Lichess

What Lichess does

Lichess is a French nonprofit association (loi 1901), founded in 2010 and headquartered in La Mure (Grenoble), France, that operates lichess.org — a free, libre, open-source online chess server with no advertising, no trackers, and no paywalls. The platform serves a global, horizontally segmented user base spanning casual players, competitive and titled players (including GMs such as Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren), chess learners and students, spectators following elite tournaments, and developers consuming its public API and data. The product surface covers online play across all time controls and variants (including chess960 and antichess), arena/Swiss/simul tournaments, a 6M+ puzzle training system, analysis boards, collaborative studies, broadcasts of professional events (notably FIDE World Team Rapid & Blitz 2026), and a community layer of teams, forums, blogs, coaches, and streamers.

The underlying technology is a Scala full-stack application (lila) with a TypeScript/Sass frontend, a dedicated WebSocket service (lila-ws) for low-latency gameplay, a Flutter/Dart mobile app, and a distributed analysis system (fishnet) that runs the Stockfish and Fairy-Stockfish engines. Skill is rated using the Glicko-2 system, and the codebase is released under AGPLv3, allowing third-party self-hosting. Anti-cheat relies on two in-house ML/AI tools — kaladin for anomaly detection and irwin for pattern-based cheating identification — while analysis is powered by the third-party Stockfish engine compiled to WebAssembly. A public HTTP API, the lichess-bot bridge, and downloadable datasets (including on Hugging Face and Kaggle) extend the platform into the developer and research ecosystem.

Lichess has no premium tier, no advertising revenue, and no venture or institutional ownership. Its sole revenue streams are voluntary user donations through the Patron system (processed via PayPal and Stripe) and merchandise sales via the Swag Store on Spreadshirt. Growth is product-led and community-led: there is no sales motion, marketing budget, or formal pricing model — features are universal and free, and distribution is global via web, mobile, API, and open-source channels. The organization employs 51–100 staff plus a large volunteer contributor base, and its long-term operating durability rests on sustained donation flow and ecosystem engagement rather than commercial monetization.

Name

Lichess

Legal name

Lichess.org (association governed by the Law of Associations of July 1, 1901)

Website

https://lichess.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lichess is a French nonprofit (loi 1901), founded in 2010, that operates a free, ad-free, open-source online chess platform serving global casual players, competitive and titled players, learners, spectators, and developers, funded solely by voluntary user donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

La Mure

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. User Donations (Patron): Voluntary donations from users who want to support the platform. Donors receive public recognition on the site and a Patron icon on their profile. Donations are framed as gifts rather than purchases of services. As a French charitable organization (association loi 1901), Lichess is entirely dependent on these donations to operate.
2. Swag Store: Online merchandise store selling Lichess-branded apparel and goods. Available through Spreadshirt platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lichess operates a free, libre, no-ads, open-source online chess server that delivers real-time gameplay (lobby, arena, Swiss, simultaneous exhibitions), a 6 million+ puzzle training system, learning tools, an analysis board with Stockfish engine, collaborative studies, live tournament broadcasts, and community features. The offering is provided globally via the web platform at lichess.org and through native Flutter mobile apps for iOS and Android, with a public API and open databases for developers and researchers.

Product overview

Lichess is a single unified platform offering free, libre, open-source online chess. The core product is the lichess.org website, complemented by a Flutter/Dart mobile app. The platform integrates multiple interconnected modules: puzzle training (Puzzles, Learn), competitive play (Arena/Swiss tournaments, Lobby games), analytical tools (Analysis Board, Study, Openings), community features (Teams, Forum, Blog, Streamers), and broadcast/watch features (Lichess TV, Broadcasts). Additional offerings include the Lichess API for developers, downloadable database of games/puzzles, and a patron donation system. The platform hosts professional chess broadcasts and is used by top players including world champions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lichess Online Chess Platform The flagship free, libre, no-ads, open-source online chess platform providing real-time lobby games, arena and Swiss tournaments, simultaneous exhibitions, puzzles, learning resources, analysis tools, broadcasts, and community features for chess players worldwide.
• Lichess Mobile App The official Lichess mobile application built with Flutter and Dart, providing full chess platform access including gameplay, puzzles, and analysis on iOS and Android devices.
• Lichess API Public HTTP API providing programmatic access to games, players, puzzles, tournaments, broadcasts, teams, and other platform data for developers, with OAuth support and rate limits for non-commercial use.
• Lichess Open Database Open database of all rated Lichess games and 6 million+ chess puzzles, freely available for download and research, also distributed on Hugging Face and Kaggle for machine learning and data science use.
• Lichess Swag Store Online merchandise store selling Lichess-branded clothing and items, operated through the Spreadshirt platform.
• Patron Donation System Voluntary donation system supporting Lichess as a French charitable association; donors receive visible Patron status on their profile and public recognition on the site.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16 years of continuous operation as a free, ad-free platform
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Take Take TakecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026Take Take Take, the chess app co-founded by Magnus Carlsen, has partnered with Lichess to expand from live game following into 'play and learn' functionality. This partnership enables Take Take Take to leverage Lichess's infrastructure for playing and learning tools, positioning itself between casual and serious players. The partnership allows Carlsen's startup to accelerate market entry into the play-and-learn sector while avoiding conflicts with his Chess.com ambassador role.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lucas Chess: Open-source chess training and analysis software providing engine-based practice against AI opponents. Comparable on the training/learning axis of Lichess's offerings, though desktop-focused rather than a community platform.
• Aimchess: Modern online chess platform focused on rapid time controls and casual competitive play. Overlapping product positioning in online gameplay and tournaments for a similar user demographic.
• PyChess: Open-source web-based chess server (similar AGPL philosophy to Lichess), offering free play with a smaller community. Most directly comparable as a fellow free/open-source chess platform, though at materially smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• ChessBase: Long-established commercial chess software and database company offering desktop tools (Fritz, ChessBase), online platforms, and broadcast infrastructure. Broader portfolio but overlapping on chess databases, analysis, and broadcast tooling.
• Chessable: Chess learning platform (owned by Chess.com) using spaced-repetition courses for openings and endgames. Comparable on the learning/coaching side of Lichess's Study and Learn modules, though delivered via paid courses.

Direct peers

• Chess24: Online chess platform (now owned by Chess.com) that previously competed with Lichess as an independent, well-funded European player. Comparable in offering online play, broadcasts, and learning content.
• Chess.com: The dominant commercial online chess platform and Lichess's primary direct competitor. Offers similar core features (gameplay, puzzles, tournaments, broadcasts, lessons) but via a freemium subscription model with paid tiers — making it the most directly comparable peer.
• FIDE Online Arena: The official online platform of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), offering rated games and tournaments. Directly comparable as an online chess play-and-tournament platform tied to the same governing body whose events Lichess broadcasts.
• Internet Chess Club (ICC): One of the oldest online chess servers, offering real-time rated play and tournaments for serious players. Operates on a paid subscription model and targets a similar serious-player segment that Lichess serves for free.
• Take Take Take: Chess app co-founded by Magnus Carlsen, focused on live game following and now expanding into play-and-learn via its partnership with Lichess. Overlapping product surface (chess content, learning) and shared user base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lichess
• GitHubgithub.com/lichess-org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LichessDotOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/lichessdotorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lichess

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lichess