ScanChessScanChess

    Start with the image you have

    Chess images to FEN. Handwritten scoresheets to PGN.

    Upload a board image or handwritten scoresheet. Review the result before you analyse, replay or export.

    10 free credits on sign-up: up to 10 boards or 5 scoresheet scans. No card required.

    Upload board image

    Example →

    Tap to add a board photo

    Take a photo or pick from your library

    Image recognition requires sign-in: 1 credit per board. New accounts receive 10 free credits.

    JPG, PNG, WebP · up to 15 MB per image

    One image, up to 15 MB — JPG, PNG or WebP. HEIC is not supported; convert it first.

    No image ready? Try an example.

    Preloaded examples: no sign-in, no OCR request, no credits spent. Explore the result and try editing it.

    Board photo → editable positionScoresheet → first 8 moves

    One position. Or an entire game.

    Rule checks do not prove a match with the original. Compare the result with your image and correct anything that differs.

    Already have PGN or FEN?

    Replay, check, analyse or prepare your chess material for sharing. These tools run in your browser without an account.

    All tools

    A whole round of scoresheets?

    Group the pages by game, add a pairing list and prepare a round for review and PGN export. Keep individual game scans and tournament work separate.

    Scanning a whole tournament round? Use batch scanning

    Questions about ScanChess

    Is ScanChess free?
    Signing up gives 10 free credits, enough for up to 10 board images or 5 scoresheet scans, with no card required. A board costs 1 credit and a scoresheet scan 2, however many pages the game has. The free tools, from the best move finder and analysis board to the PGN viewer, need no account at all.
    Can it read a handwritten scoresheet?
    Yes. Upload the pages of one game in order and the moves are read, checked against the rules and shown beside the original, so a doubtful move can be fixed before you export the PGN. It reads algebraic notation; descriptive notation such as P-K4 is not converted.
    Which board images can I use?
    A screenshot of an online game, a diagram from a book or a clear top-down photo of a real board. You get an editable FEN and choose the side to move; angled photos and carved 3D pieces may need a square or two corrected.
    Why not just type the game into Lichess or Chess.com?
    Both import a PGN, but someone has to type it first, and a single typo stops the import. ScanChess turns the photo into that PGN, checks that every move is legal, and the result imports into Lichess, Chess.com or ChessBase.
    Where can I analyze the game afterwards?
    Open it in the free game analysis tool, where Stockfish 18 runs in your browser and marks every inaccuracy, mistake and blunder, or try ideas on the analysis board. You can also export the PGN to Lichess or Chess.com.

    Export your result to the chess tools you already use.

    • PGN / FEN
    • Lichess
    • Chess.com
    • ChessBase