What is a Chess Bot?
Chess engines are computers that play chess – but what happens when you give them a personality? This is the world of chess bots.
Playing chess against an engine has grown into a popular pastime. As chess-playing programs have grown stronger, our computerized opponents are now unbeatable for an average player. The world of chess bots is slightly different. Not only do they vary in strength, but in character and playing style, too. In other words, there’s a bot for every level of player.
In this article, we’ll look at the basics of how bots work, explore the different types you can play against, and discover some of the unique forms our robotic opponents have taken.
Chess Bots: The Basics
Like a chess engine, a chess bot is a computer program designed to play chess. Generally, we use the term engine to refer to the entirety of the program. For example, Stockfish is the world’s best engine, powering many chess computers, analysis boards, and electronic chessboards.
A chess bot, on the other hand, is a single computerized opponent. Often, they have a specific character. Powered by a chess engine, this persona may have:
- A specific playing style
- A set of characteristics and behaviors (like a backstory and chat function)
- A relative level of playing strength
- Special features for in-game analysis
- Different ways to challenge the bot
How Do They Work?
Chess bots are powered by engines. This essentially means they are a way of playing against a specific engine that the designers have modified in certain ways.
Chess engines operate by searching through vast numbers of possible moves, evaluating them against specific criteria, and suggesting a legal move. Today, many are trained using neural networks and machine learning through self-play. They are extremely precise and quick. Today, they can beat any human player out there.
To create chess bots that are playable and diverse, creators will add layers to the program that change or restrict how they play. This often means limiting their search and evaluative functions, making them less effective. For beginner bots, this sometimes means adding a level of randomization so that they make completely illogical moves. Bots can also be programmed to make intentionally poor moves to simulate human errors.
Creators can also modify their evaluative functions to create a specific playing style. For example, they could make an aggressive player by overvaluing the importance of captures and development, while minimizing consideration of material and pawn structures. This can even be more specific, with some bots always bringing out their queen in the first few moves or playing a specific opening. They even mimic real players by attempting to copy their evaluative priorities, calculation skills, and favorite strategies.
How strong are they?
As we’ve seen, chess bots can be purposefully weakened to suit different players' strengths. However, some are given the full power of the best chess engines like Stockfish, Leela Chess Zero, and Komodo.
Playing against these bots, even as an advanced chess player, is a humbling experience. Their capacity to find combinations beyond the human ability to calculate makes them impossible to beat. In 2023, Stockfish had the highest estimated rating at a staggering 3530. To put this in perspective, when the chess-playing computer, Deep Blue, first beat world champion Gary Kasparov, it had an estimated rating of 2850.
While playing against these full-powered bots can be interesting, it is not a good choice if you are hoping for an occasional win.
Where to Play Against Chess Bots?
Chess bots are widely accessible online, via downloadable programs, and even through electronic chessboards.
Online Chess Bots
All chess-playing platforms online give you a way to play against the computer. The most common are through Lichess and Chess.com.
Lichess
Lichess offers a simple “play against the computer” option in which you can set the strength of your opponent from 1 to 10. You can also use this feature from any position in any game. For example, having played an online game, you can export any one of its positions and start from that point against the engine.
Additionally, it has nearly 200 specialized chess bots powered by a wide variety of engines with different strengths and playing styles. Many of these are created and posted by users, resulting in a vast selection to choose from.
Chess.com
Similarly, Chess.com allows you to play against the engine, selecting from a rating range of 250 to 3200.
It also offers a wide range of chess bots, some of which are available to everyone, while others are exclusive to paid subscribers. These bots are assigned specific personalities, ranging from an all-powerful kitten to chess-playing celebrities. This also means you can play against approximations of top chess players, such as Hikaru Nakamura. Each bot will generate messages during the game for a more interactive experience.
Powered by Stockfish, the strongest bots on Chess.com are truly formidable.
Downloadable Bots
Software can also be downloaded that hosts a variety of chess bots. Fritz, for example, is a downloadable chess engine that comes with a variety of human-like bots with specific strengths and weaknesses.
Many computers also come with built-in chess software. Since the early days of personal computers, the novelty of chess-playing programs has meant that they have been featured on many devices.
Overall, almost any chess app or program you download will include bots to play against.
Chess Bots Over the Board
One of the great advantages of electronic chessboards is the ability to play against computer opponents on the board. E-boards operate in various ways. One way is that the moves you make are entered into a chess computer, which then generates moves from an engine, chess bot, or even online opponent. The move may be indicated on a screen or via LED lights on the board.
An example is the House of Staunton Electronic Sensory Chess Board, which allows for quick connection to chess platforms via the ChessConnect Plugin.
Benefits of Playing Against a Chess Bot
Whether you are looking for a fun and engaging chess match or a serious training partner, chess bots are a great option. The diverse playing styles, customizable strengths, and unexpected moves all encourage the development of essential chess skills. As do other in-game features, like analysis, hints, and challenges.
Consistency and Availability
You can play against a bot 24/7. Even without being able to connect to an online game, they are accessible on most devices.
Chess bots are also consistent and straightforward. Some online players may abandon games, offer excessive draws, spam the message function, or find another way to play unfairly. When playing against the computer, you can focus purely on playing chess. Regardless of the scenario, if you pick a strong bot, you have a challenging chess opponent whenever you need one.
Experience Unique and Challenging Playing Styles
One way to improve at chess is to play against more challenging opponents. Chess bots are a great way to do this, relative to your abilities. Playing against a computer that is better at chess than you are can force you to work harder to consider positions and calculate moves.
Additionally, bots play in very different ways. While each human player also presents a unique challenge, many bots are programmed to play in ways that drastically deviate from how people play. This can keep you on your toes, constantly thinking of new variations and possibilities.
Experiment with Different Openings and Strategies
Many people feel more pressure playing against a human opponent, or they may be trying to preserve their rating. Playing against a bot, you can relax and experiment with new openings and strategies. By taking risks, you might not take against a human player, you can find interesting moves, and get to radically new positions.
Final Word on Chess Bots
Bots are the friendly face of computerized chess. The variety and strength of these engine opponents definitely add more interesting dimensions to chess.
Aside from being excellent training tools, chess bots are just another fun way to play the game. You can try things like discovering what is the highest rating level engine you can beat. Or, seeing what it is like playing against some of the best historical chess players. Overall, chess bots are a great way to experiment, improve, and simply enjoy playing chess.