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    Start with the image you have

    Chess images to FEN. Handwritten scoresheets to PGN.

    Upload a board image or a handwritten scoresheet. Check the result, then analyze the game with Stockfish and the AI coach, replay it or export it.

    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.

    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.

    After you scan

    A scan is where the work on a game starts. This is what happens to it next.

    1. Saved to your games

      A scanned game goes into your games library with its original photo, on every device you sign in from. Export the PGN whenever you like.

      Digitize your games
    2. Analyzed for free

      Stockfish finds each side's accuracy and the moments the game turned. The AI coach explains them in plain words: one game a day free, then 1 credit.

      Analyze a game
    3. Missed tactics become practice

      The shots you missed turn into short daily practice cards from your own games: 15 a day free, unlimited on Pro.

      Practice missed tactics
    4. Your insights profile

      Your analyzed games add up to a profile of your play that you can compare with your Lichess or Chess.com games. The full profile, with accuracy over time, phases and mistake types, comes with Pro.

      Open insights
    5. Pro

      Prepare for the next opponent

      Keep opening repertoires and see where a game left them, and scout an opponent's online games before you sit down. Pro: 5 repertoires and 30 scouting reports a month; Pro+: 20 and 100.

      Compare plans
    6. Pro+

      Clubs and coaches

      A player roster with a page per student, round scan games assigned to players in one step, and event reports with public share links you can withdraw.

      For coaches & clubs

    Already have PGN or FEN?

    Replay, check, analyze 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 checking and PGN export. Keep individual game scans and tournament work separate.

    Scanning a whole tournament round? Use Round scan

    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 need no account; reading a photo of a real board in the best move finder and asking for an AI explanation need a free account.
    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.
    What do I get after scanning?
    The game is saved to your games library with its photo. Stockfish analysis is free and shows each side's accuracy and the turning points, and the AI coach explains them: one game a day free, then 1 credit. Missed tactics become daily practice (15 a day free), and your analyzed games build an insights profile. Pro adds opening repertoires, opponent scouting and event reports; Pro+ adds the club tools.

    Export your result to the chess tools you already use.

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