Skip to content

BetterChess

by betterchess.co · remote · no sign-in to list tools · v1.0.0 · published by co.betterchess

Chess MCP for Claude: engine analysis, attack maps, game review. One URL, no install.

Changes · 1
CompareRegistry entry

4 tools: 1 change things and 3 only read.

Scanned Oct 21, 2026

No check matched anything in the tool definitions. No finding is not a safety guarantee. How the checks work.

claude mcp add --transport http betterchess https://mcp.betterchess.co

Tools

Open a tool for its reasons and full description. Descriptions are the publisher's own words, shown as they are.

4 tools

Changes things 1Claude Code: ask
  • chess_reviewReplays a finished game ply by ply with the engine and returns the moves where the evaluation swung by more than a threshold (default 1.5 pawns).No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • Nothing in its name or description says what it does, so it is counted as a write.
    • The server marks it read-only (readOnlyHint: true), but an annotation never lowers a class.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Replays a finished game ply by ply with the engine and returns the moves where the evaluation swung by more than a threshold (default 1.5 pawns). Each entry gives the move number, the side that moved, the move played, the engine's preferred move, the size of the swing in pawns, the evaluation before and after, and the FEN of the resulting position. Accepts a PGN or a list of SAN moves, and can be filtered to one colour. Long games are truncated at 60 plies.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • openWorldHint: false
Only reads 3Claude Code: allow
  • chess_analyseReturns an engine evaluation of a chess position: the strongest candidate moves with their scores, and the position's checkable facts — side to move, whether that side is in check,…No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "chess_analyse" says "analyse": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Returns an engine evaluation of a chess position: the strongest candidate moves with their scores, and the position's checkable facts — side to move, whether that side is in check, undefended pieces and the pieces attacking them, and the material balance. Accepts a FEN, a PGN, or a list of SAN moves from the starting position. Also reports what the OPPONENT would play if it were their turn, which is the difference between a position being quiet and merely looking quiet. Pass `considering` with a move you are thinking of playing and it returns what that move actually walks into — a losing move is usually not in the top candidates, so asking about it directly is the only way to find out.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • openWorldHint: false
  • chess_attacksReturns the exact list of squares attacked by the piece standing on a given square in a chess position, together with that piece's type and colour.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The description's first verb is "return": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Returns the exact list of squares attacked by the piece standing on a given square in a chess position, together with that piece's type and colour. Returns an empty list when the square is unoccupied. Accepts a FEN, a PGN, or a list of SAN moves from the starting position.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • openWorldHint: false
  • chess_rigReturns the JavaScript source of the in-page coaching rig for a chess.com bot game, to be run in that page by the browser's javascript tool.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The description's first verb is "return": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Returns the JavaScript source of the in-page coaching rig for a chess.com bot game, to be run in that page by the browser's javascript tool. Once running, the page exposes window.__coachWait(ms) (resolves with events and board status), window.__coachWatch.status() (moves, fen, turn, myTurn, result) and window.__coach (beginDraw, play, dashed, label, step, say) for drawing on the board. Also returns the rig version and the URL of the chess.com bot surface.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • openWorldHint: false

This is not a safety rating, and no finding is not a safety guarantee. The groups and findings come from fixed checks of the tool definitions the server returned on the date shown, not from its code or what it does when called. How the checks work.

Install

Pinned to version 1.0.0. Values in angle brackets are yours to fill in.

claude mcp add --transport http betterchess https://mcp.betterchess.co

Run in a terminal.

Claude Code permissions

Allow the reads, ask before a change, deny the deletes. Paste into .claude/settings.json.

.claude/settings.json
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "mcp__betterchess__chess_analyse",
      "mcp__betterchess__chess_attacks",
      "mcp__betterchess__chess_rig"
    ],
    "ask": [
      "mcp__betterchess__chess_review"
    ],
    "deny": []
  }
}

Tools that only read are allowed, tools that change things ask first, tools that delete or cancel are denied. It assumes the server is installed as betterchess. Review it before you use it.