One Year of Chessboard Magic

In November 2020, after watching The Queen’s Gambit, I joined Chess.com, igniting a passion that led me to a 2000 rapid rating. Soon after, I moved to Lichess, where in early 2023, I achieved the rare quad 2000—reaching a 2000+ rating in Classical, Rapid, Blitz, and Bullet.
By October 2023, I returned to programming after decades away, aiming to build a tool to analyze my opening mistakes with the goal of helping me improve. That spark grew into Chessboard Magic: a vibrant chess playground with 44 games, puzzles, and tools, crafted solo for a global community of players. What began as a personal project became a mission to make chess fun, educational, and accessible for all.

Visit chessboardmagic.com

The Journey

This is a look back at the milestones that brought the platform to life, and the ideas that helped shape its path forward.

May 2024 (v0.1) The Magic Begins

Chessboard Magic debuted with five games: Guess the Elo, Play the Opening, Guess the Opening, Guess the Eval, and Chess Slider. Designed to be fun, free, and intuitive, this lightweight playground tested my ideas and coding skills. Players loved the fresh approach, and their feedback fueled my momentum. Behind the scenes, I laid the foundation for a scalable platform.

• (01) Guess The Elo
• (02) Guess The Eval
• (03) Guess The Opening
• (04) Play The Opening
• (05) Chess Slide
• (06) Fischer Random Generator
• (07) Opening Explorer

July 2024 (v0.2) The Alphabet of Chess

Six weeks later, I released the Alphabet of Chess, adding word-based games like Anagrams, Hangman, and Wordsearch, plus Chess Quotes and a Glossary. New features like dark mode and time control filters enhanced the experience. With over 50,000 game plays, this update brought variety and personality, appealing to casual and serious players alike.

• (08) Chess Hangman
• (09) Chess Anagrams
• (10) Chess Wordsearch
• (11) Notation Trainer
• (12) Chess Quotes
• (13) Chess Glossary

August 2024 (v0.3) Explore Chess

In August, I introduced analytics with User Scout and a revamped Notation Trainer, letting players explore Lichess profiles and practice notation. New games like Image Puzzle and Chess Crossword, plus a GIF Generator, added visual flair. The expanded Library included World Championship and Classic Games collections, marking a step toward serious training tools.

• (14) Chess Crossword
• (15) Chess Image Puzzle
• (16) User Scout
• (17) Gif Generator
• (18) World Championship Matches
• (19) Classic Chess Games
• (20) FIDE Rules of Basic Play
• (21) FIDE Rules of Competitive Play

September 2024 (v0.4) Opponent Prep and Library Expansion

This update introduced the first version of the Opponent Prep tool, allowing players to compare two Lichess profiles and analyze their opening strengths and weaknesses. Alongside it came a redesigned homepage, an expanded Library with Chess Miniatures, the addition of a new Learn section featuring Chess Resources, and the launch of sharing functionality across the platform.

• (22) Opponent Prep
• (23) Chess Miniatures
• (24) Chess Resources

October 2024 (v0.5) PWA, Languages, and Even More Games

Chessboard Magic became a Progressive Web App, installable and offline-ready, with support for eight languages. New games like Hand and Brain and Guess Who, enriched the experience. With growing usage, I optimized performance to ensure reliability, setting the stage for sustainable growth.

• (25) Guess The Move
• (26) Guess Who
• (27) Hand and Brain
• (28) PGN Viewer

January 2025 (v0.6) Depth, Tools, and More

The January update, with 139,000+ lines of code, introduced complex features like Where Are My Pieces?, Chess Cryptogram, Hidden Chess and a Tablebase tool. New languages (Hebrew, Japanese, Korean) joined backend upgrades, supporting 200 daily users. I also began experimenting with AI and gamification (XP, leaderboards), deepening the platform’s potential.

• (29) Where Are my Pieces?
• (30) Rotating Image Puzzles
• (31) Chess Cryptogram
• (32) Decrypt Chess
• (33) Hidden Chess
• (34) Tablebase

February 2025 (v0.7) Chess Meets the Arcade

February brought arcade-style games like Whack-A-Pawn and Jumping Knight, blending speed and nostalgia. I also launched Checkmate Trainer, Coordinate Trainer, a mobile Chess Clock, and a “Free Promotion” feature to spotlight chess creators. A five-part tutorial series on building chess web apps shared my learning with the community.

• (35) Whack A Pawn
• (36) Jumping Knights
• (37) Coordinate Trainer
• (38) Checkmate Trainer
• (39) Chess Clock

March & April 2025 – The Repertoire Builder Arrives

From the beginning, Chessboard Magic was born out of a question I kept asking myself: Why do I keep making the same mistakes in the opening? While the early games and tools were playful and exploratory, they were also helping me build the skills—and the confidence—to finally return to that question with purpose.
In March 2025, I released the Alpha version of the Repertoire Builder, the first tool on the platform designed to tackle chess improvement head-on. It wasn’t just about creating something functional; it was about creating something meaningful—a space where players could understand their openings, study smarter, and bridge the gap between theory and practice.
By April, it was clear the idea resonated. Hundreds of players weren’t just trying the tool—they were returning, building, and refining. I launched the Beta version with that momentum in mind. My goal was no longer just to build a repertoire app—it was to create a deeply personal, reflective study environment, one that adapts to how you learn, highlights your weaknesses, and grows with you. It was the clearest step yet toward fulfilling the original purpose behind Chessboard Magic: to help players improve in ways that actually stick.

• (40) Repertoire Builder

Note: 2,000+ users have created an account on the platform so far, with over 650k moves added. It is free after all.

May 2025 (v1.0)– One-Year Anniversary and New Tools

To celebrate the first anniversary of Chessboard Magic, this release introduced several new tools, including the Piece Trainer, Opening Templates (adapted from the Repertoire Builder), Memory Trainer, and the Space Visualizer, which highlights board control move-by-move. A major update was also made to User Scout to allow you to analyze games from both Lichess and Chess.com. This update also included several improvements across the platform (I found tons of little bugs when revamping the user interface), continuing the steady progress made over the past year (this has also been designed in the new template, which will be applied to all games and tools)

• (41) Piece Trainer
• (42) Opening Templates
• (43) Space Visualiser
• (44) Memory Trainer

Statistics

Chessboard Magic has grown from five games and 5,000 lines of code to 44 tools, 20,000 users, and 350,000+ page views. Built solo with almost 200,000 lines of code, it’s a labor of love—crafted to make chess engaging, educational, and accessible for all.

• Users: 20,000+ players worldwide
• Page Views: 350,000+
• Items: 44 unique games, puzzles, tools, and learning modules

Looking Forward

Chessboard Magic just turned one! What started as a handful of tools has grown into something much bigger — and this year, I’m aiming for a fun milestone:
64 unique tools — one for every square on the board.
Here’s what’s planned for the next 12 months:

• Learning tools: Chess Principles, Chess Courses, Thematic Tactics, and Puzzles by Theme or Opening — all designed to strengthen your understanding and build solid foundations.
• Analysis features: Opening Mistakes Analyzer, Game Review, Time Usage Analyzer, and Blunder Trainer — tools to turn your games into personalized feedback and insights.
• Arcade-style games: Chess Pac-Man, Rook Racer, and Chess Crusher — fun, creative twists on chess to keep things playful and surprising.
• Premium tools: Swiss Manager for tournaments, Club Manager for organizing communities, and Classroom for coaches and teachers.

Have a feature idea or suggestion? I’d love to hear it — Chessboard Magic grows best with your input.

Multiplayer Ideas
I’m currently exploring ways to allow multiple people to play a game together on Chessboard Magic. Whether it’s cooperative modes, team play, or spectator features, this would be a fun and exciting challenge to implement—and could open up new interactive experiences for users.

Summary

What started as a simple side project—just five games and two tools with a few thousand lines of code—has grown into a platform with 44 tools, 20,000 users. Along the way, I’ve learned to code again, built an ecosystem from scratch, and connected with a passionate community of players who’ve shaped every feature through their feedback and ideas.
As I look ahead to the next chapter of Chessboard Magic, the goal is as ambitious as it is symbolic: to reach 64 handcrafted applications, one for every square on the board. Whether you're here to play, learn, analyze, or explore—I hope you’ve found something magical. And if you haven’t yet, I’m building toward it. Thank you for being a part of this journey.

Kind Regards,
Toan Hoang (@HollowLeaf)
Creator of Chessboard Magic

Visit chessboardmagic.com