Interactive boards

Play through the moves, right in the text

Most articles include a board you can step through move by move — no separate app or install needed. Use the arrows below the board to go forward and back, or click a move in the list to jump straight to it. The ⋮ button between the arrows opens the board menu, where you can flip it around and take the position to Lichess.

You can also step through the moves on the board itself: with the mouse wheel, or on a phone by swiping across it or tapping its left or right half. On a keyboard, ◂ and ▸ step a move, and Home and End jump to the first and last move of the game.

Boards can be stepped through with the mouse wheel, a swipe, or the arrow keys — not just the buttons below them. Interactive boards

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1. 14.
2. Preventing 15. b4
3. 15.
4. With the threat of ♗c8-h3. Pushing the g- and h-pawns right away promised more
5. 16.
6. 17.
7. To clear the way for the g-pawn

Continue on Lichess

The board menu hands the current position — not the whole game — to Lichess: Analysis board opens it with an engine, the opening explorer and the endgame tablebase, and Play vs computer lets you play it out against one. Both open in a new tab.

Composed diagrams are the exception: Lichess often won't accept a position built to show one idea (an en passant capture, say), so their menu holds the flip alone.

Colors

Some diagrams mark squares and moves with colored circles and arrows. Each color has exactly one meaning, and that meaning is the same across the site:

Color	Meaning
🔵 Blue	Main idea — a plan, a strategic target, or a key maneuver
🔴 Red	Threat — an active attack, a tactic, or a piece under pressure
⚫ Black	Control — key squares, pawn structure, or a mating net

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1. 14.
2. 15.
3. 16.
4. 17.

Draw your own

You can add your own arrows and circles to any board: right-click and drag from one square to another. Hold a modifier key while dragging to change the color:

Modifier	Color
None	⚫ Black
Shift	🔴 Red
Alt	🔵 Blue

Right-click a single square without dragging to circle it instead of drawing an arrow.

Warning

Drawing needs a mouse, so this part won't work on a phone or tablet — everything else on the board will.

Try it on the board below:

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