Free Chess Board Editor
Drag pieces to build any chess position, copy the FEN, then send it straight to the Stockfish analysis board.
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How the chess board editor works
Place any piece on any square. Drag from the tray, click a tray piece to stamp, or use Move to drag pieces already on the board. Erase clears one square; Clear board empties all of them. Toggle whose turn it is, then Analyze position — the editor builds a FEN and opens the Stockfish analysis board with that position loaded in ?fen=.
How to set up a chess board
Each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner — “white on the right.” A correct starting setup:
- Pawns go on the second rank — row 2 for White, row 7 for Black.
- Rooks in the corners: a1 and h1 for White, a8 and h8 for Black.
- Knights next to the rooks, then bishops, then the queen on her own colour (d1 / d8).
- King takes the remaining square: e1 for White, e8 for Black. White moves first.
Use Starting position to load that setup instantly, then change whatever you need.
What is FEN notation?
FEN is the standard one-line description of a chess position. The starting position is:
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
It encodes placement, side to move, castling rights, the en passant square, the halfmove clock, and the fullmove number. Copy the FEN from this editor, paste one in to edit an existing position, or Analyze to share the same string in the analysis URL.
When to use a board editor
- Recreating a position from a book or course to study it with an engine
- Building a custom puzzle to test yourself or share with a friend
- Sharing a position with a coach via FEN or a shareable analysis URL
Frequently asked questions
- What is a chess board editor?
- A board editor lets you place any piece on any square to build an arbitrary position. Chessigma's editor exports the resulting FEN and opens the analysis board with one click.
- What is the correct chess board setup?
- Light square in the bottom-right corner. Pawns on the second rank. Rooks in the corners, knights next to them, then bishops, queen on her colour, king on e1/e8. White moves first.
- How do I set up a custom position?
- Drag a piece from the tray onto the board, click a tray piece then stamp squares, or use Erase to clear one square. Switch the side to move, then click Analyze position.
- What is FEN notation?
- FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) is a one-line description of a chess position: placement, side to move, castling rights, en passant, halfmove clock, and fullmove number. Engines read it directly.
- Can I import a FEN?
- Yes. Paste any FEN into the field under the board and press Load. Edit freely, then copy the updated FEN or send it to Stockfish.