Guide
Is using chess AI allowed? What the rules actually say
Using chess AI to study is allowed everywhere. Using it during a game against another person is forbidden on every major site and at every rated over-the-board event. That applies to free engines and to learning tools, including our own ChessHelper (chesshelper.ai). Below are the exact rules, quoted from each organization's own documents, and a list of what you can do freely.
The rules at a glance
| Situation | Chess.com | Lichess | FIDE / US Chess events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine or extension during a rated game vs a person | Banned | Banned | Banned |
| Engine during a casual or unrated game vs a person | Banned | Banned | n/a |
| Engine in games vs the site's computer | Policy does not apply | Allowed (Lichess AI) | n/a |
| Opening books during correspondence/daily games | Allowed in Daily only | Allowed in correspondence | n/a |
| Analysis of your finished games | Offered by the site (Game Review) | Offered by the site (computer analysis) | Not during play in the venue |
| Study, puzzles, opening preparation | Fine | Fine | Fine, away from the game |
Chess.com
Chess.com's fair-play policy lists what you may not do during games. In its own words: "Do not use chess engines, software of any kind, bots, plugins, browser extensions." It also says not to get help from any other person, "including parents, friends, coaches, or other players," not to use tablebases or "any other resources that show the best move," and not to "perform any automated analysis or 'blunder checking' of your games in progress."
The policy has one explicit allowance: "You may use Opening Explorer or other books in Daily chess only." It also states that it "does not apply to your games that are not against other users, such as in the game mode versus Chess.com computer." Its only reference to unrated games is a narrow exception for authorized content creators, so for an ordinary player there is no unrated loophole.
After a game, Chess.com itself provides engine review. Non-premium members get one free Game Review a day; Platinum and Diamond members get unlimited reviews.
Lichess
Lichess's fair-play rules ban "external help during an ongoing game," naming chess engines, opening books, endgame tablebases and move advice from people or software. They also forbid programs or extensions that play moves for you: "Programmatic usage of the GUI for playing moves is forbidden."
Lichess publishes a table by game type. For real-time games, rated or casual, engines, the opening explorer, opening books, tablebases and advice are all marked as not allowed. In correspondence games you may use the opening explorer, "plus any other chess books or opening databases," but engines, tablebases and advice remain banned. In games against the Lichess AI, all forms of help are allowed. Lichess also lets you request computer analysis with Stockfish after any game, free.
FIDE (over the board)
The FIDE Laws of Chess cover rated over-the-board play worldwide. Article 11.3.1 reads: "During play the players are forbidden to use any notes, sources of information or advice, or analyse any game on another chessboard." Article 11.3.2 adds: "During a game, a player is forbidden to have any electronic device not specifically approved by the arbiter in the playing venue."
The "playing venue" is wider than the board. Article 11.2.1 defines it to include the playing area, rest rooms, toilets, the refreshment area, the smoking area "and other places as designated by the arbiter." So checking an engine in the bathroom between moves is covered too. Online events run under FIDE's name have their own separate regulations.
US Chess
The US Chess rulebook, used for rated tournaments in the United States, has a group of conduct rules in section 20. Their titles make the scope plain: 20C, use of notes prohibited; 20D, use of additional chessboard or computer prohibited; 20E, soliciting or using advice prohibited; 20F, analysis in the playing room prohibited; 20N, electronic communication devices. US Chess also certifies some electronic scoresheet devices for use in rated events unless a director bans them, and many organizers publish stricter device policies of their own. Read the specific tournament's rules before you go.
What you can do freely
Every rule above is about help during a game. Outside that window, chess AI is a normal and accepted study tool. These uses are fine on every platform:
- Reviewing finished games with Stockfish, Leela Chess Zero, Chess.com Game Review, Lichess analysis or a learning tool.
- Playing against bots and using any help you like in those games, on the site's computer modes.
- Studying openings with guides and engines, then playing them from memory.
- Solving puzzles and replaying critical positions from your own games.
- Analyzing other people's games, such as top-level games after they finish.
Where ChessHelper fits
ChessHelper is our own product, so we hold it to the same rules. It shows engine suggestions on Chess.com and Lichess pages, which is exactly the kind of tool those sites ban during games against people. ChessHelper's own guidance says to use it for learning and analysis, not in games against people. In practice that means: open it on your finished games, in analysis mode and in games against bots, and keep it off whenever the opponent is a person. If a feature of any tool plays or times moves for you, keep it off in games against people as well; Lichess bans programmatic moves outright.
The how to learn with chess AI guide gives a routine built entirely on allowed uses.
What happens if you break the rules
Online, both Chess.com and Lichess run fair-play checks and can close or restrict accounts that break their rules, and both let players report suspected violations. Over the board, the FIDE Laws let an arbiter penalize breaches of Article 11, up to losing the game, and US Chess directors have similar powers under the rulebook. Beyond penalties, help during play defeats the point: the struggle to find a move yourself is what makes the review afterwards worth anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a chess engine after my game is over?
Yes. The fair-play rules of Chess.com and Lichess restrict help during games in progress. Both sites offer their own engine analysis of finished games: Lichess computer analysis with Stockfish, and Chess.com Game Review.
Is engine help allowed in unrated or casual games?
Not against people. Lichess's rules forbid engines in real-time games whether rated or casual, and Chess.com's policy bans engines and extensions in games against other users without an unrated exception for ordinary players.
Can I use an engine against a computer opponent?
Yes. Chess.com's fair-play policy says it does not apply to games that are not against other users, such as games against the Chess.com computer, and Lichess's rules table allows engines in games against the Lichess AI.
Can I use opening books in correspondence or daily chess?
Yes, within limits. Chess.com allows the Opening Explorer and other books in Daily chess only, and Lichess allows its opening explorer, books and opening databases in correspondence games. Engines and tablebases remain banned in both.
Can I bring my phone to a FIDE tournament?
Only as the arbiter allows. FIDE Article 11.3.2 forbids having any electronic device not specifically approved by the arbiter in the playing venue during a game, and many events set stricter local rules.
Sources
Chess.com Fair Play Policy (chess.com/legal/fair-play); Chess.com, "Game Review" (chess.com/terms/game-review); Lichess fair-play rules (lichess.org/page/fair-play) and About page; FIDE Handbook, Laws of Chess, Articles 11.2.1, 11.3.1 and 11.3.2 (handbook.fide.com); US Chess Rulebook, 7th edition, section 20 rule titles; US Chess electronic device certification policy (July 2020). All checked November 12, 2026.