# Chess Coach, a chess MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT

> Connect Claude or ChatGPT to Chess Coach for Stockfish reviews of your Chess.com and Lichess games. Server URLs, interactive board and setup steps.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/connect/
- Updated: 2026-11-04
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Chess Coach is a remote **chess MCP server** for Claude and ChatGPT. Choose your assistant on the [homepage](/#install) to connect it. In Claude, open the [Chess Coach listing](https://claude.ai/directory/chess-coach), sign in, and Claude can find your finished Chess.com and Lichess games, review them move by move with Stockfish running on our server, and show the result on an interactive board inside the chat.

> Chess Coach is available in [Claude’s directory](https://claude.ai/directory/chess-coach) and [OpenAI’s plugin directory](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6ad9e00bd14481918e1bfc260a358e03). Open its listing, install it and sign in with your Chess Coach account.

## The chess MCP server at a glance

| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Server URL | `https://chess-coach-246271308938.europe-west1.run.app/mcp` |
| Transport | Remote MCP over Streamable HTTP |
| Sign-in | OAuth: email and password, a one-time email code, or Google |
| Engine | [Stockfish](https://stockfishchess.org/), on our own server (Google Cloud Run, EU) |
| Games | Public, finished Chess.com and Lichess games, a game link or a pasted PGN |
| Tools | 12 you can ask for, plus one the board uses by itself |
| Interface | An interactive board shown in the chat (an MCP App) |
| Price | 14-day free trial with everything, then Free plan; Plus $3.99/month; Pro $7.99/month |

A language model on its own is not a chess engine, which is why the engine work happens on the server. Every evaluation comes from Stockfish and every move description is computed from the rules of chess; Claude explains them instead of guessing. If you want the background, read [Can Claude analyze chess games?](/answers/can-claude-analyze-chess-games/).

## How to add the Claude chess connector

Open [Chess Coach in Claude’s directory](https://claude.ai/directory/chess-coach) and connect it:

1. Click **Connect** and sign in with email or Google. This creates your free Chess Coach account, with 14 days of full access. We never ask for your Chess.com or Lichess password.
2. Open a new Claude chat and enable **Chess Coach**.
3. Write: "Analyze my last game. I'm your_username on Chess.com."

Chess Coach remembers your username for next time. Use the same connection on web, desktop and mobile. For clients that need a manual server URL, use the URL in the table above. Setup details and troubleshooting are in the [documentation](/docs.html).

## How to connect Chess Coach with ChatGPT

1. Open [Chess Coach in OpenAI’s plugin directory](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6ad9e00bd14481918e1bfc260a358e03).
2. Click **Install plugin**, then **Connect Chess Coach**, and sign in with email or Google.
3. Start a **Work** chat, select **@Chess Coach** and ask for a review with your chess username or a completed PGN.

Both assistants use the same Chess Coach account. ChatGPT exposes 11 tools, with no purchases or subscription-management links in the plugin. Setup details and the optional manual MCP connection are in the [documentation](/docs.html#setup-chatgpt).

## Tools

All tools require sign-in. None of them deletes anything: the write tools only change your own Chess Coach settings or return a Stripe link.

| Tool | What it does | Type |
|---|---|---|
| `list_games` | Finds your finished games and searches your whole history by month, opponent, result, color, time control or opening. | Read-only |
| `review_game` | In-depth Stockfish review of one game, with key moments, mistake practice and the interactive board. Uses one review. | Read-only · board |
| `show_board` | Shows one or more positions on a mini board, with arrows for the move played and the better move. | Read-only · board |
| `analyze_position` | Best moves and lines for a position or a line you want to explore; explains why a move is illegal. | Read-only |
| `opening_report` | Your opening repertoire, or an opponent's, with scores and the weakest lines. | Read-only |
| `player_report` | Scores five areas from up to 30 games, recent ones or those of a period: blunders, tactics, clock, converting won positions and openings. Free trial, Plus and Pro. | Read-only |
| `training_drills` | Turns mistakes from up to 30 games, recent ones or those of a period, into puzzles. Free trial, Plus and Pro. | Read-only |
| `my_account` | Shows your plan and what you've used today. | Read-only |
| `set_chess_username` | Saves your Chess.com or Lichess username. | Write (your settings) |
| `set_explanation_level` | Saves how you want explanations: beginner (default), intermediate or advanced. | Write (your settings) |
| `upgrade_plan` | Returns a Stripe Checkout link when you ask to upgrade. Payment happens on Stripe's page. | Write (account) |
| `manage_subscription` | Returns your Stripe customer portal link to see invoices, change your card or cancel. | Write (account) |
| `board_event` | Diagnostics sent by the board itself; not meant to be called from the chat. | Read-only |

The server also publishes six prompt templates: Analyze one of my games, Review my last game, Weekly training plan, Opening trainer, Drills from my mistakes and Prepare for an opponent.

## The interactive board

`review_game` and `show_board` come with a board that Claude displays right in the conversation. It is built on [MCP Apps](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/seps/1865-mcp-apps-interactive-user-interfaces-for-mcp), the open MCP extension that lets a server show an interactive interface inside the host. On the board you can:

- Jump to the key moments ①②③, numbered like Claude's explanation below the board.
- See arrows: red for the move you played, green for the better move.
- Follow the evaluation graph and step through every move.
- Drag pieces to try your own ideas and have Stockfish evaluate them.
- Press "Why?" to send your question about the position on screen to Claude.
- Open **Practice mistakes** to replay the positions where you went wrong and find the better move.

For follow-up questions, Claude can show smaller boards, several at once as a carousel. If the board doesn't appear, start a new chat and update your Claude app; Claude still explains the review in text. More on what a review contains: [AI chess analysis](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## Try asking

1. "Analyze my last game. I'm your_username on Chess.com."
2. "Show me my last 10 games on Lichess and let me pick one."
3. "Find my game against aleks_92 from March 2024 and review it."
4. "Here's the PGN of a game I played with black. Review it."
5. "Show me in a board the three moments where I could have played better."
6. "In the second position, what happens if I play the bishop to d4?"
7. "Let me practice the mistakes from this game."
8. "Which openings cost me the most points with black?"
9. "I play kate_plays on Lichess tomorrow. How should I prepare?"
10. "Explain it more technically, with notation and numbers."

You don't need to name tools, and Claude answers in your language (the board is in English). For a guided, coach-style experience, see [the AI chess coach](/features/ai-chess-coach/).

## Plans and limits

| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | $0 for the first 14 days, no card | Everything in Pro: up to 20 reviews a day, the five-area player profile and drills, for up to 30 games at once or a whole period |
| Free | $0 | 1 in-depth review a day, the board and practice, opening reports, 30 position checks a day |
| Plus | $3.99/month | 10 reviews a day, the five-area player profile, drills from your own mistakes |
| Pro | $7.99/month | Unlimited reviews with fair use (up to 20 a day) |

Limits reset every day at midnight UTC. Every account gets the free trial once, from its first use; when it ends you move to Free unless you choose a plan. Player reports and drills count one review per 8 games they analyze. To upgrade, ask Claude ("I want Plus"); payment happens on Stripe's secure page. Claude itself runs on your own Claude account, so Chess Coach only charges for the engine work. Full details are on the [pricing section](/#pricing).

## Privacy and fair play

- Chess Coach only receives the parameters of each tool call (a username, a game link, a position), never your conversation with Claude, your memory or your files.
- Games are read, without your credentials, from two public APIs: the [Chess.com Published-Data API](https://www.chess.com/news/view/published-data-api) and the [Lichess API](https://lichess.org/api). Only public, finished games.
- We don't sell data, show ads or train AI models with your games. Read the [privacy policy](/privacy.html).
- Chess Coach never helps with a game in progress. It also doesn't play games against you; for that question, see [Can Claude play chess?](/answers/can-claude-play-chess/).

Chess Coach is an independent product and is not affiliated with Chess.com, Lichess or Anthropic.

## FAQ

### What is a chess MCP server?

An MCP server gives an AI assistant tools it can call. A chess MCP server like Chess Coach lets Claude fetch your games, run Stockfish and show a board in the chat, instead of judging positions from memory.

### Is Chess Coach in Claude's Connectors Directory?

Yes. Chess Coach was published in Claude’s directory on November 3, 2026. Open https://claude.ai/directory/chess-coach and connect your Chess Coach account.

### Does the Chess Coach MCP server work with ChatGPT?

Yes. Install Chess Coach from OpenAI’s plugin directory at https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6ad9e00bd14481918e1bfc260a358e03, connect your Chess Coach account and select it in a Work chat.

### Is the Claude chess connector free?

Yes. Every account starts with 14 days of full access, no card needed: up to 20 in-depth reviews a day, the five-area player profile and drills. After that, the Free plan includes one in-depth game review a day, the interactive board, mistake practice, opening reports and 30 position checks a day. Plus ($3.99/month) and Pro ($7.99/month) add more reviews, a player profile and drills.

### Can Claude play a game of chess against me with this connector?

No. Chess Coach reviews finished games and explores positions you ask about. It doesn't run live games, and it never helps with a game in progress.

## Related

- [Free AI chess coach for your Chess.com and Lichess games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-coach.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)
- [Can Claude analyze chess games? Yes, with Stockfish](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/can-claude-analyze-chess-games.md)
- [Can Claude play chess? What it can and can't do (2026)](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/can-claude-play-chess.md)