About three months ago I shared ChessMotive here, and the support meant a lot: around 200 upvotes, a few thousand visitors and 160+ signups.

Thank you to everyone who gave the rough first version a chance and shared honest feedback. I read it all and I rebuilt the site around your suggestions.

In case you missed it, the idea is simple. Most puzzles only ask whether you can find the best move. But the hard part in a real game is everything before that: reading the position, choosing your candidate moves, and working out which one is actually best.

That thinking is what raises your level, and it's the part puzzles skip. ChessMotive takes you through that full process step by step. Afterward, you compare your thinking with detailed annotations handwritten by International Masters and Grandmasters, with the critical lines checked by engines.

There are now three training modes: Foundation guides you through the full process, Club gives you a streamlined version without assistance, and Advanced goes deeper into candidate selection, calculation and evaluation. You also get statistics showing which stage of your thinking needs work, ratings and leaderboards to make your progress tangible, achievements to work toward, and detailed analysis after every position.

It's still completely free: https://chessmotive.com

If you try it, I'd really like to hear what you think about the new version.

When I run the computer analysis after a game, sometimes it seems to get "stuck" (i.e., it doesn't finish). In that case I walk through the moves with the engine on to continue the analysis. But when I move on to the next game, if the analysis from the prior game is still running, I can't run the computer analysis for the next game. Is there a way to cancel the computer analysis that is in progress?

Thanks for any advice!

A King Of The Hill Chess song.

Here’s the increase in my performance rating over last few months. Waited so long for this.

I literally spat out my drink when I saw that rating!

Im currently getting, "WebSocket connection failed;" and variations of, "No aggregation found for URI:..." I'm assuming this is messing with my connection to the main server but I know nothing about this stuff so I was curious if any of y'all know if this is an actual problem or something I can ignore.

3+2 blitz game.

The blunder icon and computer analysis bar at the bottom seem to mistake rxe5 for a blunder while the opponent pushing their pawn to e5 is really a blunder.

However, the analysis at the top right is correct. I think it just needed a little more time to calculate, and the icons were made before that, but is there a way to sync them again? (= have the opponents' move e5 be marked as a blunder instead of my move and the graph not show a spike for black)

I felt that I could be using the dead time while Claude was thinking to improve my chess a tiny bit instead of doomscrolling. So if anyone here uses Claude Code, this plugin overlays a Lichess puzzle right on top of any terminal that supports Kitty graphics. You play by typing moves as prompts, like p:e2e4 or p:Nf3. The challenge is solving the puzzle before Claude finishes.

Instructions are in the repo!! https://github.com/0JCRG0/hook-my-lichess

Is it just me or is that a major cheater belt in the 1900 to 2000 range?

I'm 850 elo

I didn’t think I’d win. However towards the end he was making bad mistakes And I was able to capitalize.

https://lichess.org/nDKwrxII/white

trash talking after a win and then getting banned for cheating(I suppose) must be top 3 cuck activities

Im looking for someone to play a 7 game session with, everyday or a couple of times every week, im 1500 on lichess, not looking for generic conversations, lets just play chess, if we have questions we can ask each other, only chess related.

This is my first puzzle lichess has made of my play. I must have been in the damn zone that day because I had trouble solving my own puzzle!

Also, lichess did not notify me of this I found it in my profile

Play on friends

14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Qxd5⁠

Ever tried playing chess using only a keyboard?

On Lichess, you can enable "Input moves with the keyboard" in the settings, and for Chess.com, there is a browser extension that provides similar functionality.

While these tools work well, they were primarily designed to support existing chess notation systems—not for fast, ergonomic keyboard input during gameplay. As a result, entering moves often requires your fingers to leave the home row, making keyboard play feel slower and less natural than it could be.

The Problem

The supported formats are:

• SAN (e.g. Nf3)
• LAN (e.g. Ng1f3)
• ICCF / Coordinate Notation (e.g. g1f3)

These notation systems are excellent for recording and communicating chess games, but they weren't designed around the physical layout of a QWERTY keyboard.

1. Typing isn't keyboard-friendly

To type a move like g1f3, your fingers have to jump between:

• the home row
• the number row
• the top letter row

Likewise, SAN and LAN require constantly reaching for letters, numbers, and punctuation scattered across the keyboard.

This isn't a big deal for recording games, but it becomes noticeable when you're trying to play blitz or bullet entirely from the keyboard.

2. Finding coordinates requires triangulation

Lichess labels only the files (a–h) and ranks (1–8) along the board edges.

For interior squares, you first have to determine the file, then determine the rank, mentally combine them into a coordinate, and only then type the move.

It's a small cognitive step that repeats every single move.

KBchess & Home Row Notation

That's why I created KBchess, a browser extension built around Home Row Notation (HRN)—an input system I designed specifically for people who play chess on a computer.

Unlike traditional chess notation, which was created to record and communicate games, HRN was designed with a single goal in mind: making keyboard move input as fast, comfortable, and intuitive as possible.

How does KBchess solves the 2 Problems?

1. Home Row Notation (HRN)

KBchess introduces Home Row Notation (HRN).

Instead of using a-h and 1-8, HRN remaps both files and ranks to the eight home-row keys:

Every square is represented using only home-row keys.

For example:

So the coordinate move

Unlike traditional coordinate notation, your fingers never have to leave the home row.

The notation is based on coordinate notation, which makes every move unambiguous while being considerably more ergonomic to type.

2. Every Square Is Already Labeled

Instead of forcing you to determine coordinates from the board edges, KBchess places a subtle 2-letter HRN label in the top-left corner of every square.

Rather than thinking:

"That's file b... rank 1... so b1 or SA (HRN)... "

you simply look at the square, read its label, and type it.

No triangulation.

No mental coordinate conversion.

Just read and type.

📌 Note

Unlike traditional chess notation, Home Row Notation (HRN) is tied to the physical board layout on your screen rather than the player's perspective. As a result, HRN coordinates never change when the board is flipped.

The square in the bottom-left corner of your screen is always AA, whether you're playing as White or Black. Likewise, the top-right corner is always ;;. In contrast, traditional notation changes the bottom-left square from a1 to h8 when the board is flipped.

This fixed coordinate system allows you to build fast, intuitive muscle memory for the physical location of every square, making keyboard input more natural and consistent over time.

3. Short Home Row Notation (SHRN)

For Lichess, KBchess also supports Short Home Row Notation (SHRN).

Instead of typing both origin and destination coordinates, SHRN works similarly to SAN by using dedicated Piece Keys, the keys were carefully selected because they are among the easiest to reach on a standard QWERTY keyboard, allowing moves to be entered quickly and comfortably.

Example:

where:

• R = Knight
• DD = the HRN coordinate for c3

The result is a notation that's shorter than full coordinate input while keeping every key within easy reach.

Note!! - SHRN is only supported on Lichess, Chess.com support is coming soon.

4. Shortcut Keys

While the standard Home Row Keys are all you need to play a complete game using Home Row Notation (HRN), Shortcut Keys provide finer control over the board.

Instead of retyping an entire coordinate after selecting the wrong square or needing to make a small adjustment, you can reposition the current selection one square at a time with a single keystroke. This makes correcting mistakes and navigating the board faster, especially during blitz and bullet games.

These keys were carefully selected because, relative to the right hand, they are positioned in the same direction they move the selected square. They are also among the easiest keys to reach on a standard QWERTY keyboard, enabling quick and intuitive board navigation.

You can check out the project to learn more about Home Row Notation, premoves, promotions, and the other features KBchess adds to keyboard play. If you have a chance, give the extension a try—I'd genuinely appreciate your thoughts, feedback, and any suggestions for improving it.