Chessboard Magic 1.5 Release

This release marks version 1.5, and the platform now includes 57 individual chess applications. That brings the original long term goal clearly into view, 64 tools, one for every square on the chessboard, with seven still to come.

What began as a small personal project has grown into a connected ecosystem of analysis, training, reference, and exploratory tools. As the catalogue has expanded, the focus has shifted from simply adding features to making sure each application fits naturally into the wider system and supports meaningful chess improvement.

This post captures the current state of the platform.

TL;DR: Try it now at chessboardmagic.com

Statistics

Since launch on 29 May 2024, Chessboard Magic has seen steady, organic growth.

• Total page views: 507,741
• Total users: approximately 34,000

The most visited applications on the platform to date are:

• Repertoire Builder, 79,361 page views (15.63%)
• Guess The Elo, 15,205 page views (2.99%)
• Guess The Opening, 14,847 page views (2.92%)
• Play The Opening, 14,733 page views (2.90%)
• Notation Trainer, 11,301 page views (2.23%)

All of this usage has been achieved without paid advertising, driven by organic discovery, community interest, and word of mouth.
As a solo developer, I have spent close to 1,500 hours designing, programming, and maintaining Chessboard Magic to date. The codebase currently totals 530,334 lines.

• Application code: 380,932 lines
• Data files: 80,105 lines
• Translation files: 69,297 lines

The Repertoire Builder remains the core application on the platform and accounts for 262,523 lines of code on its own (just under half).

Updates

Version 1.5 focuses on strengthening the analytical side of the platform while continuing to add variety through smaller experimental and entertainment focused applications.

Analytics

Several new analytics applications have been added to help players better understand openings, positions, and recurring decision making patterns.

• Analysis Board
  A comprehensive analysis workspace that brings together engine evaluation, opening databases, master games, and neural network insights. It allows you to explore positions from multiple perspectives and validate ideas using concrete data.
• Repertoire Generator
  A data driven tool that analyzes your existing games and generates structured, engine approved opening repertoires. It helps turn past experience into reliable opening lines without guesswork.
• ChessDB
  Integration with large scale real world game databases. It combines move frequency, performance statistics, and engine evaluations to show how positions are actually played in practice.
• Opening Inaccuracies
  A focused analytical view that reviews your games and highlights recurring opening inaccuracies identified by the engine. It helps surface small mistakes that consistently lead to worse positions.

Games

Version 1.5 also introduces two lightweight, chess themed games. These are included purely for entertainment and are not intended as training tools.

• Rook Racer
  A classic arcade card game where you control a rook racing down the board, dodging obstacles and collecting hearts. Designed as a fast, reflex driven diversion.
• Chess Crusher
  A chess themed match 3 puzzle game inspired by familiar candy style mechanics. Built for short casual sessions with satisfying puzzle loops.

Repertoire Builder

This release was focused primarily on cleaning up bugs, quality of life improvements, and performance issues across the platform, while also introducing several new analytical tools and experimental features.

• Repertoire Deviations
  Analyses imported games against your repertoire to identify where opponents deviate from your prepared theory, helping you refine and extend your lines
• Rare Moves Card
  Highlights moves in your repertoire with low expected frequency, helping you identify unusual lines that may require special attention or memorisation.
• Wikibooks Integration
  Added Wikibooks as a reference source in both the Builder and Library pages for additional opening theory and explanations.
• Performance & Stability
  Fixed over 100 different performance issues and bugs across the platform for a smoother, more reliable experience.

Full Catalogue of Chessboard Magic (57 Applications)

Analytics (11)

• (NEW) Analysis Board Analyze any chess position with powerful engines, opening databases, and AI powered insights all in one place.
• (NEW) ChessDB Explore real world opening statistics and engine backed data to guide your decisions from any position.
• (NEW) Opening Inaccuracies Analyze your games and identify engine detected inaccuracies in your opening play.
• (NEW) Repertoire Generator Generate engine approved opening repertoires directly from your own games.
• Game Review Review your past games to understand what went right and where things went wrong.
• Opening Priorities Discover which chess openings you should study based on your own games and results.
• Opening Tree Import your games and explore an interactive tree of all the opening moves you have played across Chess.com, Lichess, and PGNs.
• Opponent Prep Prepare for your next chess match by comparing two Lichess profiles. Analyze game stats, study opponent tendencies, and explore opening strategies side by side.
• Repertoire Builder Create and organize opening repertoires with analysis, training, and supporting analytics in a single workspace.
• Time Usage Analysis Import your games and explore how you manage your time move by move with visual analytics.
• User Scout Analyze player profiles, trends, and tendencies using aggregated game data.

Learn (14)

• Candidate Move Trainer Train your chess instincts by quickly choosing the best moves under time pressure.
• Checkmate Trainer Practice essential checkmating patterns with interactive drills.
• Chess Resources Explore a curated list of useful chess websites, tools, and learning materials.
• Coordinate Trainer Improve board awareness by matching coordinates to squares under time pressure.
• Hand and Brain The engine suggests the piece, and you decide how and where to move it.
• Hidden Chess Play while hiding pieces to improve visualization and memory.
• Memory Trainer Memorize a position and recreate it from memory.
• Notation Trainer Practice writing chess notation using real games.
• Opening Templates Use Stockfish generated opening templates as starting points for your repertoire.
• Piece Trainer Improve piece specific movement and board vision.
• Practice Train against Stockfish, Masters databases, Lichess players, and ChessDB using your own positions.
• Solitaire Step through real games and test your move choices.
• Space Visualizer Visualize square control and positional pressure across the board.
• Where Are My Pieces? Identify hidden pieces from famous games to sharpen board awareness.

Games (19)

• (NEW) Chess Crusher Match three or more chess pieces to clear the board in this puzzle based arcade game.
• (NEW) Rook Racer Arcade style card game where you dodge obstacles while racing down the board as a rook.
• Chess Anagrams Form words from scrambled chess related letters.
• Chess Crossword Solve chess themed crossword puzzles.
• Chess Cryptogram Decode hidden chess terms using substitution ciphers.
• Chess Hangman Guess chess themed words in a hangman style game.
• Chess Image Puzzle Reassemble chess themed images using jigsaw style mechanics.
• Chess Slide Sliding tile puzzles that reveal chess themed images.
• Chess Wordsearch Find hidden chess terms in wordsearch grids.
• Decrypt Chess Crack coded chess terms through logical deduction.
• Guess The Elo Estimate player strength based on game quality.
• Guess The Eval Guess the engine evaluation of a position.
• Guess The Move Predict the engine recommended move.
• Guess The Opening Identify openings from early move sequences.
• Guess Who Identify famous chess players from clues.
• Jumping Knight Reflex based arcade game built around knight movement.
• Play The Opening Play through named openings move by move.
• Rotating Image Puzzle Rotate pieces to reveal hidden chess images.
• Whack A Pawn Fast reaction game where pawns appear on the board.

Tools (6)

• Chess Clock A customizable chess clock optimized for mobile use.
• Fischer Random Generator Generate Chess960 starting positions.
• Gif Generator Turn PGNs into shareable animated chess sequences.
• Opening Explorer Explore opening lines and variations from the first moves.
• PGN Viewer Upload and navigate chess games move by move.
• Tablebase Perfect endgame analysis for supported positions.

Library (7)

• Basic Rules of Play Reference material covering fundamental chess rules.
• Chess Glossary Definitions for common chess terms.
• Chess Miniatures Collections of short decisive games.
• Chess Quotes Famous and inspiring chess quotes.
• Competitive Rules of Play Reference material covering tournament and competition rules.
• World Championship Matches Play through historic World Championship games.
• Classic Chess Games Explore famous games from chess history.

Looking Ahead

With 57 applications now live, the remaining seven are intended to complete the board rather than simply increase the count. Future work will focus on refinement, documentation, and improving how existing tools work together as the platform approaches the 64 square goal.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who has explored Chessboard Magic, shared feedback, or spent time using the platform. The project continues to grow through curiosity, experimentation, and community support.

More updates will follow soon.
Until then, happy chess.

Toan Hoang (@HollowLeaf)
Creator of Chessboard Magic