# ScanChess > ScanChess turns a photo of a handwritten chess scoresheet into a PGN file, and a photo of a board into a FEN position, then helps you study the games: Stockfish analysis, AI explanations, daily practice from your own mistakes, insights, preparation and event reports. It runs in the browser at scanchess.com, with a Chrome and Edge extension for boards on web pages. Facts that are worth getting right, because they are the ones asked about most: - **Input.** Photographs or scans of scoresheets and boards: JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 10 images and 15 MB each. HEIC is not accepted. One board photo at a time. - **Notation.** The scanner reads algebraic only (e4, Nf3, O-O); handwritten descriptive notation (P-K4) is neither converted nor checked. Typed descriptive notation can be converted with the free descriptive to algebraic converter (https://scanchess.com/tools/descriptive-to-algebraic). - **Output.** Reviewable moves with the uncertain ones flagged for correction, then PGN export, saved history, or a FEN for a position. - **Cost.** Credits are the only currency. A scoresheet scan costs 2 credits whatever the page count; a board photo costs 1. An AI explanation (game coach, a position, an event report summary) is 1 free a day, then 1 credit each, on every plan. Reading a photo of a real board in the best move finder is free with a verified free account (up to 50 per 24 hours); screenshots are read in the browser with no account. New accounts get 10 credits free. - **Free.** Scanning (with credits), editing, replay, PGN export, the games library, Stockfish analysis and 15 practice positions a day. - **Pro** ($4.99/month, $29.99/year): 100 credits every 30 days, the full insights profile, unlimited daily practice, up to 5 opening repertoires, 30 opponent scouting reports and 20 event reports a month. - **Pro+** ($19.99/month, $119.99/year), for clubs and coaches: 500 credits every 30 days, up to 20 repertoires, 100 scouting and 60 event reports a month, public share links for reports, and a club player roster with student pages. - **Platforms.** The website, and a browser extension for Chrome and Edge that reads boards on web pages. There is no mobile app in the App Store or Google Play. - **Accuracy.** Handwriting recognition is assistive, not perfect: the check step exists because moves need checking, and the product does not claim otherwise. Every page is published under a prefix per language: `/zh` (中文), `/es` (Español), `/de` (Deutsch), `/fr` (Français), `/pt` (Português), `/it` (Italiano), `/ru` (Русский). English owns the unprefixed URLs, and a page keeps the same slug in every language — https://scanchess.com/pricing and https://scanchess.com/es/pricing are the same page, https://scanchess.com/blog/what-is-pgn and https://scanchess.com/es/blog/what-is-pgn the same article. Each page declares the whole set as hreflang alternates. ## Start here - [ScanChess](https://scanchess.com/): What the product does, who it is for, and the sample scan. - [Handwritten scoresheet to PGN](https://scanchess.com/solutions/chess-scoresheet-scanner): How the scoresheet scanner works: upload up to 10 images of one game (2 credits per game), check the moves alongside the original, then export PGN. - [Chess image to FEN](https://scanchess.com/solutions/chess-board-image-to-fen): Turn a screenshot, 2D diagram or clear top-down board photo into an editable FEN with side to move (1 credit; screenshots can also be read free in the browser by the best move finder). - [Real board photo to FEN](https://scanchess.com/solutions/chess-game-scanner): Photograph a physical chess board mid-game and get the position: what light, angle and piece style change. - [Free online chess tools](https://scanchess.com/tools): The no-account tools hub: best move finder, analysis board, game analysis, PGN viewer, board editor, printable scoresheets and more. - [ScanChess browser extension](https://scanchess.com/extension): Chrome and Edge extension for webpage chess boards: select a diagram or right-click an image, check the position and copy FEN. Connect a ScanChess website account; each board scan uses 1 credit. Handwritten scoresheets use the website scanner. - [How ScanChess works](https://scanchess.com/how-to-use): The three parts end to end: scan a scoresheet or board and check it, analyze the game with Stockfish and the AI coach, then practice the tactics you missed. - [Pricing](https://scanchess.com/pricing): Credits, the free allowance, and what Pro ($4.99/month, $29.99/year) and Pro+ ($19.99/month, $119.99/year) add. ## The scanner app (after signing in) - [Scoresheet scanner (app)](https://scanchess.com/dashboard/scan/scoresheet): Upload the pages of one game, check the moves alongside the original, then export PGN. A labeled example runs without an account and spends no credits; real scans need a free account. - [Board scanner (app)](https://scanchess.com/dashboard/scan/board): Paste or upload one screenshot, diagram or board photo, then check the editable position and side to move. A labeled example runs without an account; real scans need a free account. ## Free tools (no account needed) - [PGN Viewer](https://scanchess.com/tools/pgn-viewer): Paste a PGN and replay the game in the browser; copy any position as FEN or generate a frameable embed. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/pgn-viewer?pgn=. - [Board Editor](https://scanchess.com/tools/board-editor): Set up a position by dragging pieces, or paste a screenshot to continue into image-to-FEN scanning. Copy the FEN or analyze it locally. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/board-editor?fen=. - [PGN Validator](https://scanchess.com/tools/pgn-validator): Check a PGN for illegal moves and malformed tags before importing it somewhere. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/pgn-validator?pgn=. - [PGN to FEN](https://scanchess.com/tools/pgn-to-fen): Paste a PGN and get the FEN after any move, plus a FEN for every ply. Replay only, in the browser. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/pgn-to-fen?pgn=&ply=. - [FEN to PGN](https://scanchess.com/tools/fen-to-pgn): Paste a FEN and get a PGN with [SetUp "1"] and a [FEN] header. Optionally play moves from that position on the board. Invalid FENs are explained. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/fen-to-pgn?fen=. - [FEN Validator](https://scanchess.com/tools/fen-validator): Paste a FEN and get every problem with it, each with a plain-language fix: rank lengths, piece letters, king and pawn counts, impossible promotions, castling rights against the king and rook placement, the en passant square, the move counters, and a side not to move left in check. Offers a corrected FEN when only the trailing fields are wrong; shows the board once valid. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/fen-validator?fen=. - [Flip or Mirror a FEN](https://scanchess.com/tools/flip-fen): Rotate a position 180 degrees, mirror files a and h, or swap colors (ranks, piece colors, side to move, castling rights and en passant square all follow). Castling rights the transform makes impossible are dropped and named. Copy the new FEN or download a PNG. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/flip-fen?fen=. - [Chess Notation Translator](https://scanchess.com/tools/chess-notation-translator): Moves written with German (K D T L S B), Spanish/Italian (R D T A C P), French (R D T F C P), Portuguese (R D T B C P), Dutch (K D T L P), Russian (Кр Ф Л С К), Polish or Czech piece letters, or figurines, translated to English SAN and a PGN by replaying them with chess.js; the language is detected from which one replays the game, and the first illegal move is named. Also English SAN to any of those languages. Optional start FEN. Free, no account. - [Chess Time Control Calculator](https://scanchess.com/tools/time-control-calculator): Enter a time control such as 90+30, 15|10, 3+2, 90/40+30+30 or G/90;d5 and get the longest possible game for a chosen number of moves, the typical length (calibrated on 347,741 over-the-board games), each player's time, the FIDE category (blitz, rapid or standard, by base + 60 × increment) and the Lichess and Chess.com categories (base + 40 × increment). Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/time-control-calculator?tc=. - [Printable Chess Scoresheets](https://scanchess.com/tools/printable-scoresheets): Customize, preview, and print tournament-standard scoresheet PDFs (60-move, 80-move, junior, rapid). Free, no account. - [Free Chess Game Analysis](https://scanchess.com/tools/game-analysis): Paste a PGN and have Stockfish 18, running in the browser, analyze the whole game: accuracy per side and a verdict on every move. Free, no account. Deep links: /tools/game-analysis?pgn= or ?fen=. - [Missed Tactics from Your Game](https://scanchess.com/tools/missed-tactics): Analyze a PGN — including one scanned from a scoresheet — and practice the captures, checks and mates you had and did not play. Saved locally to drill later. Free, no account. - [FIDE Rating Calculator](https://scanchess.com/tools/rating-calculator): Work out a FIDE rating change from your rating and your opponents’ results, using table 8.1.2 and the K-factor rules, plus the performance rating. Free, no account. - [FEN to Image](https://scanchess.com/tools/fen-to-image): Turn a FEN into a chess diagram and download it as a PNG or a vector SVG, up to 1600 pixels. Free, no account. Deep link: /tools/fen-to-image?fen=. - [Chess GIF Maker](https://scanchess.com/tools/pgn-to-gif): Turn a PGN into an animated GIF, encoded in the browser, with the frame size, speed and move range you choose. Free, no account. - [PGN to PDF](https://scanchess.com/tools/pgn-to-pdf): Lay a game out for paper with board diagrams and save it as a PDF through the browser’s print dialog. Free, no account. - [Best Move Finder](https://scanchess.com/tools/best-move): Find the best chess move for any position: paste a FEN, set up the board, or upload a screenshot (read in the browser, no account) or a photo of a real board (read by the server, free with a verified free account, up to 50 per 24 hours). Stockfish 18 runs in the browser and shows the top three lines; an optional AI explanation needs a free account. Deep link: /tools/best-move?fen=. - [Chess Analysis Board](https://scanchess.com/tools/analysis-board): A free online analysis board: play moves from the start or any FEN/PGN, with Stockfish 18 evaluating every position in the browser, a move list, undo, flip, and FEN/PGN copy. Optional AI explanation and saving need a free account. Deep links: /tools/analysis-board?fen= or ?pgn=. - [PGN Splitter & Merger](https://scanchess.com/tools/pgn-splitter): Split a multi-game PGN file into one file per game (listing White, Black, Event, Date and result for each), or merge several PGN files into one, with optional removal of duplicate games. Comments, variations, byte-order marks and CRLF line ends are handled. Runs in the browser. Free, no account. - [Chess Opening Identifier](https://scanchess.com/tools/opening-identifier): Paste a PGN, a move list or a FEN and get the opening name and ECO code, from the deepest named position the game reached. Matched by position, so transpositions are found. Uses the Lichess chess-openings data set (CC0). Free, no account. Deep links: /tools/opening-identifier?pgn= or ?fen=. - [Descriptive to Algebraic Notation Converter](https://scanchess.com/tools/descriptive-to-algebraic): Convert English descriptive notation from old chess books (P-K4, N-KB3, PxP, QxN ch, O-O, P-K8=Q) to algebraic SAN and a PGN. Every move is resolved on a board from the side to move; an ambiguous move is reported with the candidates instead of guessed. Free, no account. - [Chess Tiebreak Calculator](https://scanchess.com/tools/tiebreak-calculator): Enter a Swiss crosstable and get points, Buchholz, Buchholz Cut-1, Median Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, direct encounter and number of wins, ranked in the order you choose, with CSV export. Follows the FIDE Tie-Break Regulations effective 1 March 2026 (unplayed rounds per Article 16); the older virtual-opponent rule is an option. Free, no account. - [Chess Wrapped](https://scanchess.com/tools/chess-wrapped): A year-in-review for any Chess.com or Lichess username: games, win rate, rating curve, favorite openings, best win, longest streak and a shareable card. Uses the public APIs; nothing stored. Deep link: /tools/chess-wrapped?u=&site=chesscom|lichess&year=. ## Use cases and how-tos - [Chess Book to PGN: Scan Diagrams from a Book You Own](https://scanchess.com/solutions/chess-book-to-pgn): Turn a diagram or game from a chess book you own into PGN and FEN: photograph it, check the position and keep the file for your own study. No book downloads. - [Scan Chess Notation: Which Handwritten Styles It Reads](https://scanchess.com/solutions/scan-chess-notation): Which handwritten notation ScanChess reads — algebraic, shorthand like "dc", look-alike letters — which it does not (descriptive), and how moves are checked. - [Tournament Scoresheet Archiving: For Arbiters and Organizers](https://scanchess.com/solutions/tournament-scoresheet-archiving): Turn an event's paper scoresheets into a PGN archive: what FIDE expects you to keep, how to scan between rounds, and how to publish games players will replay. - [Convert a Chess Scoresheet to PGN, Step by Step](https://scanchess.com/solutions/convert-chess-scoresheet-to-pgn): Step by step: photograph the scoresheet, upload the pages, check the moves the scanner flags, and download a PGN that opens in Lichess, Chess.com or ChessBase. - [Digitize Your Students' Games: ScanChess for Coaches](https://scanchess.com/solutions/chess-scoresheet-scanner-for-coaches): Turn a stack of students' scoresheets into PGN in minutes, build each player's game archive, and prepare lessons from the games they actually played. - [Scoresheet Photo Tips: Getting the Shot Right](https://scanchess.com/solutions/photo-to-pgn): What separates a photo that converts cleanly from one that does not — light, angle, folds, double-sided sheets — and how to check the result in five seconds. - [Chess PGN Converter: What Comes Out and Where It Opens](https://scanchess.com/solutions/chess-pgn-converter): The PGN a conversion produces — the seven-tag header, the movetext, multi-game files — and how to open it in Lichess, Chess.com, ChessBase or SCID. - [Digitize Your Chess Games: Working Through a Backlog](https://scanchess.com/solutions/digitize-chess-games): A method for turning years of paper scoresheets into a searchable archive — batching, naming, tagging and backup — without abandoning it in week two. - [Saving Your Child's Chess Games: A Parent's Guide](https://scanchess.com/solutions/save-your-childs-chess-games): Your child comes home with paper scoresheets. How to turn them into games you can replay together, keep for good, and use to see how they are improving. ## Guides: Billing - [How ScanChess Credits Work](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-scanchess-credits-work): Credits are the only thing you spend on ScanChess. Here is exactly what each action costs and how the free and Pro allowances behave. - [How to Cancel a ScanChess Subscription](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-to-cancel-scanchess-subscription): One button on the pricing page. No email, no retention call. - [ScanChess Billing and Refunds, Explained](https://scanchess.com/blog/scanchess-refunds-and-billing): Why your statement says Waffo, why payments are final, and the one-button alternative to asking for money back. - [ScanChess Free vs Pro: What You Actually Get](https://scanchess.com/blog/scanchess-free-vs-pro): Free covers scanning with credits, engine analysis, a daily AI explanation and daily practice. Pro adds credits and the preparation tools; Pro+ is for clubs and coaches. ## Guides: Comparison - [Chess Vision Tools Compared: Chessvision.ai vs ScanChess](https://scanchess.com/blog/chessvision-ai-vs-scanchess): Both tools point a camera at chess and hand you notation, but they read different objects. One turns a diagram into a position; the other turns a page of handwriting into a game. ## Guides - [From Scoresheet to Lichess Study: A Complete Workflow](https://scanchess.com/blog/scoresheet-to-lichess-study): For coaches and club players: how to get a weekend's worth of paper games into one Lichess study, with a chapter per game, annotations that teach, and a single link to share. - [How to Convert a Handwritten Chess Scoresheet to PGN](https://scanchess.com/blog/convert-handwritten-scoresheet-to-pgn): Two ways to convert a handwritten chess scoresheet into a PGN file: typing it out by hand, or scanning a photo with AI. Here's how each works and which to pick. - [How to Fill Out a Chess Scoresheet Correctly](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-to-fill-out-a-chess-scoresheet): Header first, then one move per cell in the right column, then the result and two signatures. The habits that keep a tournament scoresheet legible, and the time-trouble rule that lets you stop writing. - [How to Import a PGN into Chess.com](https://scanchess.com/blog/import-pgn-to-chess-com): Open chess.com/analysis, paste the PGN into the Load PGN panel, press Load, and the game is on the board. Here is that path in detail, plus how to save the game to your Library and what to do when a move is rejected. - [How to Import a PGN into Lichess (Step by Step)](https://scanchess.com/blog/import-pgn-to-lichess): Paste your PGN at lichess.org/paste and Lichess gives the game a permanent URL with free computer analysis. The Analysis board and Studies cover the other cases; here is when to use each. - [How to Read a Chess Scoresheet: A Beginner's Guide](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-to-read-a-chess-scoresheet): Move numbers on the left, White in the middle, Black on the right: how a scoresheet is organized, what each symbol means, and how the result is recorded. - [How to Set Up a Chess Board, Square by Square](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-to-set-up-a-chess-board): Light square on the right, rooks in the corners, queen on her own color, pawns in front. The whole chess setup in six steps, with a diagram and the three mistakes that catch even club players. - [How to Share a Chess Game Online (PGN, FEN, and Links)](https://scanchess.com/blog/share-a-chess-game-online): Send the file, send a link, or send one position: which sharing format fits which situation, with the exact steps on Lichess and Chess.com and a note on GIFs and embeds. - [How to Store and Archive Your Chess Scoresheets](https://scanchess.com/blog/archive-chess-scoresheets): Paper fades and shoeboxes get lost. Digitize your scoresheets into PGN, name the files so they sort themselves, and keep three copies, and your chess history survives the next house move. - [How to Embed an Interactive Chess Board on Your Website](https://scanchess.com/blog/embed-chess-board-on-website): Copy one iframe from the free PGN Viewer and paste it into WordPress, Ghost, or raw HTML so readers can replay the game without leaving your site. - [Archive a Whole Tournament Round in One Pass](https://scanchess.com/blog/archive-a-tournament-round-in-one-pass): Forty sheets, eighty sides, and a pairing list you already have. Here is how to get the round into one PGN without typing a name. - [How to Get a Clean Scan of a Chess Scoresheet (Photo Tips)](https://scanchess.com/blog/clean-scan-chess-scoresheet): Thirty seconds spent on light, framing and focus is the difference between a scan you export as-is and one you correct by hand. What matters in the photo, and a checklist to run before uploading. ## Guides: Improvement - [How to Analyze Your Chess Games from Scoresheets](https://scanchess.com/blog/analyze-chess-games-from-scoresheets): Your old scoresheets are a goldmine of improvement. Here is a step-by-step workflow to digitize them, study your own play, and turn mistakes into rating points. - [How ScanChess Handles a Move It Can't Quite Read](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-scanchess-reads-unclear-moves): A misread move is usually still a legal move, which is why legality alone never caught it. Here is what ScanChess does now — and why the review step asks fewer questions and better ones. ## Guides: Notation - [Descriptive vs. Algebraic Chess Notation](https://scanchess.com/blog/descriptive-vs-algebraic-notation): Old chess books speak a different language. Here's how descriptive notation works, why algebraic replaced it, and how to translate between the two. - [7 Common Chess Notation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)](https://scanchess.com/blog/chess-notation-mistakes): A field guide to the chess notation mistakes that ruin scoresheets, with before/after fixes and a way to catch them automatically when you scan. - [Chess Symbols and Annotations Explained (!, ?, !!, ??)](https://scanchess.com/blog/chess-symbols-and-annotations): What !, ?, !!, ??, !? and ?! say about a move, what =, +/- and -+ say about a position, and how each symbol is stored in a PGN file as a NAG code. - [SAN (Standard Algebraic Notation): Chess Notation Explained](https://scanchess.com/blog/chess-notation-explained): Files a to h, ranks 1 to 8, one letter per piece: everything you need to read and write chess moves in Standard Algebraic Notation, with examples for captures, castling, check, promotion, and disambiguation. - [What Is FEN? Chess Position Notation Explained](https://scanchess.com/blog/what-is-fen): FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) packs an entire chess position into one short line of text. This guide breaks down all six fields with real examples. - [What Is PGN? The Chess Game Format, Explained](https://scanchess.com/blog/what-is-pgn): PGN is the universal text format for recording chess games. Here is what the tags and movetext mean, where PGN is used, and how to open a .pgn file. ## Guides: Rules - [FIDE Scoresheet Rules Every Chess Player Should Know](https://scanchess.com/blog/fide-scoresheet-rules): Everything tournament players need to know about FIDE scoresheet rules, from the obligation to record moves to how arbiters use scoresheets to settle claims. - [USCF Scoresheet Rules, and Where They Differ from FIDE](https://scanchess.com/blog/uscf-scoresheet-rules): US Chess and FIDE agree on most of scorekeeping and part ways on three things that matter at the board: which notation you may use, whether you can write the move first, and whose sheet is the official one. ## Guides: Statistics - [How Long Is a Chess Game? Moves and Minutes From 91 Million Games](https://scanchess.com/blog/how-long-is-a-chess-game): We counted the moves and the clock time of 347,741 over-the-board games and every rated game played on Lichess in August 2026. Here is how long chess games really last, by time control and by rating. - [FIDE Rated Players in 2026: Statistics by Country, Age, Gender and Rating](https://scanchess.com/blog/fide-rated-players-statistics): Every number on this page was counted from FIDE's own rating lists: how many players are rated, which countries have the most, how old they are, what share are women, and what rating puts you in the top 10%. ## Guides: Tools - [How to Choose and Fill In a Chess Scoresheet: 60, 80 and Kids' Layouts](https://scanchess.com/blog/free-printable-chess-scoresheets): A 60-move sheet for most tournament games, 80 moves for long classical ones, large rows for kids, and two rapid games per page. How to pick a layout, fill in the header and print a clean PDF. ## Company and policies - [About ScanChess](https://scanchess.com/about): Who builds it and what the product does not try to be. - [FAQ](https://scanchess.com/faq): Accuracy, supported notation, file formats, accounts, refunds — the short answers. - [Changelog](https://scanchess.com/changelog): Dated list of what shipped, newest first. - [Status](https://scanchess.com/status): Current service state and where incidents are posted. - [Security](https://scanchess.com/security): How images and games are stored, and how to report a vulnerability. - [Contact](https://scanchess.com/contact): How to reach support. - [Privacy Policy](https://scanchess.com/privacy): What is collected, how long it is kept, and the processors involved. - [Terms of Service](https://scanchess.com/terms): The contract for using ScanChess. - [Refunds](https://scanchess.com/refunds): Refund policy and how to cancel a subscription. ## Optional - [llms-full.txt](https://scanchess.com/llms-full.txt): the full text of every guide and use-case page above, in one file. - [Sitemap](https://scanchess.com/sitemap.xml): every canonical URL, in all 8 languages, with last-modified dates. Content last updated 2026-10-14.