A new presence at the board
Chess comes alive.
An opponent with a voice. A game with a memory.
The chess you love, with someone on the other side.
The Immortal Game
Anderssen–KieseritzkyLondon, 1851
01 / THE EXPERIENCE
There’s someone on the
other side of the board.
Ask what happens if you take. Think out loud. Get a little encouragement, or a beautifully timed insult. Coffeehouse Chess turns playing an engine into spending time with an opponent.
It plays at your level, talks through the position, and remembers the game you lost on Tuesday. All the depth of chess. A whole new reason to play another.
02 / THINK OUT LOUD
The conversation
is part of the game.
No chat box between you and the position. Just say what’s on your mind.
YOU + THE HUSTLERVOICE CHESS
“Bishop to c4.”
“Eyes on f7. I see what you’re doing.”
AN ILLUSTRATIVE CONVERSATION · YOUR GAMES WRITE THE REST
03 / FIND YOUR PERSON
Who’s at the table?
Five personalities. Five very different evenings. Pick one and see if you two get along.
Bright, fast, always amused
The Hustler
Washington Square Park energy. Will take your money and narrate the process.
“The Italian. Groundbreaking. My grandmother plays the Italian.”Get to know them
04 / YOUR KIND OF GAME
As gentle.
Or as merciless.
The personality and the challenge are yours to choose. Every opponent can meet you where you are.
YOUR CHALLENGE. YOUR CHOICE.
Sharp
Plays sound moves, punishes obvious mistakes, occasionally overreaches. This is where most improving players find a real game.
The levels above are claims you can judge at the board. A rating is a claim about results against rated players; until we have measured that under real game conditions, attaching one would be a guess dressed up as a fact. When calibration is complete, we will publish the numbers and the method together.
OLD SOUL. NEW POSSIBILITIES.
1851.
A coffeehouse in London.
A game nobody forgot.
The future of chess
still has a human side.
The game playing at the top of this page is the Immortal Game. Anderssen gave up a bishop, both rooks, and his queen, then delivered checkmate with three minor pieces.
It happened at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, a chess coffeehouse. Loud, speculative, sacrifice-happy chess. The kind that gets better with someone talking over it.
That’s the spirit we’re bringing forward. A dedicated chess engine plays the moves. The voice brings the company.
Follow the Immortal Game, move by move
- 1.e4e5
- 2.f4exf4
- 3.Bc4Qh4+
- 4.Kf1b5
- 5.Bxb5Nf6
- 6.Nf3Qh6
- 7.d3Nh5
- 8.Nh4Qg5
- 9.Nf5c6
- 10.g4Nf6
- 11.Rg1cxb5
- 12.h4Qg6
- 13.h5Qg5
- 14.Qf3Ng8
- 15.Bxf4Qf6
- 16.Nc3Bc5
- 17.Nd5Qxb2
- 18.Bd6Bxg1
- 19.e5Qxa1+
- 20.Ke2Na6
- 21.Nxg7+Kd8
- 22.Qf6+Nxf6
- 23.Be7#
A FEW GOOD QUESTIONS
Before your
first move.
Early access is coming. Here’s what to expect when your chair is ready.
Is a language model choosing the moves?
No, and it matters. A dedicated chess engine picks every move; the voice is never allowed to. Language models play noticeably weak chess whatever strength you ask them for, and one that announces a move it has not actually played is worse than no voice at all. The engine plays. The voice explains, argues and remembers.
How strong is it, really?
Turn it down and it misses threats; turn it up and it sees further, gives less away and eventually reaches full engine strength. We name each level for the behaviour you can expect. The strength section above explains why those names do not pretend to be ratings.
What happens when my voice minutes run out?
Your opponent goes quiet and keeps playing. Nothing locks. Moves arrive as text, while analysis, post-game review, and the opening trainer keep working. The game finishes normally. We never auto-bill you for going over. If you want the voice back sooner, top-ups are available at $9 per 40 minutes.
How long can one session run?
One hour, on every plan including the free one. After that the session ends and it is time for a break.
What happens to my microphone audio?
It is streamed live to the model so it can be understood and answered, and it is not stored. We keep the text transcript because that is what lets your opponent remember your games. To ask us to delete one game’s transcript or all of your transcripts, email privacy@coffeehousechess.com. We will respond within 30 days.
Which browsers work?
Chrome, Edge and Brave on desktop do everything, including driving a Bluetooth board. Safari and Firefox do voice and the on-screen board, but cannot pair a board because they do not implement Web Bluetooth. On Android, Chrome does everything including boards. On iOS, only voice and on-screen play are available. That is an Apple limitation, not ours.
Is it suitable for kids?
There is a setting that limits the roster to the Teacher and the Stoic, which takes out the trash talk and the drunk uncle. With that on it is a patient chess coach that talks.
Can I cancel?
Paid plans are not available yet, so there is nothing to cancel today. If they open before self-service billing does, email hello@coffeehousechess.com. We will confirm cancellation within 30 days, and you will keep the minutes already paid for until the period ends. Within 14 days of paying we will refund you.
THE NEXT CHAPTER IS YOURS
The board is waiting.
The room opens in measured groups. Free starts with 15 voice minutes, then adds 5 more each week you come back. Save your chair now and we’ll let you know when a table is ready.