About
Chess with your friends, minus everything else.
Knight Boards is a free online chess board for two people. You create a game, send your friend a private link, and play in real time — on phones, tablets or computers, with proper chess clocks and every rule of the game enforced.
We built it because playing a quick game with a friend online usually means making accounts, confirming email addresses, and dodging pop-ups before anyone moves a pawn. It shouldn't. A chessboard is a simple thing: set it up, invite your opponent, play. Knight Boards keeps it that way — no sign-up, no downloads, no interruptions during a game.
How it stays honest
Every move is checked on the server by a full chess rules engine, and the clocks run server-side too — so neither player can bend the rules, lag their clock, or replay a move. If your connection drops, the game waits: reopen your link and you're back at the same board.
New to chess?
Start with our beginner's guide, how to play chess — the board, every piece's moves, and the handful of special rules — then create a free game and learn the rest by playing.
Get in touch
Found a bug, have an idea, or just want to say hello? We answer every message.