Play a full game against a free Stockfish computer opponent — choose your color and a difficulty level, and the same engine that powers the rest of the site plays the other side, right in your browser, with no login and no daily limit. Prefer a real board with another person instead? Pass-and-play mode is one tap away, with no engine running while you play. Either way, when the game ends, send it straight into Stockfish 18 analysis to see exactly where it turned.
Yes. Like everything else on See The Mate, the computer opponent runs on the same free, local Stockfish engine — no login, no daily limit, no premium tier.
Easy and Medium use Stockfish\u2019s own officially calibrated strength-limiting option, targeting roughly 1320 and 1800 Elo respectively. Hard removes the limit entirely and lets the engine play at full strength.
Yes — the Pass and play tab switches to the original two-player mode, with no engine running while you play, the same way it always has.
Play mode is meant to feel like playing a real game, not like having an engine looking over your shoulder move by move. If you want live evaluation while you play, use Explore mode instead.
Not yet for a human opponent — that\u2019s planned. The computer opponent, on the other hand, is available any time with no setup.
Checkmate, stalemate, and draws by repetition or insufficient material are detected automatically. You can also resign or claim a draw manually. Either way, one click sends the finished game into full Stockfish analysis.
Yes. All standard chess rules are enforced, including castling rights, en passant capture, and pawn promotion, so the game stays valid for accurate analysis afterward.