This page is the product answer: what the thing is, where it runs, what it costs, and what it will not do. For the how-to, see Convert a chess scoresheet to PGN.
What it is
A tool that reads a photograph of a handwritten chess scoresheet and returns the moves in standard notation plus a PGN file. It is built for that one job — not a general document scanner with chess bolted on.
Where it runs
| Web | scanchess.com, any modern browser, nothing to install |
| iOS | The ScanChess app, for scanning straight from the camera |
There is no Android app; Android users scan in the browser. Your account and credits are shared across web and iOS: scan on the web, open the game on your phone.
What it costs
Credits, and nothing else:
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| Scoresheet photo → PGN | 2 |
| Board photo → FEN | 1 |
| Editing, replay, PGN export, history, sharing | Free |
Every new account starts with 10 free credits — five scoresheets — with no card and no feature held back. Pro adds 100 credits every 30 days for $4.99/month or $29.99/year, Pro+ adds 500 for $19.99/month or $119.99/year, and credits never expire, even after you cancel. Prices are in US dollars; payment is handled by Waffo. Full detail on the pricing page and in how credits work.
What it does well
- Real handwriting, including shorthand, crossings-out and hurried letters — not just printed text.
- Rule checking as it reads: every move is replayed on a board, so an illegal reading is marked red and an uncertain one amber with the legal alternatives to pick from — Scan chess notation explains how.
- Multi-page sheets in one scan: double-sided sheets go up as two images and are merged in order, charged once. A scan takes up to 10 images of 15 MB each (JPG, PNG or WebP).
- A library that follows you: games sync across devices, and the whole library exports as one PGN file whenever you want it.
What it does not do
Worth saying plainly, because it saves you a wasted scan:
- It is not a chess engine. It transcribes the game; analysis happens in Lichess, Chess.com or your own software after import.
- It does not read a game from a video, only from stills of the sheet or a board.
- It cannot recover what the photo does not show. A shadow across the columns, a deep fold, a sheet cut off at the edge — those need a new photo, not a better model.
- It does not read descriptive notation (
P-K4). Moves written that way are shown as scanned, but they are not converted, replayed or checked. Translate the sheet to algebraic first. - It does not accept HEIC. Save an iPhone photo as JPG before uploading it.
Related
- Photo to PGN — taking a photo that converts cleanly
- Scan chess notation — how the handwriting is turned into SAN
- For coaches and for arbiters and organizers — using it at volume
Ten free credits is five scoresheets. That is enough to find out whether it reads your handwriting, which is the only question that matters.