Chess & Strategy
Counterplay
Hand-built, checked puzzles and an opening coach that explains every move: the chess an AI is honestly good at.
Counterplay is a free chess trainer you play inside ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Fixed-answer chess puzzles and an openings coach, not a full-strength opponent. For solo play, about 15–30m a session, it needs no signup — open it in your assistant, or paste one link, and play.
- Players
- 1
- Length
- 15–30m
- Rating
- All ages
- Version
- 1.0.0
Works with ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini. Free, no signup.
Opens your assistant, fetches the game, and starts — the same on your phone or desktop. Playing in Gemini? Tap Copy link to play and paste it in.
No web access, or want it as an installed app?
The game card is the whole prompt — paste it if your assistant can't browse the web. The Skill installs Counterplay into Claude on any plan: download it, then Claude → Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload.
How to start
- Open your AI. Start a new chat in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. No paid plan required.
- Load a pack. Paste a puzzle pack or the openings trainer to begin the session.
- Solve or drill. Work the position or the opening line. The coach explains ideas and nudges you toward the plan.
- Check the answer. Reveal the written solution and see the one-line reason it works.
Questions
- Can ChatGPT actually play chess?
- No, not reliably. Large language models predict text rather than legal chess moves, so they drift into illegal moves and blunders as a game goes on. They are genuinely useful for coaching, explaining ideas, and drilling puzzles, which is exactly what Counterplay uses them for.
- Why puzzles and openings instead of a full game?
- Because those are where an AI helps and does not fail. Every puzzle's answer is written on the card, so the coach checks your move against a fixed, known solution, and opening lines are known theory the AI can explain. You get accurate positions and a coach, not a shaky opponent.
- How do you know the puzzle answers are right?
- Every puzzle is hand-built and checked, and its solution ships written on the card. The coach reads that fixed answer instead of computing chess, so it grades your move against a known-correct line rather than inventing an evaluation.
- Do I need to know chess notation?
- No. You can describe moves in plain language and the AI will translate, though standard notation works too. Counterplay meets beginners where they are and still gives stronger players the precise lines and explanations they want.