2Importing your games (Chess.com, Lichess, PGN files)
https://lumichess.com/game/report: Chess.com or Lichess by username "or paste a link"; no PGN import.
A2 :2Automatic engine analysis of every game
https://lumichess.com/blog/game-report: "Stockfish 18, running in your browser", "no daily limit"; adjustable depth but not published.
A3 :1Recurring mistakes identified across all your games
https://lumichess.com/blog/profile-report — 6 axes scored 0-100 and blunders/mistakes per game vs opponents; no error named and counted
A4 :2Types of mistakes covered (tactics, strategy, endgame, time…)
https://lumichess.com/blog/profile-report — axes Opening, Tactics, Endgame, Conversion, Time Management, Resourcefulness; list of motifs not published
A5 :2Written explanation of each mistake
https://lumichess.com/blog/game-report — "a sentence or two of commentary that names the opening or the tactic" + arrow for the engine move
A6 :0Stated verification of the diagnoses (procedure, rates)
https://lumichess.com/about: no mention of reliability or rates.
A7 :1Tracking each weakness over time
https://lumichess.com/insights: "how your rating has moved over time", results by opening/time control — no evolution of weaknesses.
A8 :3Comparison with players of the same rating
https://lumichess.com/blog/profile-report: "Each axis is a rating-adjusted score … against where a player at your rating usually sits".
BOpenings
1.1B1 :0Building a personal repertoire
https://lumichess.com/sitemap.xml: no repertoire page.
B2 :0Training the repertoire (drills, games)
https://lumichess.com: no repertoire drill.
B3 :1Spotting where you left your repertoire in your games
https://lumichess.com/insights: "which openings you actually score with" = statistics by opening.
B4 :0Verification of the lines taught (engine, practice)
https://lumichess.com: no line taught.
B5 :1Opening explorer and statistics
https://lumichess.com/profile-report: "Opening Repertoire by color" on one’s own games only.
B6 :0Explanation of opening plans and ideas
https://lumichess.com: no opening teaching.
CTargeted training
3.7C1 :2Exercises drawn from your own games
https://lumichess.com/puzzle/mistakes: positions taken from analysed games, rounds until "All Mistakes Mastered"; no classification by weakness.
C2 :2Bank of tactical exercises (size, themes, rating)
https://lumichess.com/puzzles: "5,029,552 positions", "15 rating bands", themed sets; no public quality control.
C3 :1Endgame training
https://lumichess.com/blog/free-chess-puzzles-woodpecker: themed sets including "endgames"; no dedicated endgame module.
C4 :0Strategic and positional training
https://lumichess.com/puzzles — tactical puzzles and Woodpecker only
C5 :0Training defense and alertness
https://lumichess.com/puzzles — no defensive exercise
C6 :0Training calculation and visualization
https://lumichess.com/puzzles: no visualisation/calculation exercise.
C7 :2Difficulty matched to your real level
https://lumichess.com/puzzles: "Glicko-2, the same rating system Lichess uses"; no success target.
C8 :1Spaced repetition (named algorithm)
https://lumichess.com/blog/free-chess-puzzles-woodpecker — fixed cycles of the same set; no algorithmic spacing
C9 :2Personalized training plan
https://lumichess.com/blog/profile-report — "Three to five concrete next steps … with a button"; no time budget or priorities
DPrice and value
10.0D1 :3What the free plan actually lets you do
https://lumichess.com: "Free, unlimited Game Reports", "no daily limit".
D2 :3Annual price of the full plan
https://lumichess.com: free; /pricing = 404.
D3 :3Commercial transparency (price shown, trial, cancellation)
https://lumichess.com: no subscription, no renewal; AdSense funding (privacy).
D4 :3Number of paid tiers (how simple the offer is)
https://lumichess.com/blog/profile-report — "free and unlimited", no paid tier
EEvidence and transparency
4.2E1 :1Published evidence of effectiveness
https://lumichess.com/about: "from 600 to 1,850 without a coach" — the founder’s testimonial.
E2 :0Chess verification of the content (positions, lines)
https://lumichess.com: no information on content verification.
E3 :2Transparency of the method (algorithms, code)
https://lumichess.com: Stockfish 18 WASM, Glicko-2, win-probability classification named.
E4 :2Marketing claims that can be checked (no overselling)
https://lumichess.com/game/report: "a move flagged as an error is not necessarily a move you should have found"; slogan "take every player to 2000" not quantified.
FContent and method
3.3F1 :0Courses organized by rating level
https://lumichess.com/sitemap.xml: no courses.
F2 :1Course authors named and titled
https://lumichess.com/about: founder Sriram Samudrala, "FIDE-rated", no title.
F3 :1Content formats (text, video, interactive)
https://lumichess.com/blog: text only (6 posts).
F4 :1Published method of progression
https://lumichess.com/blog/how-to-review-chess-games: general advice; no curriculum.
F5 :2How often the content is updated
https://lumichess.com/blog: posts from 18/05 to 10/06/2026; privacy "June 10, 2026" — less than 3 months.
GPlaying and practice
0.0G1 :0Playing humans online (pool, anti-cheating)
https://lumichess.com/play/online: "Games are seeked, played and rated on Lichess; the board here is a client" — host platform, not rated here.
G2 :0Realistic artificial opponents
https://lumichess.com/play/online: no bot or engine opponent.
G3 :0Replaying one specific position against the machine
https://lumichess.com/play/online: no FEN position and no replay against the engine.
G4 :0Tournaments and organized competition
https://lumichess.com: no tournament.
HExperience and accessibility
1.3H1 :1Platforms available (web, iOS, Android, desktop)
https://lumichess.com: web only; https://play.google.com search "lumichess" without result; no store link on the site.
H2 :0User ratings and reviews (stores, press)
No store listing or third-party review found; https://lumichess.com without rating.
H3 :0Interface languages available
https://lumichess.com — English only, no selector or hreflang
H4 :0Accessibility (keyboard, screen reader)
https://lumichess.com: no mention of accessibility.
H5 :1Offline use and known incidents
https://lumichess.com/blog/game-report: local WASM engine but games/account via server (Vercel/Supabase); no incident reported.
IPreparation and study
2.5I1 :1Preparing for a named opponent
https://lumichess.com/blog/chess-insights — FIDE player search: standard/rapid/blitz ratings, world rank; no repertoire
I2 :0Annotating and sharing games (studies)
https://lumichess.com/blog/game-report — no annotation or sharing mentioned
I3 :0Entering a game played at a club (photo, scoresheet)
https://lumichess.com — games read by Chess.com/Lichess username; no entry or recognition
I4 :2Searching your games (filters, position)
https://lumichess.com/blog/chess-insights — Games: filters "by color, time control, result, how the game ended, and opponent"
JHuman coaching and community
1.7J1 :0Access to human coaches
https://lumichess.com/about: no coach.
J2 :0Size and activity of the community
https://lumichess.com: the founder’s X/LinkedIn links only.
J3 :0Tools for trainers, clubs and schools
https://lumichess.com: no coach/club space.
J4 :2Engagement mechanics (streaks, virtual currency, reminders)
https://lumichess.com/puzzles: puzzle rating without currency or nagging; no documented opt-out.
KPersonal data and interoperability
1.1K1 :0Exporting your data (games, repertoire)
https://lumichess.com/privacy: deletion by email only; no export.
K2 :1Protection of personal data (GDPR, hosting)
https://lumichess.com/privacy (10/06/2026): Vercel/Supabase, "Google Analytics … Google AdSense", "We don’t sell", GDPR not mentioned.
K3 :0Public API and source code
https://lumichess.com: no API or code; https://github.com/lumichess = 404.
Also, outside the grid
Features found that no criterion measures. They do not count towards the score.
- Side-by-side comparison of two FIDE players
- Activity heat map
- Automatic report after every game played
- Stockfish in the browser, nothing sent to the server
Sources consulted
- https://lumichess.com/
- https://lumichess.com/about
- https://lumichess.com/blog
- https://lumichess.com/privacy
- https://lumichess.com/blog/game-report
- https://lumichess.com/blog/profile-report
- https://lumichess.com/blog/free-chess-puzzles-woodpecker
- https://lumichess.com/blog/chess-insights
- https://lumichess.com/blog/how-to-review-chess-games
- https://lumichess.com/game/report
- https://lumichess.com/insights
- https://lumichess.com/sitemap.xml
- https://lumichess.com
- https://lumichess.com/profile-report
- https://lumichess.com/puzzle/mistakes
- https://lumichess.com/puzzles
- https://lumichess.com/play/online
- https://play.google.com
- https://github.com/lumichess
Services with a similar profile
The three services whose category profile is closest — a distance over the eleven scores, computed, never chosen.