Best move finder

Next chess move calculator

Find the best chess move in any position. Drop a screenshot of your game, or paste a FEN or PGN, and a live Stockfish engine shows the best move with an arrow on the board, the evaluation and the full line. Free, no account, runs in your browser.

Drop a screenshot, paste a FEN, or paste a PGN to find the best move.
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Stockfish · depth 0

Evaluating…

Moves

Play a move on the board to start a line.

How it works

Use a screenshot, FEN or PGN

From a screenshot

Upload a clear, straight-on image of a 2D board. Check the recognized pieces, choose White or Black to move, and use 'Wrong side? Flip' if the board was read in the wrong playing direction.

From a FEN

Paste the full FEN when you have it. The field immediately after the piece placement is the side to move: 'w' means White and 'b' means Black. That detail can change the best move completely.

From a PGN

Paste the game score to analyze the position after its final recorded move. To review every move instead of only the last position, use the free game review below.

Stockfish draws its top move as an arrow, shows the evaluation, and lists alternative continuations. You can play the move on the board to keep exploring the line.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How does it find the best move?

Stockfish, the strongest open-source chess engine, analyzes the position live in your browser. The move it ranks first is the best move; it is shown as an arrow on the board, with the evaluation and the full continuation.

Can I upload a screenshot of my game?

Yes. Drop a screenshot of a 2D board from Chess.com, Lichess or any board and we recognize the position, then you confirm whose turn it is and read the best move. You can also paste a FEN or PGN.

Is it free?

Yes. Finding the best move is completely free, with no account and no limits. Stockfish runs in your browser. A screenshot is sent to the board-recognition service only when you choose to upload one.

Which engine does it use?

Stockfish, compiled to run directly in your browser. You see the live evaluation, the best move and the alternative lines.

How do I set the board orientation and side to move?

After loading a position, choose Automatic, White to move or Black to move under the board input. If an uploaded board is facing the wrong direction, use 'Wrong side? Flip' to rotate the position before trusting the engine line.

How is this different from the analysis board?

The analysis board is a blank board to explore lines from scratch. This chess calculator takes one position you supply (by screenshot, FEN or PGN) and answers a single question: what is the best move here. You can then play on and explore the continuation.

Want more than one move?

Paste a full PGN into the free chess game review to find mistakes and better moves throughout the game. For a position you want to change freely, explore variations on the chess analysis board.

Try the free game reviewOpen the analysis board

Check the position before trusting the next move

Use the mate-in-one example in the Paste FEN tab for this short exercise. The position has White king g6, White queen f7 and Black king h8, with White to move.

  1. Load the mate-in-one example and verify the three pieces and the side to move.
  2. Before reading the engine line, find a checking move and list every possible king escape.
  3. Compare your move with Stockfish, then play the line. Several moves can mate; a different engine choice does not automatically make yours wrong.
Why does Qg7 end the game?

The queen checks h8 from g7, covers g8 and h7, and is protected by the king on g6. Black cannot capture it or escape: Qg7 is checkmate.

What happens after Qe6 instead?

Black is not in check and has no legal move. That is stalemate, so the game is drawn. A large material advantage does not make every move safe.

The same diagram has Black to move. Is it the same problem?

No. In this particular starting diagram Black has no legal move and is not in check: it is already stalemate. Verify the FEN side-to-move field instead of assuming that board orientation determines the turn.