Turn a paper scoresheet into a standard PGN file
Your best games are stuck on paper. ScanChess is the chess PGN converter that frees them. Snap a photo of your handwritten scoresheet, and our AI reads every move, transcribes it into clean SAN notation, and hands you a downloadable PGN file you can open anywhere.
No retyping move by move. No squinting at smudged handwriting. Upload, review, download — and your game is ready to analyze, share, or archive forever. ScanChess even validates move legality and flags anything that looks off, so the PGN you get is one you can trust.
How it works
- Snap and upload. Take a clear photo of your handwritten scoresheet — or your printed tournament copy — and upload it from the web app or our WeChat mini-program.
- AI reads the moves. Our OCR engine transcribes the notation into standard SAN, checks every move for legality, and flags anything that needs a second look.
- Download your PGN. Review the transcription with the interactive board replay, then export a standard PGN file in one click.
Why a PGN
PGN (Portable Game Notation) is the format every serious chess player relies on. Once your scoresheet is a PGN, you can:
- Use a universal format. PGN is the plain-text standard the entire chess world reads and writes.
- Import anywhere. Drop it into Lichess, Chess.com, ChessBase, or SCID with no conversion needed.
- Analyze with engines. Run Stockfish or any modern engine over your game to find the turning points and missed wins.
- Archive your games. Keep a permanent, searchable record of every game you've ever played — long after the paper fades.
New to the format? Read What is PGN? for a quick primer, then see How to import a PGN into Lichess to get your game online in under a minute.
Stop transcribing. Start converting.
Every scoresheet sitting in a drawer is a game you can't study or share. ScanChess turns that paper into a PGN in seconds, with legality checks built in so you can transcribe with confidence. New accounts get free starter credits — no commitment, just upload a photo and see your game come to life on the board.
Got a position instead of a full game? Snap the board and ScanChess returns the FEN, ready to plug into any analysis tool.
Convert your first scoresheet today and build a digital archive of every game worth keeping.