BY VIEWCAST    UPDATED December 13, 2025

Lichess, a distinguished online chess platform, stands out for its comprehensive, cost-free services aimed at chess enthusiasts globally. Emphasizing accessibility and an extensive array of features without subscription fees, Lichess caters to players at all levels, from beginners to advanced strategists.
Boasting a user-friendly interface that seamlessly integrates with its website, Lichess provides a hassle-free experience for players. Noteworthy is its offline functionality, ensuring users can enjoy chess games without the need for a constant internet connection. Furthermore, it offers a rich selection of puzzles, lessons, and real-time online gameplay against opponents worldwide, enhancing learning and competitive experiences.
The platform's commitment to a zero-profit model, featuring no ads or subscription fees, garners appreciation from its community. This commitment ensures an uninterrupted and engaging chess experience, fostering a focused and competitive environment for all users. Additionally, Lichess is praised for its equitable and accurate rating system, although some feedback suggests room for improvement in scoring accuracy during matchups.
Future updates are highly anticipated, with expectations including broadcast features and expanded analysis and puzzle variants, promising an even richer experience for users. The prospect of adding personal notes or thoughts in chess notation during game analysis is a feature numerous users are eager to see, highlighting the platform's potential for educational enhancement.
While Lichess excels in many areas, some users express desires for additional features, such as the ability for more pre-move setups in rapid games and the introduction of 3D board geometry in the app, mirroring options available in web versions.
The global chess community holds Lichess in high regard for its unparalleled free access and robust feature set, contributing to its reputation as a top choice for chess players. Suggestions for improvement include enhancing the fairness and accuracy of the rating system and incorporating more diverse feedback markers during game analysis to cover positive strategic moves in addition to common game errors.
Moreover, addressing technical issues such as app connectivity and broadening the feature set in mobile versions would greatly benefit user experience. Continuous updates and responsiveness to community feedback are pivotal for maintaining and elevating the platform's esteemed status.
In summary, Lichess offers an exceptional online chess experience through a combination of free access, a wide range of features, and a strong community. As the platform evolves, it holds the promise of further enriching the chess playing and learning experience for users worldwide.
Yes, Lichess is entirely free, offering all its features without subscriptions or ads.
Yes, Lichess provides functionality for offline play, allowing users to enjoy games without an internet connection.
Yes, Lichess includes a wide range of chess puzzles and lessons suitable for various skill levels.
Yes, Lichess supports real-time online play against other users from around the world.
While specific future updates are not detailed, user feedback suggests high anticipation for expanded analysis features, puzzle variants, and potential UI enhancements.
lichess • Free Online Chess is primarily a mobile app designed for smartphones. However, you can run lichess • Free Online Chess on your computer using an Android emulator. An Android emulator allows you to run Android apps on your PC. Here's how to install lichess • Free Online Chess on your PC using Android emuator:
Visit any Android emulator website. Download the latest version of Android emulator compatible with your operating system (Windows or macOS). Install Android emulator by following the on-screen instructions.
Launch Android emulator and complete the initial setup, including signing in with your Google account.
Inside Android emulator, open the Google Play Store (it's like the Android Play Store) and search for "lichess • Free Online Chess."Click on the lichess • Free Online Chess app, and then click the "Install" button to download and install lichess • Free Online Chess.
You can also download the APK from this page and install lichess • Free Online Chess without Google Play Store.
You can now use lichess • Free Online Chess on your PC within the Anroid emulator. Keep in mind that it will look and feel like the mobile app, so you'll navigate using a mouse and keyboard.

