Browser extension for Chrome and Edge
Capture a chessboard or scoresheet from any web page
Drag a box around a board or a scoresheet and get the FEN or PGN in the side panel, without leaving the page you are reading.
For Chrome and Microsoft Edge, version 116 or later. Installing is free; scans use credits.
How it works
- 1
Open the side panel
Click the ScanChess icon in the browser toolbar. The panel stays open beside the page while you work.
- 2
Select the board or scoresheet
Choose a board or a scoresheet, then drag a box around it on the page. You can also right-click an image.
- 3
Use the result
The FEN or PGN appears in the side panel. Copy it, or continue reviewing on ScanChess.
What it is good for
Chess you come across in the browser, where saving an image and uploading it again is the slow part.
- Articles and forums
- Diagrams and screenshots in a blog post, a forum thread or a newsletter.
- Paused videos
- Pause a lesson or a stream on the position you want and capture the frame.
- Puzzle sites and PDFs shown as pages
- Puzzle collections, and bulletins or scoresheets a site displays as a web page.
Board → FEN
A position you can edit, with the side to move, ready to copy or analyze.
Scoresheet → PGN
Moves read from the handwriting, with the uncertain ones flagged for checking.
Same account, same credits
The extension uses your ScanChess account and credit balance. A board costs 1 credit and a scoresheet scan 2 credits; new accounts get 10 free credits.
See pricingWhat the extension sees
- It captures the page only after you choose a scan action.
- Only the region you select is sent to api.scanchess.com for recognition.
- It does not collect your browsing history.
- It contains no analytics scripts.
- Your session token is kept in the extension's own storage.
Questions about the extension
- Is the ScanChess extension free?
- Yes, installing it costs nothing. Recognition uses the same credits as the website: 1 for a board and 2 for a scoresheet scan, and new accounts get 10 free credits.
- Which browsers does it work in?
- Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, version 116 or later (Chromium 116+). There is no Firefox or Safari version, and phone browsers do not run extensions, so on a phone upload the image on the website.
- Does it work on every website?
- On ordinary web pages, yes. Browsers do not let extensions capture their internal pages such as settings, the Chrome Web Store, or the built-in PDF viewer. For those, save the image and upload it on scanchess.com.
- Do I need an account?
- Yes, a ScanChess account: sign in or create one from the side panel, with email or Google. New accounts get 10 free credits, and scanned games are kept in your ScanChess library.
Image already on your computer or phone?
Photos and files go through the scanner on the website, with the same review and export.