Resources for Developers and Tournament Organizers

Welcome to the chessmail developer hub. Here you'll find open source tools and libraries that power chessmail and can help you build your own chess applications.

Guides

Markdown Guide — Learn how to format text, create diagrams, and embed games in chessmail Club pages and manual tournaments.
Manual Tournaments — Statuses, creating games, and Markdown on the tournament page.
API v3 Documentation — REST API reference for integrating with chessmail

Chess Libraries (Frontend)

cm-chessboard

A chessboard that just works. A modern, dependency-free JavaScript chessboard built with SVG and ES6 modules. Responsive and accessible on any device. Supports Chess960.

chess-console

Your complete chess interface. A full-featured chess game console used by chessmail.de. Includes move input, game history, and more.

cm-fen-editor

Set up any position in seconds. An intuitive FEN editor for creating and sharing chess positions.

Chess Libraries (Backend)

cm-chess

The brain behind every move. Chess move validation library with full support for variations, annotations, complex game trees, and Chess960.

cm-pgn

Speak the universal language of chess. Read and write PGN (Portable Game Notation) files with ease.

cm-engine-runner

Harness the power of chess engines. A framework for running UCI-compatible chess engines like Stockfish or Leela.

cm-polyglot

Tap into opening theory. Read chess opening books in the standard Polyglot (.bin) format. Can be used as an extension for cm-engine-runner.

Tools

pgn-to-video-converter

Turn games into stories. Convert PGN files into shareable videos for social media or teaching.