If you've played chess online for a while, you've probably had this happen.
You play a game that feels amazing. Maybe you found a tactic you're proud of. Maybe you somehow defended a completely losing position. Or maybe you blundered your queen and want to know exactly where everything went wrong.
Naturally, you hit "Game Review."
You get a nice breakdown of your game, an accuracy score, some engine suggestions…
…and then you remember you've used your free review for the day.
That always bugged me.
Not because I think paid features are bad. Building good software takes time and money, and platforms deserve credit for what they've built.
But as someone who enjoys playing a lot of chess, there were days I'd finish five or ten games and want to look at all of them. Sometimes I'd spend an evening experimenting with openings. Other times I'd play a rapid tournament and want to review every game afterward.
I didn't want to wait until tomorrow.
I just wanted to analyze my games.
"There Has to Be a Better Way"
There are already some fantastic tools out there.
You can use engine analysis, import PGNs into different websites, or use dedicated chess software. I actually use a mix of these myself.
But I wanted something that fit the way I studied chess.
I wanted to:
- Import PGN files quickly.
- Analyze as many games as I wanted.
- Run Stockfish locally.
- Explore different lines easily.
- Save games for later.
- Have everything in one desktop application.
And, being a developer, I had the dangerous thought every programmer eventually has:
"How hard could it be?"
It turns out…
Very.
The Project Grew Way Bigger Than I Expected
I thought I'd build a small utility for myself.
Instead, I accidentally started one of my biggest side projects.
Suddenly I wasn't just writing a chess app.
I was learning about:
- Chess programming.
- PGN parsing.
- Talking to chess engines.
- Background workers and threading.
- Desktop application development.
- Cross-platform packaging.
- UI design.
Every time I finished one feature, I'd think of three more.
I'd fix one bug and somehow create two new ones.
There were nights where I'd spend hours tracking down an issue only to realize I'd forgotten something incredibly simple.
If you're a developer reading this, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Stockfish Is Amazing
One of my favourite parts of the project was working with Stockfish.
It's honestly incredible what modern chess engines can do.
The first time you ask the engine for the best move and watch it calculate different possibilities, it feels like having a ridiculously strong coach sitting next to you.
Of course, building around it also taught me something important.
The engine isn't there to tell you that you're bad at chess.
It's there to help you understand your mistakes.
There's a big difference between:
"The engine says +1.8."
and
"Oh… I completely missed that tactical idea."
The second one actually helps you improve.
Why I Made It Open Source
This decision was easy.
I've learned so much from open-source projects over the years.
Whether it's libraries, tutorials, or complete applications, countless developers have shared their work for free.
Without that community, I probably wouldn't have been able to build this project in the first place.
Making Chess Analyzer open source felt like giving something back.
If someone wants to:
- Suggest a feature,
- Fix a bug,
- Learn how chess software works,
- Or just see how everything fits together,
they can.
And honestly, I'd love contributions.
Someone else might have a better idea than I do.
Actually, they probably do.
Building This Changed How I Study Chess
One thing I didn't expect was how much this project would change the way I look at my own games.
I used to chase accuracy scores.
Now I care more about questions like:
- Where did I lose the advantage?
- What was I thinking during that move?
- Did I have a better plan?
- Was there a tactical opportunity I completely ignored?
The engine gives answers.
Understanding why those answers matter is where improvement happens.
Ironically, building a chess analyzer probably made me analyze my own chess better.
The Best Part So Far
Without a doubt, it's seeing other people use it.
- Someone downloads it.
- Someone reports a bug.
- Someone suggests a feature.
Someone says,
"Hey, this actually helped me review my games."
That's a pretty cool feeling.
Most side projects never leave your laptop.
This one did.
There's Still A Lot I Want To Build
The project is far from finished.
I have a long list of ideas.
Some are practical.
Some are probably overambitious.
Some will almost certainly introduce bugs I'll regret later.
I'd like to improve:
- Analysis reports.
- Opening insights.
- Visualizations.
- Study workflows.
- Game management.
- Overall user experience.
And I'm sure users will think of features I haven't even considered.
That's one of the fun parts of building software.
You're never really done.
Why I Built This
People sometimes ask if I built this because I don't like existing chess platforms.
Not at all.
I use them.
I enjoy them.
They've done an incredible job growing the game.
I built Chess Analyzer for a much simpler reason.
I wanted a tool that matched how I liked to study chess.
I wanted unlimited analysis.
I wanted a desktop application.
I wanted to work with Stockfish.
I wanted to improve my Python skills.
And, if I'm being completely honest…
I thought it would be a fun project.
It ended up teaching me far more than I expected—about chess, programming, desktop applications, and even a bit about patience.
Give It A Try
If you've ever wanted to dig deeper into your games, understand your mistakes a little better, or just enjoy exploring chess positions with one of the strongest engines in the world, I hope you'll give Chess Analyzer a shot.
It's free.
It's open source.
It's still growing.
And it all started because I wanted more than one game review a day.
If you end up using it, have suggestions, or just want to talk chess or software development, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.
After all, every chess player has that one game they're proud of.
And every developer has that one side project that got a little out of hand.
This one happens to be mine.
Important Links
- Official Website: chess-analyzer-ut.vercel.app
- GitHub Repository: Chess Analyzer Pro
- Contact me: Linkdin
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