ChessDirSubmit
F

Forward Chess

Interactive chess ebook reader with embedded engine.

FreeWebiOSAndroidWindowsmacOS 4.8 (1,612 reviews)
Visit site

About Forward Chess

Forward Chess is the reference interactive reader for chess books. Titles from Quality Chess, New In Chess, Chess Stars, Mongoose Press and others ship as native interactive books where every diagram becomes a playable board, with Stockfish one tap away. Think of it as the Kindle of serious chess literature — competes directly with Chessable on the book-learning axis, but pay-per-book instead of subscription, and text-first instead of video-first. Best for players who already buy GM-authored openings/middlegame books and want to stop juggling a physical board beside the page.

Pros

  • 800+ titles from top chess publishers
  • Stockfish embedded for instant move checking
  • Excellent guess-the-move and position trainer
  • Owns-forever model, no subscription lock-in

Cons

  • UI feels dated compared to Chessable
  • No native video or spaced repetition
  • Individual book prices add up quickly

Features

Study & shareEngine analysisOpening repertoireOffline modeCloud syncPlay bots

Pricing

App is free to install with free sample chapters; books sold individually, typically $10–$30. ChessPublishing subscription available $19.99–$99.99/year.

Best for

Audience: Intermediate (1200 – 1800), Advanced (1800 – 2200), Expert (2200+)
Languages: EN, ES, FR, DE, IT, PT, HI, RU

Use cases

Opening preparationOnline tournament prepDeep game analysis

Similar apps

Chess.com
The default home of online chess.
Lichess
Free, open-source chess. Forever.
Chess King Learn
Huge Convekta course catalog in one app.
All alternatives to Forward ChessForward Chess vs Chess.com

Last reviewed April 20, 2026 · First launched 2013