Frequently Asked Questions
Pychess
Pychess is a website dedicated to allowing people to play major and interesting chess variants (both regional and more modern chess variants). Please see the about page.What is Pychess?
The server code is written in Python.Why is it called Pychess?
Both are designed to play chess variants, and both share the same developer (gbtami). However, the similitudes end there. The full name for this site is "Pychess Variants" for distinction, but is often just called Pychess. The site for the desktop application is here.What is the difference between this and the software?
Pychess's design is heavily influenced by Lichess and is meant to be comfortable for Lichess users. Pychess has no official relationship to Lichess. However, it does use Lichess accounts to facilitate user management.What is the relationship to Lichess?
Stockfish is one of the premier engines designed to play chess. Fairy-Stockfish is a fork of that created by Ianfab to handle multiple chess variants.What is Fairy-Stockfish?
It is the strongest available on this site, but does not represent Fairy-Stockfish at full strength. Full strength requires more time to think and analyze; on Pychess, Stockfish is limited to less than a second for each move.Is level 8 Stockfish the strongest available?
Make an issue. Ultimately it needs to be filed in the Github issue tracker. Ideally, try to find a way to reproduce this bug in your description (if necessary, include the browser and OS). If you're not on Github, you can also mention it on Discord, and someone else can file it.I found a bug! Where do I report it?
Variants
Check out the Variants page.What games are available?
Check out the Variants page. Also, within a game, you can click the variant name at the top left to be taken to that game's learn page.How do you play XXX?
Major regional variants have high precedence. For western chess variants, often the most popular or well-known variants are added. However, there are still some that can't be added. Pychess relies on Fairy-Stockfish to support the variant, as our code also depends on Fairy-Stockfish for move validation. This also means no variants that aren't supported by Fairy-Stockfish can be on Pychess.How do you choose which variants to add?
It depends on how popular or how interesting the variant is. We can't even consider adding variants that aren't supported by Fairy-Stockfish. Otherwise, you can ask us on Discord or Github.Can you add XXX?
Interface
To change the settings, click the gear button in the top right of the screen (next to login or your username).How do I change settings?
Same answer as above, and then click on "Board Settings." All Asian variants have internationalized pieces.How do I change pieces and boards? Are there western or internationalized pieces?
Use the right click. Clicking gives you a circle, and dragging gives you an arrow. These are green by default. You can make them red by holding Shift or Ctrl, and you can make them blue by holding Alt.How do I draw arrows and circles on the board?
Those are the time controls for the game. By default we use an increment system. "5+3" means each player has 5 minutes, and after each move adds 3 seconds to the clock. You can set the time control to be whatever you want when creating the game. The 5+3 is just the default for random mover.What does "5+3" mean for time?
The b signifies byo-yomi time control, which is different from increment, and is only used in certain variants (i.e. Shogi and Janggi). Each player has a fixed time bank (5 minutes, in this example), and then after that, they only have the byo-yomi period for the rest of their moves before losing. In this example, that means only 3 seconds per move. Typically, byo-yomi is played with more than just 3 seconds… usually anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 seconds.Okay, what about the (b) in "5+3(b)"?
Random-Mover is a bot that just chooses a random move from the list of available options. It serves as a great way to familiarize oneself with piece movements and some rules. It is strongly recommended to train against Fairy-Stockfish (even a lower level) once you know the rules though.What is Random-Mover?
Social/Accounts
You need to have a Lichess account. If you don't already, please go to Lichess to make an account.How do I log in?
No! That is done via OAuth and your password isn't revealed to Pychess, just like how you can log in to third-party websites with your Google or Facebook accounts.Would logging in with my Lichess account compromise my account/password?
You can try the lobby chat, although the developers might not be on to answer. More reliably, we use Discord.What's the best way to contact the developers?
Purely through donations. You can become a patron to help us make this site better!How is the site supported?