A little help along the way.
Start here if you’re choosing your first session, keeping your progress safe, or something isn’t working.
Your practice stays in this browser.
This free beta works without an account. Email signup and automatic sync between devices are not available yet. Download a complete backup before clearing browser data, switching devices, or moving to our new domain.
Open Progress & backups →Choose your first session
- 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
- 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
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.
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?
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.