The internet is filled with a confusing mesh of chess related content; some things are paid for, some covered in ads and others just downright dodgy!
In this article we’ll be exploring the main options available to play chess puzzles, and their pros and cons.
Chess.com
Chess.com is by far the most popular chess website on the planet, with over 140 million worldwide users! It offers 3 puzzles per day for non members, which is rather disappointing. The puzzles are realistic and repetitive. This repetition can be a really useful thing if you’re trying to improve, especially for beginners. However, if you’re looking to just have some fun then maybe this isn’t the right choice for you as the puzzles can be generic and boring.
- Repetition good for learning
- Decent chess puzzles
- Convenient for those who already use the platform
- Expensive
- Less fun than alternatives
- Less variance than alternatives
ChessPuzzler.com
ChessPuzzler.com is a website that offers free chess puzzles, randomly generated using an AI algorithm. The randomness of the puzzles results in the most fun puzzle solving experience, but perhaps doesn’t relate itself as closely to serious chess as some of the alternatives. The user interface is clean, with perhaps the most customisation available when compared to its competitors. It offers a wide range of puzzles across different chess variants including Shatranj and puzzles on mini chess boards. As well as this, you can compete against others in puzzle leagues and on the daily leaderboard. It offers a little bit of everything, no ads, and is free to use. A fantastic alternative to the other options, especially for those just looking to have fun.
- Free
- Fun, varied, addictive puzzles
- Clean UI
- Detailed customisation options
- No ads
- Range of chess variants
- Less realistic
Lichess.org
Lichess is a fantastic open source website that offers a large database of puzzles from real chess games. It enables users to choose the type of puzzle they wish to play and is completely free of charge to use. The quality is similar to chess.com but with less repetition, so it can be better for more advanced players looking to improve their game. There are no ads, and although the UI splits opinions, overall it is a solid offering.
- Free
- Choose what type of puzzle you solve
- Good for improving your game
- No ads
- Less fun than some of the alternatives
- Less variance than alternatives
ChessPuzzle.net
ChessPuzzle.net is a website that offers complex puzzles based on real chess positions. It is full of useful information and blogs about puzzles. There are also leaderboards for those who are more competitive. The UI is unfortunately a confusing eyesore and there are ads plastered all over the website. For those who don’t want ads, and want full access to their wide range of features it’s disappointingly €3.99 per month. A good website for those who are super serious about puzzles, have money to spend and don’t mind a clunky user experience.
- Challenging puzzles
- Insightful for improving chess ability
- Poor user experience
- Too many ads
- Costly for full features
- Less variance than alternatives
Conclusion
In conclusion, there's a host of different websites out there providing varying chess puzzling experiences. I think the best two for most are going to be Lichess and ChessPuzzler, the former being for more serious players and the latter for those who enjoy chess more for the fun.