Quickstart

This guide takes you from no account to your first Chessware session. It only takes a few minutes, plus the time to download.

Before you start

You'll need:

• A Discord account. Chessware uses Discord to sign in, so there's no separate password to remember.
• A PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit) for the desktop app. See system requirements.
• An internet connection.

1. Sign in with Discord

Go to https://chessware.net and choose to sign in. Discord asks you to approve the connection. Once you do, your Chessware account is created.

Signing in also gives you the Member role in our Discord server, which is where support and the Chessware community live. You may be asked a couple of quick questions about your level and how you plan to use Chessware.

2. Pick a plan

Choose a plan on the site. You need to be signed in to buy. Checkout is handled by Stripe, and we never see or store your card number.

After payment:

• a license key is issued to your account; and
• you get the Customer role in our Discord server.

Note: If you received a license key from us directly, you don't need to buy a plan. Open your dashboard and use the Redeem a key button instead.

3. Open your dashboard

Your dashboard is your home for everything Chessware:

• Overview shows how much time your licenses have left and what to do next.
• Licenses shows each license key and whether it's linked to your Discord account and locked to a PC.
• Downloads has the latest version of Chessware.
• Transactions lists your orders and receipts.
• Instructions has a setup guide you can follow alongside this page.

4. Download Chessware

Open the Downloads tab. You'll see Chessware with its version number, file size, SHA-256 checksum and a summary of what's new.

Download it and open Chessware.exe. It's a single file, so there's nothing to install. Only ever download Chessware from your dashboard. To confirm the file is genuine, compare its checksum as described in Updating Chessware.

5. Log in with your license key

Chessware opens on a log-in screen that asks for your license key.

1. Copy your key from the Licenses tab. It looks like PREFIX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.
2. Paste it into Chessware and select Log in.
3. Chessware checks your key with our server over an encrypted connection, then opens the app.

Two things to know:

• Your key works with one Discord account and one PC. It's linked to the Discord account that bought or redeemed it, and the first log-in locks it to your PC. To move to a different PC later, ask for a device reset. See License keys.
• Your license time starts now, at the first log-in, not when you bought it.

If Chessware shows an error, see Troubleshooting.

6. Set it up

Once you're in:

• Select Choose platform on the Main tab and pick Chess.com or Lichess.org, whichever you play on.
• Open the Engine tab and install Stockfish 19. It's one click and takes a minute or two.

Keep your internet connection on while you use Chessware. It checks your license when you log in and every few minutes while it runs.

Next steps

• How Chessware works
• Updating Chessware
• Frequently asked questions