Turn webpage chess diagrams into positions you can analyze
Select a board in an article or a paused video. Check the pieces, copy FEN, or open the position in Lichess or Chess.com.
Extensions run on a computer
Phone browsers can't install extensions. Send yourself the link and add ScanChess to Chrome or Edge on your computer, or upload a screenshot on the website now.
Open the Chrome Web Store (opens the Chrome Web Store in a new tab)- Free to install
- From 1.6.0: boards read on your device, no account
- Chrome and Edge 116+
The optional server reader, for images your device can't read, needs an account and uses 1 credit. Versions before 1.6.0 need an account for every scan.
Chrome Web Store: version 1.5.0, updated Oct 13, 2026 (opens the Chrome Web Store in a new tab)
How it works
Select a board
Open a webpage with a chess diagram. Select its area or right-click the image. Pause videos before scanning.
Read in your browser
The board is read on your device: free, no account, and the image is not uploaded. If it can't be read there, as with a photo of a real board, you can send it to the server reader for 1 credit with a ScanChess account.
Check, then analyze
Check the pieces and side to move. Correct the position, copy FEN, or open it in your preferred analysis tool.
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.
- Study positions and puzzles
- Capture a visible diagram from a study page or puzzle collection. Use an uploaded screenshot for protected pages that cannot be captured.
Board image → FEN
An editable position. Check the pieces and side to move before using it.
Handwritten scoresheet → website
Use the website scanner for paper notation and PGN export; the extension focuses on webpage boards.
Free on your device, credits only for the server
Reading a board on your device is free and needs no account. Only the server reader, which you choose for images the device can't read, uses your ScanChess account and 1 credit from the same balance as the website. Handwritten scoresheets are available in the website scanner.
See pricingWhat the extension sees
- It captures the page only after you choose a scan action.
- Boards are read on your device. An image goes to api.scanchess.com only when you choose the server reader.
- It does not collect your browsing history.
- It contains no analytics scripts.
- If you connect an account, its session token is kept in the extension's own storage.
Questions about the extension
- Is the ScanChess extension free?
- Yes. From version 1.6, screenshots and diagrams are read on your device for free, with no account and no credits. Only the server reader, for pictures the device can't read such as a photo of a real board, needs a ScanChess account and uses 1 credit. Editing and copying a position never cost anything.
- 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?
- Not for reading boards: that happens on your device. An account is needed only for the server reader (1 credit a board) and to keep positions in your library. Sign in on scanchess.com and connect that account from the extension; your credit balance is shared with the website. Versions before 1.6 need an account for every scan.
Image already on your computer or phone?
Upload board photos or handwritten scoresheets on the website. Check the result before analysis or export.