The reviewed GitHub tag ships pychess-*.tar.gz and points at INSTALL. README asks for Python 3.10 or newer plus GTK/GObject packages. Those build steps remain UNVERIFIED here.
When to use source
Use source when you have no MSI or .deb policy, or when you are on macOS where no official installer was verified. Everyday Windows and Linux desks should still prefer the named binaries.
Honest limits
No macOS dmg, pkg, or Homebrew cask was verified on this review date. A GTK build on macOS may work for someone who already lives in that toolchain. This guide will not describe observed behaviour we did not run.
After a build
If a window appears, prove one local game, then write source on the machine ticket. First hour: installed. Windows binary: Windows. Linux binary: .deb.
Keep website boards as a fallback. Source builds do not import website ratings.
Related doors
Releases: releases. Safety: is it safe. GitHub: GitHub.
Rank Timber maps the source door without pretending it is a one-click macOS installer. Upstream remains GPL-3.0 at pychess/pychess. If INSTALL changes dependency names, re-read that file before you image a lab.
Club machines should not mix a source prefix with a later .deb on the same PATH. Pick one door. Update notes: update uninstall.
When source is the wrong door
If you are on 64-bit Windows, take the MSI. If you are on Debian or Ubuntu, take the .deb. Source is the leftover path for people who must compile, including macOS users with no verified dmg.
Python 3.10+, GTK, and GObject packages are the documented floor in README and INSTALL. uv and pip workflows exist upstream. None of those commands were run on a real machine for this review, so they stay UNVERIFIED.
A failed build is not a reason to download a renamed portal zip. Re-read INSTALL, check GTK packages, and keep the source tarball from the same tag as the Windows MSI.
If a window finally appears, treat it like any other first hour: prove a game, write source on the ticket, then optionally attach engines. First hour: installed.
Rank Timber will not pretend this is a one-click Mac installer. Upstream remains GPL-3.0. Related: GitHub and is it safe.
Shared-machine rhythm
Write the installer class on the ticket beside the OS version. After every reimage, take that same class from GitHub Releases, launch the GTK window, and replay one saved PGN. That three-step loop catches vanished packages and portal shortcuts that reappear from old bookmarks.
Keep engine binaries on a documented path. Keep the PGN folder off the package tree so uninstalls do not wipe club history. Keep website bookmarks if rated pools still matter, and keep them labelled as a different job.
Rank Timber publishes the install map. Upstream remains at pychess.github.io. Related doors stay under guides, releases, and installed.
Frequently asked questions
Is this chess guide free to follow?
Yes. Rank Timber publishes install steps without a paywall so anyone can follow the chess path. PyChess itself ships under GPL-3.0. Website billing stays your responsibility and is separate from the program licence. Extra engines such as Stockfish keep their own licences when you install them beside the client.
Is there a macOS chess installer?
No macOS dmg, pkg, or Homebrew cask was verified for PyChess on this review date. The source tarball ships on the same GitHub tag. GTK and Python build steps remain UNVERIFIED and are not described as observed behaviour.
Does the chess client work offline after install?
After the first download, PyChess can play and analyze offline with the built-in engine and any engine already on disk. You still need network for the first MSI or .deb fetch, and for optional FICS or ICC later. A desk install does not require a website account before the first game.