mcp-chess MCP Server

Use This MCP server To

Generate chess board images from FEN notation Suggest legal next moves in ongoing chess games Validate the legality of chess moves Integrate chess gameplay into AI chat assistants Enable real-time chess analysis within workflows Create interactive chess tutoring or coaching tools Automate chess game state updates and visualizations

README

MCP Chess

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides chess functionality for Claude AI Assistant.

mcp-chess.mp4

Features

This server implements tools that extend Claude's capabilities to:

Generate chess board images from a Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) string
Suggest the next move in a chess game
Check if a move is legal

Installation for Claude Desktop

Download the latest binary from the Releases page:
- For Windows: mcp-chess-windows.exe
- For macOS: mcp-chess-darwin
- For Linux: mcp-chess-linux

Make the file executable (macOS/Linux only):

chmod +x mcp-chess-darwin   # for macOS
chmod +x mcp-chess-linux    # for Linux

For macOS users - Bypassing Security Warnings:

When you first try to run the application, macOS may display a security warning because the application is not signed by an identified developer. To bypass this:
- Right-click (or Control-click) on the mcp-chess-darwin file
- Select "Open" from the context menu
- Click "Open" in the dialog box that appears
Alternatively, you can use Terminal:
```
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/mcp-chess-darwin
```
This only needs to be done once.
Configure Claude Desktop:
- Open Claude Desktop
- Select "Settings", and click on the "Developer" tab
- Click "Edit Config"
- Add the MCP server configuration
- Save the file
- Restart Claude Desktop

Here's an example for the MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-chess": {
      "command": "/path/to/mcp-chess-binary"
    }
  }
}

Using with Claude

Once properly configured, you can ask Claude to perform various chess-related tasks:

Show me the starting position of a chess game.

Let's play a chess game. Check that each move is legal. Suggest the best move to play.

Is Nf3 a legal move from the starting position?

What's a good move for white in this position: "rnbqkbnr/pppp1ppp/8/4p3/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 2"?

Technical Details

Development

This project is built with:

Spring Boot
Spring AI (MCP server implementation)
Java 21
GraalVM native compilation

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/alexandreroman/mcp-chess.git
cd mcp-chess

# Build with Maven
./mvnw clean package

# Build a native executable
./mvnw -Pnative native:compile

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Credits

ChessGame - Java chess library
ChessImage - Chess board renderer
Stockfish.online - Chess engine API
Spring AI - AI application framework

mcp-chess FAQ

How do I install mcp-chess on my system?

Download the latest binary from the GitHub releases page and make it executable on macOS/Linux.

Can mcp-chess generate visual chess boards?

Yes, it creates chess board images from Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) strings.

Does mcp-chess support move legality checks?

Yes, it can verify if a proposed chess move is legal according to game rules.

How does mcp-chess suggest moves?

It uses built-in chess logic to recommend the next best move in a game.

Is mcp-chess compatible with multiple operating systems?

Yes, it supports Windows, macOS, and Linux binaries.

Can mcp-chess be integrated with AI assistants other than Claude?

While designed for Claude, it can be adapted for other MCP-compatible AI models like OpenAI GPT and Anthropic Claude.

What chess notation does mcp-chess use for board representation?

It uses Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) to represent chess board states.

Are there security considerations when running mcp-chess on macOS?

Yes, macOS may show security warnings on first run; users need to allow the app in system preferences.