Chessigma
Analyze Games

Free Chess Board Editor

Drag pieces to build any chess position, copy the FEN, then send it straight to the Stockfish analysis board.

How the Chess Board Editor Works

This online chess board editor lets you place any piece on any square. Drag a piece from the side tray onto a square to place it. Click a piece in the tray to enter stamp mode — every click on the board now drops that piece. Click a placed piece to grab and move it. Use the eraser tool to clear individual squares or the trash icon to clear the entire board.

Toggle whose turn it is with the side-to-move switch, then hit Analyze position. The chess editor builds a valid FEN and opens the Stockfish analysis board with the position pre-loaded.

How to Set Up a Chess Board

The standard chess board setup is the same in every game. Place the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner — the common mnemonic is “white on right.” A correct chess setup looks like this:

  1. Pawns go on the second rank (row 2 for White, row 7 for Black) — eight pawns in a straight line.
  2. Rooks go in the corners: a1 and h1 for White, a8 and h8 for Black.
  3. Knights sit next to the rooks, on b1/g1 for White and b8/g8 for Black.
  4. Bishops sit next to the knights, on c1/f1 and c8/f8.
  5. Queen goes on her own color — White queen on d1 (a light square), Black queen on d8 (a dark square). “Queen on her color” is the rule.
  6. King takes the remaining square next to the queen — e1 for White, e8 for Black.

White moves first. Use the editor above to recreate the standard chess board setup yourself, or click the reset icon to load it instantly. Once placed, you can copy the FEN below to share the position or send it to the engine.

What Is FEN Notation?

FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) is the standard way to describe a chess position in a single line of text. A FEN string looks like this:

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1

It encodes piece placement, side to move, castling rights, the en passant target square, the halfmove clock, and the fullmove number. Every chess engine — Stockfish, Leela, or any browser tool — understands FEN, so it is the universal way to share a position.

Copy the FEN from this editor and paste it into any analysis tool, share it as a URL, or save it for later. The editor also accepts FEN as input — paste a string and the board renders the exact position.

When to Use a Chess Board Editor

Recreating a position from a chess book or course to study it with an engine
Building a custom puzzle to test yourself or share with a friend
Setting up an endgame to practice a specific technique
Reconstructing a position from a game you played offline
Testing a tactical idea by stripping a position down to the essential pieces
Sharing a position with a coach via FEN or a shareable link

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chess board editor?

A chess board editor lets you place any piece on any square to build an arbitrary position. It is useful for studying positions from books, sharing puzzles, recreating game states, or just experimenting. Chessigma's editor exports the resulting FEN and hands it off to the analysis board with a single click.

What is the correct chess board setup?

Place the board with a light square in the bottom-right corner. Pawns go on the second rank. Rooks in the corners (a1, h1, a8, h8), knights next to them, then bishops, queen on her own color (white queen on d1, black queen on d8), and king on the remaining square (e1 and e8). White moves first.

How do I set up a custom position?

Drag a piece from the side tray onto the board, click a square with a piece selected to stamp it, or use the eraser to clear squares. Switch the side to move with the toggle, then click "Analyze position" to send the position to the engine.

What is FEN notation?

FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) is a one-line text format that describes a chess position completely: piece placement, side to move, castling rights, en passant target, halfmove clock, and fullmove number. The editor exports a valid FEN you can copy into any chess engine or share as a URL.

Can I import a FEN to start from an existing position?

Yes. Paste any FEN into the input below the board and the editor renders the position. You can then edit it freely and re-export an updated FEN.

How is this different from the Lichess board editor?

Both let you set up arbitrary positions and export FEN. Chessigma's editor is paired with a built-in Stockfish 17 analysis board, so the edit-to-analyze handoff is one click. There is no sign-up and no daily limit.

What is the best free chess board editor online?

Lichess and Chessigma are the two free options that combine a chess board editor with built-in Stockfish analysis. Chessigma is faster to hand off from edit to analyze (one click) and runs Stockfish 17 client-side; Lichess has a deeper opening explorer.

Can I build a custom chess board position to share?

Yes. Set up the pieces however you like, copy the FEN, and paste it into a message — or click Analyze position and share the resulting analysis URL. The receiver opens the same position you built without needing an account.

Already have a position? Open the analysis board or find the best next move.

Analyze a Position with Stockfish