Quick matchesTurns over daysAgainst the computer
Lichess
Chess with no adverts and nothing to buy. You can be playing the computer within a minute of opening the page, as 'Anonymous', and the same site runs one-minute bullet games and correspondence games that last weeks.
Lichess at a glance
- One game
- 2 minutes to weeks
- Check in
- None live; set days per move in correspondence
- Players
- 2 per game
- Players message you
- Try it without an account
- Sells nothing
- No adverts
- Phone app
Facts
- Made by
- Lichess, a French charity run by volunteers, France
- Running since
- 2010, when Thibault Duplessis began it as a hobby project.
- Setting
- The chessboard
- Format
- Chess for two: live games from one minute a side upwards, correspondence games with days per move, the computer, or a friend by challenge.
- One game lasts
- From about 2 minutes (one minute each) to weeks for a correspondence game (est., from the time controls offered)
- Check in
- None for live games; in correspondence chess, one move within the days you choose
- Players
- 2 per game; the home page counted 112,787 players online on 23 October 2026
- Phone
- A free Android app, PEGI 3, with no adverts or in-app purchases listed, and a site that works on phones. We did not check the iOS app.
- Account
- None to play the computer. Rated games and messages need a free account.
- Money
- Nothing for sale and no adverts. Lichess runs on donations (Lichess Patron) and links to a merchandise shop. Its about page says it does not sell adverts or user data and 'never will'.
- Paid random items
- None. Nothing is sold.
- Chat
- With an account: chat with opponents and spectators during games, private messages, forums and teams. Kid mode, set up by a teacher or parent, turns off public chats. There is a report page.
- Age
- The terms say you must be at least 15 to register, or have permission from a parent or guardian. Younger children can use kid accounts made by a teacher. Google Play rates the app PEGI 3 with 'Users interact'.
- Languages
- Many; volunteers translate it on Crowdin (we did not count the languages)
- Last update seen
- Blog post on 21 October 2026; Android app updated on 23 October 2026
How it plays
How Lichess plays
Lichess is a free, open-source chess server that Thibault Duplessis began in 2010. Volunteers and a French charity run it, and its home page counted 112,787 players and 48,675 games in play on 23 October 2026.
Live games use time controls written as minutes plus seconds added per move: 1+0, 2+1, 3+0 and slower. A 1+0 game is over within about two minutes. Correspondence games give each player days per move, so one game can run for weeks.
It is the only game here with no hidden information and no luck: both players see the whole board all the time. There are no armies to build and no map to explore.
Tournaments run around the clock. The 2026 Autumn Marathon, a 24-hour event, listed 2,733 players when we checked.
Your first game
- Step 1Open lichess.org and choose Play against computer.
- Step 2Pick a strength from 1 to 8 and a time control. Unlimited is the gentlest.
- Step 3Make a free account for rated games against people. The terms ask for age 15 or a parent's permission.
- Step 4For a child under 15, a teacher can set up a kid account, which hides public chats.
Money, chat and age
Lichess sells nothing and shows no adverts. Money comes from donations, and the merchandise shop is separate from the game.
Chat needs an account: game chat with opponents and spectators, private messages, forums and teams. Kid mode turns public chats off, and a report page is linked from the terms.
The terms set 15 as the age to register, with younger players allowed through a parent's or guardian's permission or a teacher's kid account. The Android app is rated PEGI 3.
Short breaks, long thinking and families who want no adverts and nothing for sale.
Players who want maps, armies and diplomacy. If a ticking clock is stressful, choose Unlimited or correspondence.
Sources
Lichess facts checked on 23 October 2026. How we check.