What’s new

Upcoming major update 2026-03-20: Engine & tree browser

After 2026-03-20, Chesstree.net has

  • Integrated analysis engine (Stockfish 18)
  • Tree browser, a panel where trees are organized into folders. You can rearrange and add folders to your custom trees
  • A new layout
  • Ability to open multiple nodes at once (right-click for context menu)
  • Resizable chessboard panel with detachable “Notes”-panel and an engine evaluation score bar.
  • So many bugfixes

Let me know what you would like to see next at admin@chesstree.net!

Going commercial

After keeping chesstree.net free for a decade, I’ve decided it’s time to turn it into a sustainable product. Membership will cost $25/year and gives you the ability to save your collection of opening trees.

I will update the membership soon.

Thank you for using chesstree.net — your support means a lot!

Minor update 2025-01

  • Fixed bugs that appeared when importing deeply nested PGN’s
  • UI update for import and export
  • You can rename your trees now
  • Nodes are sorted from top to bottom based on the chessboard column the move lands on (a-h). For example, e4 is in the center and h4 is at the edge.
  • FIDE pgn format now works in import

Update 2018-08-31

Plan:

I’m developing a new version of chesstree.net, and It’s taking quite a bit of time.

I do freelance software development from time to time for living, and work on my software production skills and chesstree.net on other times. Right now, I’m looking for freelance work.

Features for the next version:

  • Expanding the opening statistics database
    • I’m looking into using data from ~170 million blitz games from FICS games. The current database is tiny compared to this.
  • Computer analysis for positions
    • I can attach a JavaScript chess engine to the site, which will calculate the scores in your custom openings. These will be saved to the database.
  • UI rework. The interface is a bit confusing

Other requested features that I will be doing at some point:

  • Handling transpositions
  • More mobile-friendly site
  • Tweaks to the usability of the tree
    • Button to pan to current position in the tree
    • A way to shrink/collapse long branches in the tree
    • Changing the coloring scheme so that distinguishing your own openings from other data is easier
    • Way to open multiple branches simultaneously

Further in the future

  • Connecting chesstree.net with lichess, so that you can import your games directly for analysis

Update history

15 July 2016 – Statistics overlay: Show opening statistics on custom chess trees
12 July 2016 – Chesstree weblog is up

Minor updates

30 Aug 2016 – Lines to tree nodes are now cones. Color scale takes ties into account.
30 Aug 2016 – Button for replaying last 4 moves.
30 Aug 2016 – Panning is now more dynamic and less buggy.
4 Aug 2016 – Bugfix: Default opening names no longer get saved with custom trees