Lichess, reviewed

Our take

Lichess is the chess site we point friends to first. Everything is free, with no adverts and no premium tier, because the site is run as a non-profit and paid for by donations. You can open it and play straight away without an account; signing up only matters if you want a rating and a history of your games.

The range is the surprise. A quick game against the computer at a level you choose, a link you send to a friend, puzzle streaks that show one position at a time, short lessons for beginners, and an analysis board that shows where a game turned. Time controls run from bullet games of a minute to correspondence games that last days.

It suits evenings when you want to think rather than react. Rapid games of ten or fifteen minutes a side give room to plan, and the puzzles are good for a short, finite session: decide on a number, solve them, close the tab.

A first sitting

Start with the computer at level 2 or 3 and a 15 + 10 time control. If you lose quickly, open the analysis board and look for the first move the engine flags. Then try five puzzles.

Where to stop

A finished game is a natural stop. Puzzle streaks are endless, so set a count before you begin and keep to it. Rated games can pull you into one more after a loss; leave rated play for evenings with time to spare.