♞ Knight Boards

Free online chess · two players · one link

Play chess online with a friend. Just send a link.

Knight Boards is a free two-player chess board that lives at a private link. Create a game, pick your side and clock, and send the link to your friend — the game starts in real time the moment they open it. No sign-up, no downloads, no ads mid-game.

  • ✓ No account needed
  • ✓ Works on phones
  • ✓ Real chess clocks

Start a game

board ready

Free, no sign-up. You get a private link to send — your friend takes the other side.

How it works

Three moves to a live game

  1. 1

    Create your game

    Choose a time control — 5, 10 or 30 minutes per side, or untimed — and whether you play White, Black or a random side.

  2. 2

    Send the link

    Every game gets a private link. Share it by text, WhatsApp, email — anything. Opening it seats your friend on the other side of the board.

  3. 3

    Play in real time

    Moves appear on both boards instantly, clocks tick, and the board is waiting for you both even after a refresh or a dropped connection.

Features

Everything a real chess game needs

  • ♟ Full chess rules

    Castling, en passant, underpromotion, threefold repetition — every rule is checked on the server, so illegal moves simply can't happen.

  • ⏱ Real chess clocks

    Server-checked clocks that can't be cheated: pick blitz, rapid or classical-style timing, and flags fall the instant time runs out.

  • 📱 Made for touch

    Tap-tap or drag-and-drop pieces. The board fits any screen, phone to desktop, and both players can be on different devices.

  • 🔊 Sounds of the board

    Real recordings of pieces landing on a board, a different sound for captures, and "check" and "checkmate" announced out loud.

  • 🤝 Resign & draw offers

    Offer, accept or decline draws, resign gracefully, and see the result the moment the game ends — just like over the board.

  • 📜 Move history & captures

    Every move in standard chess notation, captured pieces and material count at a glance, and highlights for the last move and checks.

Learn chess

New to chess? Start here.

You don't need to know much to start playing — the board enforces every rule for you. But if you'd like to know what you're doing, these are written for complete beginners.

How to play chess The complete beginner's guide: setting up the board, how every piece moves, the special rules, and how to win. How the chess pieces move Each piece in depth — how it moves and captures, what it's worth, and what it's actually good at. The rules of chess Every law of the game in one place — castling, en passant, promotion, and all five ways a game can end in a draw. Types of checkmate The twelve mating patterns that finish beginner games — back-rank, smothered, scholar's and more, with diagrams. Chess notation explained What Nf3, exd5 and O-O mean, and how to read a full game score from start to finish. Playing without an account Why a private link beats usernames and sign-ups — and how to get a friend who's never played online to the board.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Knight Boards really free? +

Yes. Creating a game, inviting a friend and playing are completely free. There is nothing to install and no account to create.

How do I play chess online with a friend? +

Create a game on Knight Boards, pick your side and time control, then copy the private game link and send it to your friend on any messaging app. The moment they open it, the game starts.

Do we both need an account? +

No. Neither player signs up. Your seat is remembered by your browser, so you can refresh or reconnect and carry on playing.

Can I play on my phone? +

Yes. Knight Boards runs in the browser and is designed for touch: tap or drag pieces on any phone, tablet or computer. Both players can be on different devices.

What time controls can we play? +

5, 10 or 30 minutes per side with server-checked clocks, or an untimed game if you would rather play casually.

What happens if my connection drops? +

The game lives on the server, not in your tab. Reopen your link and you are back at the same board with the clocks and move history intact.

Ready when you are.

Your friend is one link away from a game.

Start a free game