Chess for Android

Home * User Interface * GUI * Chess for Android Home * Engines * BikJump * Chess for Android



Chess for Android, written by Aart Bik, is a standalone chess application for Android. The application is available for free at the Android Market and consists of a chess engine (a Java version derived from the UCI engine BikJump that is written in C++) and a GUI.

=Features= The application accepts moves through the touchscreen, the trackball, or through the keyboard (e2e4 pushes the king pawn, e1g1 castles king side, etc.). An optional "move coach" highlights valid user moves during input and last played engine move. Full game navigation buttons enable users to correct mistakes or analyze games.

Games import and export as FEN/PGN to and from the clipboard, load and save as file, are set up through a position editor, or import as application/x-chess-pgn MIME type on startup. A draw by stalemate, insufficient material, the fifty move rule, or threefold repetition is recognized. The engine plays at various levels (including random, against itself in auto-play, or free-play, where the game can be used as a "magnetic chessboard"). The user can play either side and, independently, view the board from the perspective of white or black.

Since version 5.6, released in February 2018, Chess for Android supports the electronic chess board of the Millennium ChessGenius. Since 5.7, Chess for Android can connect to a DGT Board, since 5.9 to the Certabo Chessboard.

=Engine Support= The application supports the Universal Chess Interface (UCI) and Chess Engine Communication Protocol (often simply called WinBoard or XBoard protocol), which allows users to play against more powerful third party engines or even play tournaments between engines. Engine setup features pondering, infinite analysis, hash tables, multiple threads, endgame tablebases (Nalimov, Gaviota, Scorpio, Robbobases), and  opening test suites. Chess for Android recognizes all ChessBase compatible engines that are installed on the same device.

=Images= Screenshot of latest version Screenshot of older G1 version

=See also=
 * BikJump
 * Chess for Glass
 * DroidFish
 * Millennium ChessGenius

=Forum Posts=

2008 ...

 * Chess for Android by Aart Bik, CCC, November 24, 2008
 * Upcoming Chess for Android 2.0 by Aart Bik, CCC, October 19, 2009

2010 ...

 * Chess for Android with UCI support released by Aart Bik, CCC, August 23, 2010
 * Chess for Android with UCI support released by Aart Bik, OpenChess Forum, August 23, 2010
 * Chess for Android 2.5 by Aart Bik, CCC, January 05, 2011
 * Chess for Android 2.8 by Aart Bik, CCC, April 01, 2011
 * Chess for Android 3.0.2: enhanced XBoard support by Aart Bik, CCC, October 24, 2011
 * Chess for Android upcoming network feature by Aart Bik, CCC, July 03, 2012
 * Chess for Android v4.1.5: sharing by Aart Bik, CCC, January 12, 2013

2015 ...
2018
 * Chess for Android by Patrice Duhamel, CCC, January 04, 2015 » Cheese
 * Chess for Android v5.0: Time Control by Aart Bik, CCC, January 09, 2015
 * Chess on Android by Pedro Castro, CCC, April 19, 2016 » Chess Engine Communication Protocol, DanaSah
 * New Chess Graphics for Chess for Android by Aart Bik, CCC, October 13, 2016
 * Chess for Android v5.3 by Aart Bik, CCC, November 27, 2017
 * Chess for Android v5.4: adjudication by Aart Bik, CCC, December 18, 2017
 * Chess for Android v5.6 by Aart Bik, CCC, February 26, 2018
 * Re: Chess for Android v5.6 by Aart Bik, CCC, February 28, 2018 » Millennium ChessGenius


 * Question to Aart Bik by PeterO, CCC, March 24, 2018
 * Re: Question to Aart Bik by Aart Bik, CCC, March 25, 2018
 * Re: Question to Aart Bik by Norbert Raimund Leisner, CCC, November 22, 2018
 * Re: Question to Aart Bik by Aart Bik, CCC, November 22, 2018

2019
 * Chess for Android and Electronic ChessBoards by Aart Bik, CCC, December 14, 2018
 * Chess for Android 10 Year Anniversary by Aart Bik, CCC, December 25, 2018
 * Chess for Android: version 6.1.1 by Aart Bik, CCC, April 16, 2019
 * Chess for Android: UCI engine options by Aart Bik, CCC, May 27, 2019
 * Chess for Android: Quick Castling/En-passant by Aart Bik, CCC, August 11, 2019 » Castling, En passant

=External Links=
 * UCI and XBoard Protocols for Android
 * UCI and XBoard Engines for Android
 * Aart's Android Page
 * Android Game Manuals
 * Chess for Android - Android Apps on Google Play
 * Aart Bik - Chess for Android and Electronic Chessboards, YouTube Video


 * Connecting Chess for Android with the Millennium » Millennium ChessGenius
 * Connecting Chess for Android with a DGT Chessboard » DGT Board
 * Connecting Chess for Android with a Certabo Chessboard » Certabo Chessboard

=References=

Up one Level