Free tool · No account needed
Chess Board Editor & FEN Generator
Set up any position by dragging pieces onto the board, or tap a piece then a square on mobile. The FEN updates as you go and can be copied, shared, exported as an image or analysed on Lichess. Paste an existing FEN to edit it.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
What this tool does
Live FEN
The FEN string updates with every change, and a paste box lets you load one to start from.
Position checks
Castling rights, side to move and en passant are set from the panel; the tool warns when a position is not playable.
Board to image
Download the diagram as a crisp PNG for a blog, worksheet or social post.
Touch friendly
Tap a piece in the tray, then tap squares to place it. Tap the eraser to clear squares.
How to use the board editor
- 1
Start from the initial position, an empty board, or paste a FEN.
- 2
Drag pieces from the tray onto the board; drag a piece off the board to remove it.
- 3
Choose the side to move and castling rights in the panel.
- 4
Copy the FEN, download the PNG, share the link or open the position for analysis.
Frequently asked questions
- What is FEN?
- FEN (Forsyth–Edwards Notation) is a one-line description of a chess position: piece placement rank by rank, side to move, castling rights, en passant square, halfmove clock and move number. Engines, databases and websites use it to exchange positions.
- Why does the tool say my position is not playable?
- A legal position needs exactly one king per side, no pawns on the first or eighth rank, and the side that is not to move must not be in check. You can still copy the FEN, but engines and analysis boards may reject it.
- Can I get a FEN from a photo of a real chessboard?
- Yes — ScanChess includes a board-photo recognizer that turns a picture of a physical or on-screen board into a FEN, which you can then fine-tune here.
- How do I turn a FEN into an image?
- Paste the FEN into the editor and click Download PNG. The image is rendered locally at high resolution with coordinates.
Snap a real board instead
ScanChess reads a photo of a physical chessboard and gives you the FEN, ready to edit here or analyse. Free credits on sign-up.
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