Chessboard Magic: October 2024 Update (Halloween)

Key Stats since launch (around 5 month ago):

• Users: Just over 4k users and growing!
• Page Views: Just over 35k
• Game Plays (include tools access): Just under 75k

I couldn’t have made it this far without your support. Now, let’s dive into what’s new on Chessboard Magic.
Visit: Chessboard Magic
Please do leave me any thoughts, comments and feedback, as your help would be awesome.

New Games and Updates

I’m thrilled to introduce three brand new games that I’ve added to the site:

• Hand and Brain: Play a fun variant where the engine acts as the brain, telling you which piece to move, but you choose the specific move.
• Guess The Move: You are shown a position and need to guess the best move according to an engine.
• Guess Who: You are shown a picture, and your task is to select the correct name of a famous chess personality from a list of options.

In addition to these new games, I’ve made some minor updates:

• Guess the Evaluation: Now shows both the engine’s numerical evaluation (e.g., White is Winning, Equal, etc.).
• Opening Explorer: Now shows the Stockfish Evaluation bar.
• PGN Viewer: I have also built a simple PGN Viewer (which I hope to make far more useful in the future)
• Various cosmetic tweaks to several other games, including improved visuals.
• The site has also been given a splash of colour to enhance the user experience.
• Several bug fixes (thank you for reporting to me).

Chessboard Magic Goes PWA!

I’m excited to announce that Chessboard Magic has now been converted into a Progressive Web Application (PWA)! But what does that mean for you?
A PWA allows you to install Chessboard Magic directly onto your device—whether it’s your phone, tablet, or computer. You’ll notice a new install button on the website. By clicking this button, all the essential files from Chessboard Magic are downloaded onto your device. This means you can access and play all your favourite games much faster, and even if you’re offline or have a poor internet connection, you can still use most of the site’s features!
The total install is around 30MB (mainly due to the images used in the games and puzzles). But once downloaded, everything will load much quicker, and you won’t need to rely on your internet connection to access it.
Here’s how it works:

1. Visit Chessboard Magic on your preferred browser.
2. You’ll see a prompt or a button to “Install App” in the menu (download button at the bottom) —click it!
3. Once installed, Chessboard Magic will appear just like any app on your home screen (on mobile) or as a shortcut (on desktop).
4. Now you can open it with a single tap or click, and you won’t need to reload the site each time—it’s ready to go!
5. Whether you’re on a plane, traveling without Wi-Fi, or in a place with poor signal, Chessboard Magic is at your fingertips.

This new feature makes it easier than ever to practice, play games, and explore all the content Chessboard Magic has to offer—anytime, anywhere, with or without the internet.

Expanding Language Support

I’ve heard from many of you asking for Chessboard Magic to be available in more languages, and I’m excited to share that this is now a reality. You can now enjoy Chessboard Magic in French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, and Vietnamese (I am Vietnamese).
With this update, users from around the world can explore and play in the language they’re most comfortable with.
Here’s what’s new:

• Language Options: You can now select your preferred language directly from the menu.
• Translations: Most of the site’s content has been translated (with assistance from ChatGPT), but please feel free to reach out if you notice any unusual or incorrect translations.
• Automatic Language Detection: Chessboard Magic will automatically choose the language based on your browser settings, but you can change it anytime if needed.

This update is part of my ongoing effort to make Chessboard Magic more inclusive and accessible to everyone, no matter where you’re from.

Full Catalogue of Chessboard Magic

Here’s the complete list of games, tools, and learning resources currently available on Chessboard Magic, all free with unlimited usage:
Games (12):

• Chess Anagrams
• Chess Slide
• Chess Crossword
• Chess Hangman
• Chess Wordsearch
• Guess the Elo
• Guess the Eval
• Guess the Move
• Guess the Opening
• Guess Who
• Image Puzzle
• Play The Opening

Analytics (2):

• User Scout
• Opponent Prep

Learn (3):

• Hand and Brain
• Notation Trainer
• Resources

Library (7):

• Classic Games
• Miniature Games
• World Championships
• Chess Glossary
• Chess Quotes
• Basic Rules of Play
• Competitive Rules of Play

Tools (4):

• Fischer Random Generator
• Gif Generator
• Opening Explorer
• PGN Viewer

Yes, I have been pretty busy (28 items to explore in total as well as learning Web Development and building out the platform).

Coming Soon – Learning Platform & AI Integration

I’m very excited about what’s coming next! My goal is to create a learning platform tailored for people like me who started chess as adults. I began my chess journey 3 years ago and have worked my way up to a 2000 rating in Rapid on both Chess.com and Lichess. While I’m not a titled player, I’ve developed my own methods of studying and improving, and I’m eager to share those insights with you.
In addition, I’m exploring the integration of AI or a Large Language Model (LLM) into the User Scout and Opponent Prep tools. Both tools are currently in their Alpha versions, but I believe there’s a ton of untapped potential here to enhance your chess preparation. I will be releasing my first attempt called Minerva, which will eventually be an open source project.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Thank you for being a part of this magical journey. Since our launch on May 27, 2024, we’ve come a long way with your support, and this is only the fourth release. Your feedback and engagement have been invaluable, pushing me to keep improving and expanding Chessboard Magic.
If you’ve enjoyed my site, please tell a friend about it, share it on social media, and help spread the word. Stay tuned for more updates, and until next time—happy chess playing!

Warm regards,
Toan Hoang (@HollowLeaf)
Creator of Chessboard Magic

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Visit Chessboard Magic to explore all these exciting new features!