Pikafish AI Web Help

The web version and app share this guide. Screenshots use Chinese; follow the numbered labels.

Device

Usage guide

Basics

Interface

Analyze a position

Open the position you want to analyze.
Click Analyze; light blue means it is on. You can also use Start analysis in the engine panel.
Wait for the score, recommended line and board arrows.

Recommended line: red text is Red's moves; black text is Black's.
Change position: play a move or use ; AI follows the new position.
Stop: click again.

Tip

AI runs on your device and uses power. Turn it off when not needed to reduce heat and battery use.

Scores

Positive favors Red; negative favors Black. Near 0 means roughly equal.
Above +200: Red has a large advantage; below −200: Red is much worse.
Checkmate 5: Red can mate within 5 moves; a negative number means Red is being mated.

After Flip › Rotate Board puts Black at the bottom, the score becomes Black Score; positive favors Black.

Tip

Scores change as the search deepens. Wait for greater depth before judging.

Set up a position

Click Edit.
Select a piece in the tray, then a board square to place it.
To move a piece, select it and its new square. To remove it, select it and then the tray.
Set Red or Black in To move.
Tap 完成 (Done) at the top right, then to analyze.

Click Edit.
Select a tray piece, then a board square, or drag it onto the board.
Remove a piece by dragging it back to the tray.
Set Red or Black in To move.
Click Edit again to finish.

Note

Invalid positions, such as a missing king or facing kings, must be corrected before finishing.

Import a game

Click Import and choose text, a file or an image; see Import.

Text: DhtmlXQ, PGN and Chinese move notation, such as “炮二平五马8进7”.
Images: recognition opens the editor; check the position and confirm it. Photograph the board straight on.

Tip

Paste a board screenshot with Ctrl+V (Mac: ⌘V). The desktop app also has Select area (default: Alt+Shift+X) to capture boards in other apps.

Tip

For games from other sites, copy the move text; their URLs cannot be imported directly.

Importing prompts you to save any unsaved game first.

Common features

Play against AI

Select Menu › Display Mode › Play to hide scores and recommendations.
To play Red, click Play black; to play Black, click Play red.
Play a move; AI replies automatically.
Click the active button again to stop. For review, switch back to Display Mode › Analyze.

Undo: click to take back your move and AI's reply.
Strength: Menu › Settings › Engine & thinking › Skill Level, from 0 to 20; 20 is unrestricted.

AI can use opening moves from ChessDB without calculating them locally.

Tip

Enable both Play red and Play black for AI self-play.

Note

Analyze and Play red / Play black cannot run together; enabling one disables the other.

ChessDB

ChessDB (chessdb.cn) provides precomputed moves and scores.

Engine: calculates the current position on your device.
ChessDB: retrieves stored results online; some positions are missing.

Tap the ChessDB tab in the analysis panel.

ChessDB appears beside the engine.

Each row shows a move and score, best first. Click a row to play it.
Endgame database results show Mate (n) or Draw.
Position not in ChessDB: use engine analysis instead.

Note

ChessDB requires internet access, not a login.

Analyze a game

Import or enter the game; see Import a game.
Open Evaluation and tap Game Analysis at the bottom left.
Choose Quick analysis for the best move at each position, or Thorough analysis for more playable alternatives; it takes longer.
Click Start and wait for completion.

Import or enter the game; see Import a game.
Click Game Analysis at the graph's bottom left. If the graph is hidden, open it with Evaluation below the board.
Choose Quick analysis for the best move at each position, or Thorough analysis for more playable alternatives; it takes longer.
Click Start and wait for completion.

Analysis results opens when finished:

Problem moves are marked by loss of winning chances:

?! Inaccuracy: 5%–10% loss
? Mistake: 10%–15% loss
?? Blunder: over 15% loss, or a missed mate
M+: a slower mate; not counted as an error

Piece badges also show ★ Best, ! Excellent and ✓ Good.

Evaluation graph

The horizontal axis shows turns. Higher favors Red, lower favors Black; rotating the board reverses this. Click the graph to jump to a move.

Browsing moves with analysis on also records scores and builds the graph.

Note

Playing a move or leaving the page stops game analysis; completed results remain.

Variations and notes

Add a variation: return to a move and play an alternative. The original line stays; a badge such as 1 var appears.

Move panel: tap the highlighted move again, or open the Move tab in the analysis panel.

Move details: select a move; its notes and variations appear on the right.

See Move panel and navigation for reordering, deleting and browsing moves.

Save games

Click Save / share, choose the first option and enter a title.

Changes save automatically after the first save. Orange dot: unsaved; green check: saved; red exclamation: save failed.
Web: sign in to save to your account and access games across devices.
Phone and desktop apps: save locally without signing in, or sign in to save to the cloud.

Find saved games in Library and recent games.

Tip

Within a collection, use ‹ › above the board to switch games.

Note

Local games exist only on this device. Export a backup before uninstalling.

Study cards

Open the move panel and click Save as card. AI analyzes the position thoroughly before saving it.
Open Menu › Study cards to practice.
Play the best move for feedback, or click Show answer.

The card uses the position before the move; your actual move is labeled Played.
Correct answers increase the review interval; wrong answers return after 10 minutes.

Tip

After game analysis, open problem moves from the results and use Save as card.

Note

Study cards require sign-in.

Open Save / share › Share / Export…, or Menu › Export & share.

See Share and export options for each format.

Note

Paste copied links or text into your chat app. On phones, use the system share menu to save or send exported files.

Troubleshooting

Analysis does not start

On first use, wait for the engine download. If it keeps failing in the browser, try a newer browser.

Finish editing and correct any invalid position before analyzing.

Changing scores

Scores change with search depth; see Scores.

Add to the home screen

Android or desktop: open in Chrome / Edge and select Menu › Add to Home Screen. iPhone: open in Safari and select Share › Add to Home Screen.

Report a problem

Open Menu › Feedback and describe the issue with a screenshot. You can also join QQ group 829220986.

Button reference

Menu: library, recently read games, study cards and settings
New: return to the start position
Play red, Play black: AI plays that side; see Play against AI
Analyze: analyze the current position; see Analyze a position
Move now, Exclude: move immediately or choose another move
Flip: rotate or mirror the board
Import: open games, paste moves or recognize a board image
Save / share: save, share or export; an orange dot means unsaved changes
Edit: set up a position

Tip

Menu › Button guide explains each button.

Move now and Exclude

Move now: play AI's current best move immediately.
Exclude: take back AI's last move and replace it, or exclude its current choice while thinking. Can be clicked repeatedly.

Position editor

Clear: remove all pieces except the two kings.
Swap Colours: swap piece colors and the side to move.

Import

Click Import and choose:

Position Link: share the current position only.
Game Link: signed in, shares a read-only game with variations and notes; otherwise, only the main line.
Animated GIF: export the game as an animation.
FEN, Move Text, DhtmlXQ: copy as text.
XQF File, CBR File, PGN File: export for other Xiangqi software.

Library and recent games

Open Menu:

Library: search saved games and organize them in Collections; Featured offers selected games.
Recently read: recently opened cloud games; sign-in required.

Move up: reorder a variation; the first is the main line used for export.
Delete: remove this move and all continuations after it.
Try: add an unrecorded AI recommendation as a new variation.

: jump to the previous or next variation point, or the start or end if none exists.

Tip

Keyboard: ← → move backward or forward; ↑ ↓ jump to variation points.

Board orientation and display

Flip options:

Rotate Board: rotate 180°, put Black at the bottom and switch to Black Score.
Flip Horizontal: mirror left and right without changing the game.

Menu › Display Mode options:

Analyze: analysis panels and move list; the default mode.
Play: board and moves, without scores or hints; see Play against AI.
Floating Window: board and one score line; exit with ⋯ at the bottom right.

Menu › Settings controls board and piece skins, sounds, coordinates, animation and hint arrows.

On desktop, Layout preset places the board on the left or in the center.

Pikafish AI Web Help ​

Usage guide ​

Basics ​

Interface ​

Analyze a position ​

Scores ​

Set up a position ​

Import a game ​

Common features ​

Play against AI ​

ChessDB ​

Analyze a game ​

Variations and notes ​

Save games ​

Study cards ​

Share and export ​

Troubleshooting ​

Button reference ​

Toolbar ​

Move now and Exclude ​

Position editor ​

Import ​

Share and export options ​

Library and recent games ​

Move panel and navigation ​

Board orientation and display ​

Pikafish AI Web Help

Usage guide

Basics

Interface

Analyze a position

Scores

Set up a position

Import a game

Common features

Play against AI

ChessDB

Analyze a game

Variations and notes

Save games

Study cards

Share and export

Troubleshooting

Button reference

Toolbar

Move now and Exclude

Position editor

Import

Share and export options

Library and recent games

Move panel and navigation

Board orientation and display