A Snowchimp experiment
MiniChess is a quiet, always-on-top Windows chess companion designed to keep a longer game nearby without turning it into the main event.
Reviewer guide
This page separates the features available in the current build from the Chess.com functionality that remains intentionally disabled until Connected Board approval.
What works now
Play locally against Stockfish 18 Lite or a custom UCI engine with Bullet, Blitz, Rapid, Classical, custom, or untimed controls. The widget remembers its position, stays on top when asked, and can quietly wait in the tray between moves. Learn Mode pauses after each decision for private feedback and a takeback; right-click marks and arrows help players visualize their own plans.
Learn during and afterwards
Offline computer games can explain each move before play continues. Completed games add full local reports with classifications, accuracy, evaluation graph, best lines, named openings, and replay controls.
Offline practice
Study PGNs, revisit personal mistakes, practice 3,329 named opening lines, and solve 13,443 bundled puzzles across a wide difficulty range.
Five-minute review
Launch the portable buildNo installation or administrator access is required.
Open Chess.com historyChoose Chess.com from the “Play online” area.
Sync a public usernameMiniChess reads only official public completed-game data.
Open a completed gameInspect its moves, opening, evaluation, and local post-game report.
Try the desktop workflowStart a Learn Mode game, draw a right-drag arrow, then test compact or quiet mode.
Chess.com integration
MiniChess currently uses Chess.com only where an official public interface already permits it. Live Chess.com play remains a browser handoff while Connected Board access is under review.
Capability ledger
| Capability | Status | Reviewer note |
|---|---|---|
| Completed-game history | Working | Official read-only PubAPI; public usernames only. |
| Local post-game reports | Working | Engine analysis begins only after the game is complete. |
| Lichess live play | Working | Uses Lichess’s official Board API with a scoped token. |
| Interactive Chess.com WebView | Platform-capable | Electron can host it; it is not active in this build. |
| Connected Board WebSocket | Platform-capable | Electron can provide a local service; it is not implemented or active in v0.3. |
| Chess.com live move relay | Not active | No scraping, simulated clicks, or undocumented private interface. |
| Chess.com credentials | Not requested | No password, browser cookie, or private session is stored. |
Approval boundary
MiniChess’s Electron architecture can host the interactive embedded browser and local WebSocket service named in the Connected Board application. Neither live integration component is implemented or active in v0.3; they will be built only against Chess.com’s approved documentation and access. Until then, “Open Chess.com” opens the official website in the user’s browser.
Fair-play by architecture
Assistance is not a toggle the player can accidentally leave on. An online-human game establishes a main-process fair-play lease that stops the engine and blocks analysis at the process boundary.
Read Chess.com’s Fair Play PolicyStockfish is terminatedThe local engine process is stopped as the online game opens.
Engine IPC rejects requestsThe protection is enforced below the interface, in the Electron main process.
Training tools are unavailableReports, study help, coach, openings, and puzzles remain locked.
Only a terminal state unlocks helpClosing or hiding the widget does not prematurely restore assistance.
No Chess.com DOM reading, simulated clicks, or private endpoint automation.
Completed-game sync requires only a public username—not a password or cookie.
Stockfish and post-game learning remain on the player’s Windows computer.
Reviewer build
Unsigned previewWindows may display “Unknown publisher” because this review build is not yet Authenticode-signed.
These immutable, versioned files are served directly from Snowchimp release storage. Version 0.3.1 adds offline Learn Mode with per-move feedback and full-turn takebacks, plus manual right-click square marks and right-drag arrows. Feedback replaces the compact move ticker in-place, so it never resizes the board or window.
Portable · x64
Runs without installation or administrator access. Best for a quick product review.
Installer · x64
Standard Windows installer with optional install location and desktop shortcut.
Build verification
BA484C4606A455A6B91CE6DEFCE4C153551E1DFB64F9E06EDD69813026DC0883FF79B6C981098CCA8EE758064A4BC8B075D050A14C2DD679D24459F797DA540EPrefer a guided look?
Explore authored sample games, a precomputed report, move scrubbing, mistake practice, puzzles, and openings without connecting an account.
Official references