A little help along the way.
Start here if you’re choosing your first session, keeping your progress safe, or something isn’t working.
Keep your practice with you.
This free beta works without an account. Choose Save my progress to sign in with an email code and connect your workspace to your account. Check for Progress saved before switching devices. Backups are still available if you prefer to keep your practice only on your device.
Open Progress & backups →Choose your first session
Try the practice coach for a short, self-guided piece-safety program with an optional learning report.
- Lessons: start here if you’re learning the rules and basic ideas.
- Guided puzzles: work through a short position with hints and an explanation.
- Training: take the untimed placement test or practice at an appropriate difficulty.
- My games: import a PGN, inspect a decision, and choose an idea to practice.
Five focused minutes is a useful start. There is no speed bonus in the placement test, and you can pause it on this device.
Save, move, and restore your progress
After verifying your email, choose to save this device’s progress or load your account’s cloud copy. Loading reloads the page, so save an open practice game to My games first. If two devices changed, download backups and choose which copy to continue. The app does not silently merge competing histories.
On a new device, sign in with the same email and choose Load my cloud progress. Cloud saves need a connection. If saving fails, keep the device copy, reconnect, and choose Retry cloud sync. Signing out keeps an earlier device recovery copy accessible from your account after signing back in.
- Open Progress on the browser where your work is saved.
- Choose Download complete backup. Keep the JSON file somewhere you can find it.
- Open Steady Chess on the new device or domain and go to Progress.
- Choose Restore backup, select the file, then review and confirm the replacement.
Restoring replaces the workspace already on that device; it does not merge two sets of progress. Download that device’s backup first if you want to keep it. A backup can include game headers, notes, and assessment history, so treat it as a personal file.
Common questions
How does my practice coach work?
This is guided software coaching, not a live person or an open-ended AI chat. It uses verified puzzle lines, move facts, and the practice record on this device. Your plan prioritizes unfinished practice and due reviews, then suggests an area to revisit when recent fresh attempts provide enough evidence.
Ask for a hint, an explanation, or a walkthrough during practice. Help is recorded separately from independent solves. Afterward, “Let me try again” hides the answer for an unscored rehearsal; it does not change your rating or delayed review date. Chess hints stay out of placement tests.
Is my estimated rating a real Elo?
It estimates tactical puzzle strength from completed placement tests. It is not a rapid, Chess.com, Lichess playing, or FIDE rating. The range is provisional and is not calibrated against rated games. Helped answers, retries, and familiar positions do not increase it.
Why didn’t a solved puzzle increase my estimate?
Regular practice and guided puzzles record learning activity. The estimate updates after a completed placement test with enough independent answers. Repeating a known answer should not make your estimate rise.
Why is practice paused during my placement test?
Keeping test positions fresh makes the result more useful. Resume the test in Training. You can pause and come back without losing answers on this browser.
Can I use hints or make mistakes?
Yes. Hints, retries, and solution reviews are part of practice. They are recorded separately from independent solves. In the scored placement test, work independently and mark a position as familiar if you have seen it before.
The computer or analysis won’t start.
The chess engine downloads files the first time it runs. Check your connection, wait for loading to finish, and try again. Close unused browser tabs if your device is short of memory. Save an ongoing computer game to My games before reloading; unfinished computer positions are not automatically restored after a reload.
An endgame says it can’t connect.
Endgame move checks use the Lichess tablebase service and need a connection. Wait and retry. Your attempt stays saved; a service error is not a chess mistake.
My progress disappeared.
If you connected an account, sign in with the same email and load your cloud progress. For guest progress, check that you’re using the same browser, browser profile, and website address. Private browsing, clearing site data, or changing domains can hide or remove local records. Restore a complete backup if you have one. We cannot retrieve browser-only progress that has been deleted without a backup.
How do I delete my saved data?
To delete an account and its cloud workspace, open Account, expand Delete my account, type DELETE, and choose Permanently delete my account. Download any backup you want first. This is permanent. To remove guest records and copies left on other devices, use your browser’s settings to remove site data for the Steady Chess address you used. This deletes that origin’s saved practice and theme preference. Download a backup first if you may want your work later. Separately delete any backup files you no longer want.
Feedback makes the practice better.
Email support@steadychess.com for help, feedback, or privacy questions. Include the section you were using and what happened. Please leave passwords and private information out of your message.
For a chess-position issue, include the puzzle number or position, the move you tried, and what you expected. A screenshot can help, but crop out unrelated personal information.