Open board
POSITION ANALYSIS

Best chess move
from a photo

Photograph a board or upload a screenshot. From Board reconstructs the position and shows the strongest move it finds, along with other choices.

How it works

  1. Add an image. On a phone, take a picture or select one from your gallery. On a computer, you can also paste a screenshot from the clipboard.
  2. Check the board. Make sure the pieces and side to move are correct. You can change whose turn it is and flip the board.
  3. Compare continuations. The Best Move tab shows a Stockfish choice and alternatives. Tap a move to play it on the board.

The analysis is available on the main tool page. Recognition runs in your browser; your photo is not uploaded for analysis.

Monitor photo or screenshot?

Both can work, including a picture of a finished game on Chess.com or Lichess. In a photo, keep all 64 squares visible, avoid covering pieces with a hand or pop-up, and make the board large enough in the frame. A screenshot usually has sharper square and piece edges.

When photographing a monitor at an angle, avoid cutting off the board corners. If recognition is wrong, try another distance or reduce glare. The recognized board keeps the detected orientation, and you can flip it manually.

Strongest versus human move

Stockfish searches for a strong continuation in the given position. Its assessment depends on search depth and whether the board was reconstructed correctly. The alternative moves help you compare choices when the first suggestion is surprising.

Human Move uses Maia to estimate what a player at an approximate rating might choose. The model downloads only after you agree to load it. The Chess.com rating scale is a rough guide: Maia was trained on Lichess games, and the 100–500 Elo range is an experimental beginner simulation. A move's popularity in real games does not make it the strongest.

Example: mate in one

Consider the position after 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6?. White to move can play 4. Qxf7#: the queen captures the pawn on f7 and gives checkmate. If the recognized board mistakenly says Black to move, the recommendation answers a different question.

FEN before White's mover1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p2Q/2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNB1K1NR w KQkq - 4 4

The w after piece placement means White is to move.

What to verify yourself

A single image cannot reveal the full game history. Castling rights and en passant depend on earlier moves, so check them if they matter to the position. Pay particular attention to the side to move: changing it can change the best continuation.

If you need a portable record of the position, see how to copy FEN from a photo.