Releases

Each Chessboard Magic release includes hundreds of fixes, performance improvements, and interface refinements. On this page, we highlight the key features of each release.

Release v1.2

Release Date: Oct 31, 2025

The goal of Version 1.2 was to expand the ecosystem around Chessboard Magic — introducing subscriptions, flexible layouts, a full documentation Wiki, and powerful new analysis tools to enhance personalization and usability.

• + Wiki Documentation — A full online Wiki created to document every feature and module across the Chessboard Magic platform.
• + Subscription System — Unlock higher platform limits and access subscriber-only analytics components, giving you more room to expand and explore your repertoire.
• + Flexible Layouts — Customize your workspace and arrange components to fit your workflow. Configure and save layouts that match your preferred study or training setup.
• + TCEC Database Card — Access positions and statistics from the Top Chess Engine Championship database for high-level engine reference.
• + Correspondence Database Card — Explore deep, correspondence-level opening theory from elite correspondence databases.
• + All-New Tools Section — A central hub for advanced analytical components, featuring:
  • + Reference Tree — Formerly the Opening Tree, now integrated with broader analytics and filtering options.
  • + User Scout — Analyze user game collections to identify tendencies and preparation opportunities.
  • + Time Usage Analyzer — Track how much time you spend across moves and phases for deeper training insight.
  • + Opening Priorities — Identify key lines and focus areas based on frequency, depth, and performance.
• + New Piece Sets — Ten new visual styles added to the platform, allowing greater personalization of your chessboard.

Release v1.1

Release Date: Aug 26, 2025

The goal of Version 1.1 was to expand training possibilities, deepen analytical tools, and refine the user experience. This release introduced interactive puzzle modes, local engine integration, advanced position management, and new ways to visualize and review your repertoire.

• + Puzzle Module — A diverse collection of repertoire-based puzzle modes designed to challenge memory, recognition, and understanding:
  • + Play the Opening — Given a variation name from your repertoire, try to play it correctly from memory.
  • + Guess the Opening — A Wordle-style challenge for chess lines drawn from your repertoire.
  • + Memory Trainer — Memorize a position in seconds, then rebuild it from scratch to strengthen recall.
  • + Where Are My Pieces? — A visual recall test showing plain circles for each piece — identify what belongs where. A surprisingly fun way to train visualization and memory.
• + Local Engine (UCI) Integration — Connect your own UCI engine to power analysis inside Repertoire Builder. Tested with Stockfish (15–17), Komodo Free, and Berserk. Run stronger or custom analysis using a lightweight proxy app.
• + Candidate Move Trainer — Select a position—either from your repertoire or manually—and test yourself by finding the best candidate moves. A powerful tool to go beyond memorization and improve true positional understanding.
• + Positions Card — Save and reuse positions across the platform. Perfect for revisiting tricky middlegames or launching them directly into Practice or the Candidate Move Trainer.
• + Position Overview Card — See all your moves in one place. This card consolidates data from the Opening Tree, Repertoires, and Library into a single compact table, showing each move’s availability, total frequency, appearance in your repertoires and imported games, and its occurrence in the wider opening database.
• + Usage Card — Track account limits, progress, and data growth over time.
• + Library Upgrades — Bulk tagging, faster deletion, and smoother item management for improved workflow.
• + Chessboard Sounds — Added four sound themes for move feedback, with more planned in future releases.

Initial Release v1.0

Release Date: Jul 20, 2025

The goal of Version 1 was to expand functionality beyond the core builder — introducing advanced analytics, practice tools, visual insights, and quality-of-life improvements for a complete training environment.

• + Practice Module — Practice against various database sources, including Stockfish, Masters, Lichess, and ChessDB, to test your repertoire in realistic scenarios.
• + Opening Tree — Generate a complete move tree from your repertoire for visual exploration and structural analysis.
• + ChessDB Card — Integrated access to the ChessDB database for instant statistics and top-move insights.
• + Bookmarks — Mark positions in your repertoire that you want to revisit later for deeper study and analysis.
• + Transpositions — Automatically detect and link equivalent positions across different repertoire lines.
• + Visualisations — See the structure and shape of your repertoire at a glance through graphical overviews.
• + Review Card — Highlights weaknesses, shallow branches, and inconsistencies within your repertoire for targeted improvement.
• + Library Tagging — Add item tags in the Library to better categorise and filter your imported content.
• + Repertoire Cards — View performance metrics by repertoire to analyse success rates and progress.
• + Repertoire Match Card — Instantly see if the current position exists in other repertoires for easy comparison.
• + Repertoire Move Notations — Quickly reference and copy annotations from your repertoire to the Library.
• + Multilingual Support — Full translation system added, supporting multiple interface languages.

Beta v0.2

Release Date: Apr 21, 2025

The goal of the Beta release was to enhance usability, introduce advanced training modes, and make Chessboard Magic fully responsive across devices — bringing the platform closer to production readiness.

• + Mobile Responsiveness — Complete redesign of the layout engine to support all screen sizes and orientations. Every module, board, and card now adapts dynamically, enabling seamless use on phones, tablets, and desktops without losing functionality or clarity.
• + Weakness Trainer — A smart training mode that automatically identifies the positions you’ve struggled with most. It presents your lowest-scoring positions across all repertoires, offering targeted practice to turn weaknesses into strengths. Just click and train — every session is data-driven and personalized.
• + Spaced Trainer — A scientifically grounded trainer based on the principles of spaced repetition. Powered by the FSRS memory model, it predicts when you’re most likely to forget a move and schedules a review at precisely the right time. You review less often but retain far more, making it ideal for long-term mastery with minimal effort.
• + Master Game Review — See how top players have handled your repertoire positions through real master games that match your lines. This feature bridges study and practice, allowing you to observe professional move choices and understand deeper strategic plans in familiar positions.
• + Import Master Games — Bring external master games directly into your repertoire for hands-on exploration and study. Integrate instructive examples into your lines and expand your repertoire with real-game references.
• + Move Card Upgrades — Comprehensive usability overhaul with improved annotations, highlighted move context, and new visual styles. Enhanced readability and faster navigation between variations make reviewing lines more intuitive than ever.
• + Folder Groupings — Introduced hierarchical folder organization for repertoires. You can now group related openings, defenses, or training sets for cleaner navigation, improved focus, and better large-scale repertoire management.
• + Dark & Light Mode — Added full theme switching across the entire application, allowing you to tailor the interface to your environment. Whether studying late at night or in bright daylight, the platform now adapts for comfort and accessibility.

Alpha v0.1

Release Date: Mar 28, 2025

The goal of the Alpha release was to establish the core infrastructure and deliver the minimum functional platform — enabling users to build, analyze, and train their repertoires while testing stability and system performance.

• + Builder Module — The core foundation of the platform, designed for building and managing your repertoire move by move. Visualize positions, add variations, and organize your openings with precision and structure.
• + Importing Functionality — Seamlessly import chess data by pasting PGNs, uploading PGN files, or pulling entire repertoires from Lichess Public Studies. Perfect for consolidating your existing materials into one workspace.
• + Import Templates — A collection of over 100 pre-built repertoire trees generated by Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20, offering a ready-made foundation to explore openings or start new repertoires quickly.
• + Repertoire Wizards — Guided tools that help you build out your repertoire from any position, suggesting continuations, responses, and move-order options as you go.
• + Analyze Repertoire — Run your entire repertoire through Stockfish automatically to evaluate move strength, highlight blunders, and identify areas for improvement across all lines.
• + Stockfish Card — Enables real-time Stockfish analysis directly on the board. Adjust depth, multiple PV lines, and see evaluations update dynamically as you explore positions.
• + Masters Games Database — Instantly access thousands of professional master games to see how elite players have handled your repertoire positions in practice.
• + Lichess Player Database — Explore opening trends, win rates, and move popularity using real player data from lichess.org, directly linked to your current position.
• + Repertoire Trainer — Train your repertoire interactively by playing through lines as quizzes or simulated games, reinforcing both recall and decision-making accuracy.
• + Position Trainer — Practice random positions drawn from your repertoire to improve pattern recognition, positional understanding, and move recall under pressure.
• + Library — Import your own games from pasted PGNs, file uploads, Chess.com, or Lichess. Build a personalized library of instructive examples and training material.
• + Export PGN — Export your full repertoire or selected games in PGN format, allowing you to take your data anywhere — from database programs to other training tools.

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