Ever seen an interesting chess position on your screen, in a book, or during a live stream and wanted to know the best move? Our chess solver from image lets you upload a screenshot or photo and get instant Stockfish analysis — no need to manually recreate the position piece by piece.
The scanner uses computer vision technology to detect each piece on the board, convert the position to FEN notation, and then run it through Stockfish 18 to find the best move. It works with screenshots from Chess.com, Lichess, and most other chess platforms.
Converting a chess image to analysis involves three steps:
Step 1: Upload Your Image
Take a screenshot of your chess game or snap a photo of a physical board. Upload it to our chess solver using the image upload button.
Step 2: Position Detection
Our computer vision system identifies the board boundaries, detects each square, and recognizes the pieces. It generates a FEN string representing the exact position.
Step 3: Stockfish Analysis
The detected position is loaded into Stockfish, which analyzes millions of possibilities per second to find the best move. You get the evaluation score, best continuation, and alternative moves.
Supported Image Sources
Our chess position scanner works with various image sources:
Chess.com screenshots: High accuracy detection from both light and dark board themes
Lichess screenshots: Works with all Lichess board styles and piece sets
Other chess platforms: Chess24, ICC, and most online chess interfaces
Physical board photos: Photos of real chess boards (best results from directly above)
Chess books and magazines: Printed diagrams from chess publications
Video screenshots: Paused frames from chess streams or YouTube videos
Tips for Best Results
Do
Use screenshots rather than photos when possible
Crop the image to show just the chess board
Ensure all pieces are clearly visible
Use good lighting for physical board photos
Avoid
Blurry or low-resolution images
Extreme angles on physical boards
Partial board views (all 64 squares needed)
Images with overlays or annotations covering pieces
Alternative: Manual Position Setup
If the image scanner isn't available or you want to use the free tier, you can set up positions manually:
FEN string: Copy the FEN from Chess.com/Lichess (usually under "Share" or "Analysis board") and paste it into our chess solver
Drag and drop: Use the board editor to place pieces manually — clear the board and drag pieces to their positions
PGN import: Paste the full game notation to load and replay the game move by move in our analysis tool
When to Use Chess Image Analysis
The chess solver from image feature is useful in many situations:
Post-game review: Screenshot a critical position from your game and analyze it in depth
Learning from videos: Pause a chess stream, screenshot the position, and find the best move
Studying books: Photograph a diagram from a chess book and get engine analysis
OTB analysis: Take a photo of your over-the-board game position for post-game review
Ready to try it? Open our chess solver and upload your first screenshot. For complete game analysis, try our AI game analyzer where you can paste PGN and review every move.
Chess Image Scanner - FAQ
Can I solve a chess position from a photo?
Yes! Upload a screenshot or photo of any chess board to our scanner. It uses computer vision to detect the position and converts it into a FEN string that Stockfish can analyze. The solver then finds the best move.
What chess apps work with the image scanner?
Our scanner works with screenshots from Chess.com, Lichess, Chess24, and most other chess platforms. It also recognizes physical chess boards from photos, though digital screenshots produce the most accurate results.
How accurate is chess position detection from images?
Digital screenshots (Chess.com, Lichess) have 95%+ accuracy. Physical board photos depend on lighting, angle, and piece visibility. For best results, take photos from directly above with good lighting.
Is the chess image scanner free?
The image scanner is a Pro feature ($9.99/mo). You can use the free chess solver by manually setting up positions on the board or pasting FEN strings.
What is FEN notation?
FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) describes a chess position as text. For example: 'rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR b KQkq e3' represents the position after 1.e4. You can paste FEN into our solver instead of using images.
Can I scan a position from a chess book?
Yes! Take a clear photo of the chess diagram from the book. Our scanner will attempt to detect the position. For printed diagrams, results are good. For hand-drawn or small diagrams, manual FEN entry may be more reliable.
Try the Chess Solver
Upload a screenshot or set up a position for instant analysis.
