A chess move calculator is an essential tool for players at every level. Whether you're stuck on a difficult position, analyzing a game, learning new patterns, or studying grandmaster games, our free chess calculator provides instant, grandmaster-level analysis powered by the world's strongest chess engine.
Unlike basic move suggesters, our calculator uses Stockfish 17 with NNUE neural network evaluation—the same technology used by world champions and professional players. Set up any position, click analyze, and within seconds you'll know the objectively best move.
Our calculator uses Stockfish 17, rated over 3500 ELO—far stronger than any human player, including Magnus Carlsen. When you request analysis, here's what happens:
Position Input: Set up the board manually, paste a FEN string, or upload a screenshot from any chess platform.
Deep Analysis: Stockfish searches millions of positions per second, looking 18+ moves ahead.
NNUE Evaluation: A neural network trained on hundreds of millions of positions evaluates each position's strength.
Best Move Output: The calculator shows the best move, evaluation score, and alternative lines.
Best Chess Move Calculator Features
Our calculator includes powerful features for analysis and training:
Instant Analysis
Set up any position and get the best move within seconds. Depth 18 analysis ensures accurate evaluation even in complex positions.
Hint Button
Stuck on a move? Click Hint to see the best move displayed as an arrow on the board. Perfect for training and learning.
AI vs AI Mode
Watch Stockfish play against itself. Observe perfect chess, study engine strategies, and learn from how it handles different positions.
AutoMe Mode
The engine plays your color automatically while you control the opponent. Great for studying openings and seeing how to respond to specific lines.
Image Scanner (Premium)
Upload screenshots from Chess.com, Lichess, or any platform. Our AI automatically detects and recreates the position on the board.
Best Move Calculator Chess: Understanding Evaluations
When Stockfish analyzes a position, it provides an evaluation score. Understanding these numbers helps you assess any position:
Centipawn Evaluation
+1.00 means White is ahead by roughly one pawn. -2.50 means Black is ahead by 2.5 pawns. 0.00 is dead equal. Small advantages (±0.3) are typically not decisive.
Significant Advantages
±1.0 to ±2.0: Clear advantage, should win with accurate play. ±2.0 to ±3.0: Winning advantage. ±3.0+: Usually decisive, equivalent to being up a piece.
Mate Evaluations
+M3 means White has forced checkmate in 3 moves. -M5 means Black has forced checkmate in 5 moves. The lower the number, the faster the checkmate.
Calculator Chess: How to Use It Effectively
The chess calculator is most valuable when used as a learning tool, not just an answer machine. Here's how to maximize improvement:
1. Try to Find the Move First
Before clicking analyze, spend 2-3 minutes calculating on your own. What do you think is the best move? Why? Then compare your answer with the engine's recommendation. This builds your analytical skills.
2. Understand WHY, Not Just WHAT
When the engine suggests a move you didn't consider, don't just accept it. Ask yourself: "Why is this better than my move? What did I miss?" This deeper analysis builds pattern recognition.
3. Check Alternative Lines
The calculator shows multiple candidate moves. Sometimes your move isn't the absolute best but is still good. Understanding the difference between +0.5 and +0.3 evaluations helps calibrate your judgment.
4. Use It for Opening Preparation
Set up positions from your opening repertoire and check your ideas against the engine. If your planned move is significantly worse than alternatives, you'll know before playing it in a real game.
Best Next Chess Move: Position Input Methods
Multiple ways to get positions into the calculator:
Interactive Board: Click and drag pieces to set up any position manually. Clear the board and add pieces one by one, or start from the standard position and make moves.
FEN String: Paste a FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) string to instantly load any position. FEN is the standard format used by all chess software.
PGN Import: Paste PGN (Portable Game Notation) to load a complete game and navigate to any position.
Image Upload (Premium): Screenshot any chess position from any platform—the AI detects pieces and recreates the position automatically.
Chess Move Calculator vs Full Game Analysis
Our platform offers two complementary tools:
Chess Move Calculator (This Page)
Best for: Single positions, finding the best move in a specific situation, quick checks, opening preparation. Try it here →
AI Game Analyzer
Best for: Reviewing complete games, finding all mistakes, understanding where you went wrong, comprehensive post-game analysis. Try it here →
Who Uses Chess Move Calculators?
Chess calculators are used by players at every level:
Beginners: Learning what good moves look like, understanding why certain moves are better than others.
Intermediate Players: Checking opening ideas, analyzing critical game moments, preparing against specific opponents.
Advanced Players: Deep opening preparation, endgame analysis, verifying calculations in complex positions.
Chess Content Creators: Analyzing games for videos, verifying tactical solutions, creating educational content.
Puzzle Creators: Verifying that puzzles have unique solutions, checking difficulty levels.
Free vs Premium Features
Our chess calculator offers both free and premium tiers:
Free Features
Position analysis, Hint button, AI vs AI mode, FEN/PGN input, interactive board, basic evaluation. No registration required.
Premium Features
Image scanner (upload screenshots), adjustable ELO strength (600-3600), unlimited analysis, AI move commentary explaining why moves are good.
Start Using the Chess Calculator Now
Ready to find the best move? Open our free chess calculator and set up any position. Whether you're stuck in a game, analyzing past mistakes, or preparing new openings, Stockfish 17 will show you the way.
A chess move calculator analyzes any position and tells you the best move. It uses Stockfish, the world's strongest engine rated 3500+ ELO, to evaluate millions of positions and find the strongest continuation in seconds.
How does the chess calculator find the best move?
The calculator uses Stockfish 17 with depth 18 analysis. It builds a tree of possible moves, evaluates each position using neural network technology (NNUE), and determines which move leads to the best outcome for the side to move.
Can I use this for Chess.com or Lichess games?
Yes! You can upload screenshots from any platform. Our image scanner detects the position automatically. You can also paste FEN strings or manually set up positions on the interactive board.
What does the evaluation number mean?
+1.5 means White is ahead by about 1.5 pawns worth of advantage. -2.0 means Black is better by 2 pawns. +M3 means White has forced checkmate in 3 moves. 0.0 is roughly equal position.
Is the chess move calculator free?
Yes, basic features are completely free with no registration required. Premium features like image scanning, adjustable ELO strength, and unlimited analysis are available with a subscription.
How accurate is the chess calculator?
Extremely accurate. Stockfish 17 is rated over 3500 ELO—stronger than any human player. When it suggests a move, you can trust it's among the very best options in the position.
Can I analyze full games or just positions?
Both! The chess calculator handles single positions. For full game analysis move-by-move, use our AI Game Analyzer which reviews every move and classifies them as brilliant, good, inaccuracy, mistake, or blunder.
What is the Hint button?
The Hint button shows the best move with an arrow on the board. It's useful when you're stuck and want to see what the engine recommends without leaving the current position.
What is AI vs AI mode?
AI vs AI mode lets Stockfish play against itself. You can watch the engine make perfect moves, study its strategies, and learn from how it handles different positions.
Is using a chess calculator during games cheating?
Using any engine during rated online or over-the-board games is cheating. However, using the calculator for post-game analysis, training, and learning is completely legitimate and encouraged.
Try the Chess Move Calculator Free
Find the best move in any position—powered by Stockfish 17.
