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ChessCounter is a chess opening trainer for iOS and Android. It runs entirely on your device and makes no network requests. See the ChessCounter Privacy Policy for details on what it stores and where.

What each mode does

  • Learn, pick an opening, choose which side to play, and follow the arrows drawn on the board for every move you need to make. Any move other than the taught one ends the lesson right there, badged as a blunder.
  • Free play, a full unscripted game against a built-in chess engine, with no taught line to follow.
  • Play in person, pass-and-play on a single device with no engine: both sides are played by hand, and the board flips after every move so whoever is about to move sees their own pieces at the bottom.
  • Identify the opening, watch a random opening’s moves get revealed one at a time and name it from a set of candidates before it finishes revealing; for the two traps (Scholar’s Mate, the Tennison Gambit), a correct early guess also opens up a chance to play the actual refutation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account, or an internet connection? No. ChessCounter has no account of any kind and works fully offline, it never needs a network connection, not even to check for something.

Which openings does it teach? 13 launch openings and traps: Tennison Gambit, Scholar’s Mate, Italian Game, Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Defense, Caro-Kann, French Defense, Queen’s Gambit, London System, Englund Gambit, King’s Gambit, Scandinavian Defense and Budapest Gambit. Every opening system (everything except the two traps) can be learned from both White and Black.

Is there a paywall, or in-app purchases? No. All 13 launch openings are entirely free, with no in-app purchases and no subscriptions.

Can I play against another person on the same device? Yes, that’s what Play in person is for: an unscripted game with no engine, played by hand by both sides.

What happens if I play a move the lesson doesn’t expect? It’s still played onto the board and shown briefly as a blunder, then the lesson ends there. You can undo just that move and try again, or restart the lesson from the beginning.

Does it track my progress? Yes, locally: which opening variants you’ve completed, plus a points total and a day streak, all stored only on your own device.

Requirements

  • iOS: iOS 16.4 or later.
  • Android: Android 7.0 or later.

Contact

If ChessCounter isn’t working as expected, or you have a question or a feature request, reach out via the tanis.codes contact page or open an issue on the GitHub repository.