You can run the Chess Analysis Assistant for Claude MCP to analyze chess positions, obtain Stockfish evaluations, view a visual board, and look up master games from high-rated players—all inside Claude. This MCP server lets you perform position analysis, explore variations, and access a masters database to see common moves and statistics.

How to use

Open Claude Desktop and locate the chess analysis tools (usually depicted with a tools icon). You can use natural prompts to interact with the assistant. Common actions include analyzing a position, getting the engine’s best move, viewing the current board, and searching for master games from a given position.

Practical usage patterns you can try:

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing the MCP server:

• Node.js 20 or higher
• Git
• Stockfish (engine)
• Cairo graphics library for board visualization

Option 1: Install via Smithery (automatic setup)

# Run this to install Chess Analysis Assistant for Claude via Smithery
npx -y @smithery/cli install chess-mcp --client claude

Option 2: Mac and Linux manual installation (recommended for advanced users)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/turlockmike/chess-mcp/master/install.sh | bash

This script will install dependencies (Node.js 20+, Stockfish, Cairo), configure Claude Desktop, and set up the Chess Assistant.

Option 3: Manual installation (Windows or advanced users)

Step 1: Install dependencies (see platform notes below)

Step 2: Install the MCP client

npm install -g chess-mcp

Configure Claude Desktop to run the MCP server via stdio (see code snippet below).

Configuration for Claude Desktop (stdio MCP)

Add the following MCP configuration to Claude Desktop so the system can spawn the chess-mcp process on demand.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chess": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["chess-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Available tools

position_analysis

Engine evaluation using Stockfish, visual board, best move suggestions, and move validation for a given position.

masters_database

Search master games (2200+ rated players), filter by date, view win/draw statistics, and inspect common moves with success rates.