Abstract file-rank board fragment with one umber file column and one sand rank row on ash paper.
File-rank mark: one olive file and one sand rank meet on a selected square for a local chess client install. Rank Timber original file-rank geometry for factory-chess (not a PyChess logo).

Chess.com is an online platform. PyChess is a desktop client. You can keep both. No new account walkthrough lives here.

Order of work

Install PyChess from Releases. Prove a local game. Export PGN from the website using the site’s own export control if you want those games. Open the PGN in PyChess. Cluster: switch from online chess sites.

What stays on the website

Live pool, paid extras, and puzzles stay there. A GTK window will not recreate that league.

What moves

PGN files you export. Engine settings do not. Ratings do not.

Compare: vs online chess sites. Files: PGN and engines. Windows: Windows.

Rank Timber maps the local door. Upstream remains GPL-3.0 at pychess/pychess. Keep adware “chess download” portals out of the move.

Club rooms often keep the website for rated blitz and PyChess for analysis when the network drops. Write both on the ticket so a substitute teacher does not install a third client from a search ad. First hour: installed.

Keep the website if you want it

Plenty of players want live ratings and a local analysis window. That pair is normal. Uninstalling a website account is a separate decision the copy stops short of that choice.

Export only the games you care about. A giant dump on day one is how Downloads fills with files nobody opens. Pick last month’s club events first.

PyChess will not copy your puzzles, titles, or friends list. Those features live on the website. The GTK client gives you a board, files, and engines.

If a teammate sends a “faster desktop Chess.com” installer, refuse it. The honest local door is still PyChess from GitHub Releases, or another documented GUI such as Arena.

Related: switch from Lichess, vs online sites, PGN and engines. Rank Timber maps the local path. Upstream remains GPL-3.0.

After the first export

After the first exported PGN opens, write the folder on the ticket. That is the whole migration, not a new signup.

Desk policy without the website job

A classroom can document the GTK window as the analysis tool and leave rated play in the browser. Write that sentence on the wall chart so a substitute does not add a third installer from a search ad. The chart should name the GitHub org, the MSI or .deb filename class, and the PGN folder.

Backups and travel kits

Shared laptops need a backup of the PGN folder before every reimage. Browser bookmarks survive more often than local packages. After the image lands, install PyChess from Releases again, then open one saved PGN to prove the files still replay.

Coaches who want Hint Mode should attach one documented engine binary, not a zip sitting in Downloads. Hint arrows that point at nothing make the window look broken even when the client is fine.

Travel bags should carry the already-installed client. Offline trains are the whole reason a local board exists. Website studies can wait until the hotel network returns.

Rank Timber maps filenames and habits. Upstream remains GPL-3.0 at pychess/pychess. Keep portal wrappers out of the lab. First hour: installed. Safe door: download safe. GitHub: GitHub.

One official window

If two volunteers disagree about GUIs, pick one official window for demos and let the other stay optional. Arena can remain for engine rooms. PyChess can remain for mixed Windows and Linux tags. Cute Chess can remain for tournaments. The failure mode is three unofficial copies and no ticket.

After policy exists, stop hunting new download pages. Return to the same Releases URL for the next bump. That boring rhythm is the product.

Prove the GTK window before you add engines, servers, or a second installer. The proof is the gate.

  • One named GitHub asset
  • One local game
  • One PGN folder on the ticket

Frequently asked questions

Will my Chess.com rating move into PyChess?

No. Website ratings stay on the website. PyChess stores PGN, EPD, and FEN on disk. Export games if you want them locally, then open the file. Keep the website bookmark if live ratings are still the job.

Do I need a Chess.com account to install this chess client?

No. PyChess installs from GitHub Releases without a website account. This page is for people who already use Chess.com and want a local GTK board as well, not a funnel into a new signup.

Where should I download the chess client?

Prefer GitHub Releases for pychess/pychess when you want named chess assets. Take pychess-*-mingw_x86_64_msvcrt_gnu.msi on Windows or python3-pychess_*.deb on Linux. Keep Softonic-style mirrors out of the loop. Document the update door on the machine ticket so the next bump stays honest for shared desks.