Guide · Walkthrough
Getting started with ChessHelper
From installing the extension to a first study session, based on ChessHelper's own download, feature and pricing pages.
ChessHelper (chesshelper.ai) is the helper we rank first, and this walkthrough gets you from nothing to a useful first session in about ten minutes. Every step follows ChessHelper's own published instructions; where a detail might change, check the linked page on chesshelper.ai. If you are still deciding whether it is the right tool, read the full ChessHelper review first.
What you need
ChessHelper runs as a browser extension on a computer. You need Google Chrome or another Chromium-based browser (Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi), a free ChessHelper account, and an account on Chess.com or Lichess, or both. There is no Firefox, Safari or phone version listed, so on a phone you would need a different tool, such as the Lichess app's analysis board.
Install the extension
In Chrome, the simplest route is the Chrome Web Store. ChessHelper's download page links to the store listing, where you click “Add to Chrome” and confirm.
For other Chromium browsers, ChessHelper documents a manual install:
- Download the extension .zip file from the download page and extract it. Keep the extracted folder where it is; the browser needs it to keep running the extension.
- Open your browser's extensions page (chrome://extensions in Chrome).
- Turn on Developer mode in the top-right corner.
- Click Load unpacked and select the extracted folder, the one that contains manifest.json.
- Make sure the ChessHelper toggle is on, and pin the extension from the puzzle-piece menu if you want its icon in the toolbar.
Two cautions from ChessHelper's own notes: a manually installed copy does not update itself, and if you later switch to the Chrome Web Store version, remove the manual copy first rather than running both.
Connect your account
Click the ChessHelper icon in the toolbar and choose Connect Account, or sign up at chesshelper.ai. Then refresh any Chess.com or Lichess tabs that were already open, because the extension only activates on pages loaded after installation. Open a board on either site and ChessHelper starts automatically. ChessHelper states that your ChessHelper account is not linked to your Chess.com or Lichess account.
Learn the two settings that matter
The extension's settings panel has more options than you need on day one. Two of them shape everything:
| Setting | What it does | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Shows or hides the best-move overlay on the board | On for study; off whenever you play a person |
| Engine Strength | Sets the approximate Elo of the engine's play, from 800 to 3200 | Start about 200 to 400 points above your rating |
Leave every other play-related option off. They are not needed for study, and none of them belongs in a game against another person.
Why set the strength only a little above your rating? Because you want suggestions you can understand and repeat. ChessHelper's ELO training page groups study goals by level, and the table below summarizes what it lists for each band.
| Rating band | Focus listed by ChessHelper |
|---|---|
| 400 to 800 | Piece movement, one-move tactics, basic checkmates, opening principles |
| 800 to 1200 | Multi-move tactics, pawn structure, basic king-and-pawn and rook endgames, an opening repertoire |
| 1200 to 1600 | Complex tactics, positional sacrifices, rook and minor-piece endings, deeper opening preparation |
| 1600 to 2000+ | Calculation, prophylaxis, endgame theory, strategic planning |
A first study session: an opening against a bot
A good first session is a few games against a Chess.com bot in an opening you want to learn. Chess.com's fair-play policy does not apply to games against its computer, so the helper can stay on. ChessHelper has an opening guide to the Italian Game; here is the kind of moment it is useful for.
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4, White has built a pawn center and is attacking e5, which will gain time on Black's bishop. Black has to choose.
We checked the position with Stockfish at depth 20. 5...exd4 is the top move and keeps the evaluation at 0.00. Retreating the bishop with 5...Bb6 is rated about +0.8 for White, and 5...Bd6, which blocks Black's own d-pawn, about +1.4. The idea to remember is that when White plays c3 and d4 against your bishop on c5, you usually answer in the center first and move the bishop later.
Play the game, then go back to this moment. If the arrow pointed at exd4 and you chose something else, read the opening guide's section on the main plans, and play the position again in the next bot game.
Review finished games
The most valuable use of ChessHelper is on games that are over. Step through each one and stop where the evaluation bar moves sharply; those are your turning points. Before looking at the arrow, decide what you would play now. Then compare. Keep a short note of each lesson. Over a few weeks, the dashboard's game history, rating progression and accuracy trends show whether the lessons are sticking.
On the free plan you can use ChessHelper on three games a day and ten a week, which is enough for a short daily review. Pro removes the limits for $9.99 a month after a $2.99 first month, or $99.99 a year after a $39.99 first year, as listed in November 2026.
Switch it off before you play a person
Before any game against another person on Chess.com or Lichess, rated or unrated, turn the Analysis overlay off. Both sites forbid outside help during games against other users, and that includes browser extensions. Our guide to using AI helpers fairly quotes the exact rules.
Fair-play note. Chess.com, Lichess, FIDE and US Chess all forbid outside help during a game, and that includes engines, browser extensions and analysis tools. Use any helper on this page for study, reviewing finished games and practice against bots or in analysis mode, never in a game against another person, rated or unrated. What the rules say.
Where to go next
ChessHelper's own site has opening guides for the Sicilian Defense, Italian Game, London System, French Defense, Ruy Lopez and Caro-Kann, plus general guides for beginners and intermediate players. On this site, the choosing guide covers which tools pair well with ChessHelper, such as DecodeChess for written explanations or Aimchess for a study plan.