OpenChess v1.0.2

Download

Asset	What it is
openchess-<version>-<platform>	The game, a standalone binary — no Bun needed
openchess-server-<version>-<platform>	The API, configured from the variables in .env.example

Local 1v1 and --fen / --pgn analysis work offline. Everything that needs an
account talks to the API at API_URL (default http://localhost:3000/api).

On macOS, clear the quarantine flag once: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine openchess.

Full Changelog: v1.0.1...v1.0.2

OpenChess v1.0.1

Download

Asset	What it is
openchess-<version>-<platform>	The game, a standalone binary — no Bun needed
openchess-server-<version>-<platform>	The API, configured from the variables in .env.example

Local 1v1 and --fen / --pgn analysis work offline. Everything that needs an
account talks to the API at API_URL (default http://localhost:3000/api).

On macOS, clear the quarantine flag once: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine openchess.

Full Changelog: v1.0.0...v1.0.1

OpenChess v1.0.0

Chess, in your terminal. The first release of OpenChess: a TUI chess game with a full progression system behind it — play locally or against the engine, earn XP and coins, unlock achievements, climb the leaderboard, and spend your winnings on titles, all without leaving the terminal.

Download

Standalone binaries — no Bun or Node needed.

Platform	Game	API server
Linux x64	openchess-v1.0.0-linux-x64.tar.gz	openchess-server-v1.0.0-linux-x64.tar.gz
Linux arm64	openchess-v1.0.0-linux-arm64.tar.gz	openchess-server-v1.0.0-linux-arm64.tar.gz
macOS Apple Silicon	openchess-v1.0.0-darwin-arm64.tar.gz	openchess-server-v1.0.0-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
macOS Intel	openchess-v1.0.0-darwin-x64.tar.gz	openchess-server-v1.0.0-darwin-x64.tar.gz
Windows x64	openchess-v1.0.0-windows-x64.zip	openchess-server-v1.0.0-windows-x64.zip

tar -xzf openchess-v1.0.0-linux-x64.tar.gz
./openchess            # the menu
./openchess --help     # every screen and flag

On macOS, clear the quarantine flag once: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine openchess.
Checksums are in SHA256SUMS.txt.

What works without a server

There is no public server yet, so out of the box you get:

• Local 1v1 — two players, one keyboard, no account
• Analysis — openchess --fen "<fen>" or openchess --pgn game.pgn: eval bar, accuracy per side, a verdict per ply, opening names, PGN in and out. The engine runs locally.
• Themes and piece sets — 30+ themes, and --pieces letters for fonts without chess figurines

Everything with an account — online play, server AI games, puzzles, progression — talks to the API at API_URL (default http://localhost:3000/api).

Hosting the API yourself

openchess-server is the whole HTTP API as one binary. Configure it with the variables in default.env.example (attached) — PostgreSQL, Clerk and Polar are required; Upstash Redis, Sentry and Inngest are optional — and apply the migrations from a checkout with bun run db:migrate:deploy (and bun run db:seed for the catalogs). Then point the game at it:

API_URL=https://your-host/api ./openchess

What's in it

Play vs AI	Six named bots, each with its own style and opening repertoire, with bullet, blitz and rapid clocks
Online 1v1	Matchmaking queue, live move stream, Elo, draw offers, takebacks by consent, and set chat phrases
Premoves	Queue your reply while their clock runs, online and against the bots
Challenges & friends	Challenge someone by name or short code, rematches, friend requests and presence
Puzzles	Tactics trainer on its own Elo ladder: daily puzzle, streaks, hints, motif training, Puzzle Rush and themed collections
Watch	Spectate any game in progress, with a gallery chat the players can't see
Openings & repertoire	An explorer over the engine's book, and spaced-repetition drills for the lines you keep
Chess960	Shuffled back rank, with castling that works from wherever the pieces land
Progression	XP, coins, leaderboards, achievements, daily streaks, stats, and a store for titles
Quality of life	ctrl+k to jump to any screen, y / shift+y to copy FEN / PGN over SSH, an optional terminal bell

All the rules are enforced: castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition and insufficient material.

Building from source

Needs Bun 1.3+. See the README for setup, and CONTRIBUTING.md to get involved.

MIT licensed.