A DecodeChess alternative that reads all your games
DecodeChess explains engine moves in plain language, one game at a time. Chess X-Ray reads all your recent chess.com or Lichess games together, finds the positions where you keep playing the same losing move, and explains the better move in each one.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5
How it works
- Type your usernamechess.com or Lichess. No password, nothing to install: we read your public games.
- Stockfish reads your gamesYour recent games, every time control, and what each of your moves cost.
- Your repeats come outThe positions you keep reaching, where you play the same losing move again and again.
- You replay them as lessonsYour exact position, your usual move in red, your turn to find better, then the right line and the point to remember.
DecodeChess and Chess X-Ray side by side
| DecodeChess | Chess X-Ray | |
|---|---|---|
| Games read | One game at a time | Your recent games together |
| How games come in | PGN or FEN upload | Your chess.com or Lichess username |
| What you get | Threats, good moves, plans and concepts, in words | The 10 positions where your usual move costs you most |
| Training | A human-like computer opponent | Replay each repeated position until you find better |
| Explanations | In plain words, for every position you decode | The right line and one idea to remember, in words |
Facts checked on each tool’s own website on 2026-10-13. Features change: check their site before you decide. All the tools compared.
What DecodeChess does well
DecodeChess was built to answer the question engines leave open: why is this the best move? It splits each position into threats, good moves, plans, the role of each piece and the chess concepts at work, all in plain words. For a player up to about 2000, that is what an engine line alone does not give.
Where Chess X-Ray is different
Explaining one game well still leaves you to find which game, and which position, matters. Chess X-Ray picks the positions for you: the ones you reach again and again where your move is wrong. The explanation comes with each one, short: the right line and the one idea to remember. Then you replay the position until the right move is yours.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose DecodeChess if you want a detailed explanation, in words, of a game or a position you choose.
- Choose Chess X-Ray if you want to know which mistakes you keep repeating across all your games, and to replay each one on your exact position until the right move comes without thinking. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to DecodeChess?
For one game, the Lichess analysis board and the Chess X-Ray game review run Stockfish for free, without the written explanations. For the mistakes you repeat across your games, Chess X-Ray reads your recent games and explains each one.
Does DecodeChess analyze many games at once?
No. Its FAQ says it analyzes one game at a time.
Do you need my chess.com or Lichess password?
No. Chess X-Ray reads your games through the public chess.com or Lichess API, using your username. We never ask for your password and never sign in to your account.
Can I see a Chess X-Ray lesson before I start?
Yes. The streamers’ courses are built exactly like yours, from their public games, and open without an account.
Your blunders are already in your games.
Enter your chess.com or Lichess username: we turn them into lessons you replay until you stop making them.