Follow every player-visible feature, improvement, and fix added to Burger31 Chess. This page is updated with each release, and the archive reaches back to the first version released on July 4, 2026.
Latest
More clock choices
1–60 minute picker: choose any whole-minute clock from 1 to 60 minutes for bot, local, or online games.
10-minute default: new games still begin with 10 minutes selected, and no-clock games remain available.
Mobile friendly: the clock uses the phone’s native picker for easier selection on touch screens.
October release
Account access and privacy improvements
Signup email confirmation now completes more reliably across browsers.
New password accounts now require an email and a verification code before they can be used.
Players with a verified email can request a password reset link from the sign-in page.
The reset page now explains the other sign-in options available to players without a verified email.
Public release notes now keep private account details out of the archive.
Earlier October release
Simpler signed-device approval
Simpler sign-in: an older sign-in option has been retired.
Device approval: players can approve a new sign-in from a device they already use.
Kick out other devices: the Account page can now sign out every other device while keeping the device you are using signed in.
Other sign-in choices remain: players can continue using their existing account sign-in options.
Earlier October release
Password-free device sign-in
Sign-in options: players gained another way to access their accounts.
Reliability: account access was improved across devices.
October release
Clearer safety and trust
Safety & Trust page: players can now read a plain-language explanation of account security, information use, moderation, account deletion, and the free virtual-coin economy.
Browser protection: safeguards for visiting the site were improved.
Transparent navigation: the public Home and About pages now link directly to the new safety information.
October release
Saved games and clearer boards
Bright move markers: possible moves and captures now use a vivid cyan marker with light and dark outlines, so they remain visible on every square.
Clearer pieces: both White and Black pieces now have stronger opposite-colour outlines for reliable visibility on black and white squares.
Face-to-face local play: on phones, Black’s pieces face the player across the device in two-player mode, like pieces on a real shared board.
Automatic game recovery: active local games, clocks, pauses, moves, and online-room seats are saved and restored after locking the phone, losing a connection, or signing back in.
October release
Safer sign-in and easier discovery
Free chess search page: the public homepage now clearly explains free computer and local games, no-download play, supported devices, and direct guest options.
AI discovery: ChatGPT Search and Google’s Gemini crawler can read public pages, while a public facts file helps AI tools describe Burger31 Chess accurately.
Sign in with Burger31: players can use their Burger31 accounts with approved websites.
Microsoft sign-in: players can sign in with or link a Microsoft account when the option is configured.
Authenticator protection: players gained an optional way to protect their accounts.
Profile safety: privacy settings, player blocking, reporting, and owner moderation controls make social features safer.
What’s New safeguard: project checks now require every future player-visible update to include a release note on this page.
September release
Learning, accounts, and rewards that work better
Sign-in destination fixed: signing in now opens the chess game.
Exact large coin balances: large balances keep every digit during games, purchases, and refunds.
What’s New: this public page now keeps players informed about recent improvements.
About and navigation: a dedicated public About page now explains Burger31 Chess, while Story Mode keeps its own /story address. About, Story Mode, and What’s New are easier to reach throughout the site.
Search and sharing: improved search descriptions, site identity, social previews, internal links, and one-tap sharing make Burger31 Chess easier to discover and recommend.
Academy for everyone: the complete 10-week Chess Academy is now free to open without an account, with guest progress saved on the device and working links to puzzles and bot practice.
Academy for every skill level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tracks now provide level-specific weekly goals, challenges, bot difficulty, and separately saved progress.
Learn from zero: a new seven-lesson First Steps course teaches the board, every piece, captures, checkmate, special moves, and a first-game plan with no experience required.
Game improvements
A clearer, more helpful chess game
Daily Puzzle: open the daily tactical challenge directly from the homepage.
Game review and AI Coach: ask for hints, explanations, and winning plans.
Game results: win, loss, and draw celebrations now include a share-result action.
Live rooms: create, join, watch, reconnect, and chat inside online games.
Fair play: rated and unrated modes are clearly separated, with Elo and game records updated only when appropriate.
Leaderboard: ratings and win/loss/draw records are available with privacy-friendly player names.
Social safety: friendship, blocking, reporting, and escalating chat moderation tools are available.
Profiles
More ways to make an account yours
Flexible access: players can choose from several account sign-in options.
Profiles and avatars: change usernames, build an avatar, earn coins, and buy or refund avatar items.
Admin controls: account and player-management tools were improved.
Earlier history
Milestones verified from the project’s Git history and code changes.
Learning
Story Mode and smarter bot timing
Interactive chess history: six child-friendly chapters introduced Pip the Knight, sequential progress, and a completion badge.
Skill-based bot clock: bot move-time handicaps began changing with difficulty.
Account ownership: players gained a protected flow for permanently deleting their own non-owner account.
Accounts & play
More ways to learn, play, and connect
Face ID and passkeys: device-based sign-in joined password access.
Local variants: Four-Player Chess, Bughouse, Crazyhouse, and Fog of War arrived as unrated local games.
Friends and invitations: players could send requests, accept friendships, and launch games together.
Chess Academy: a structured ten-week learning path was added.
Guest and rated modes: casual guest play was separated clearly from Elo-changing games.
Platform
The modern app foundation
Recovered chess experience: the full game, SVG piece assets, installable web app, account economy, and room service were restored into one tested release.
Chess Center: a focused hub made standard games, learning tools, and supported variants easier to reach.
Role-based administration: owner, Head Admin, admin, and user responsibilities became explicit and protected.
Cloudflare room deployment: Pages was connected reliably to the separate Durable Object room service.
Accessibility
Black pieces became easier to see
Improved dark-square visibility: black pieces received a bright rim treatment so they no longer disappeared into dark board squares.
Balanced piece presentation: piece sizing and contrast were refined across board orientations.
Rules & mobile
Full chess rules and stronger game feedback
Authoritative rules: legal-move validation, castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate, repetition, the fifty-move rule, and insufficient-material draws were integrated and tested.
Reliable online games: room handshakes, second-player joining, reconnects, pause agreements, undo rules, frozen pre-game clocks, and ten-minute defaults were improved.
Clearer play: captured-piece trays, check/checkmate indicators, opponent-move animation, flipped-board alignment, and game-result celebrations were added or refined.
Mobile feedback: landscape controls, low-time alerts, low-move warnings, longer celebrations, sounds, and iOS spoken warnings made games easier to follow.
Online beginnings
Rooms, board controls, and prediction
Two-player rooms: players gained room codes and the first Cloudflare-backed online multiplayer flow.
Board orientation: a persistent Flip Board control made either side easier to play.
Prediction mode: the board began showing estimated chances for White and Black.
Chess tools: early Stockfish, PGN, and opening-data support established the analysis foundation.