Board
The Board is the default view and main workspace of En Parlant~. This is where you study positions, step through games, run engine analysis, and annotate your ideas.
What You See
Section titled “What You See”When you open a game or start a new analysis, the Board view shows:
- The chess board — The central playing surface where pieces live and moves happen
- Move list — A scrollable record of the game’s moves, with branching variations if present
- Engine analysis panels — Real-time engine evaluation of the current position (requires a configured engine)
- Annotation editor — Add comments, evaluation symbols, and notes to any move
- Database position panel — See how the current position has been played in master games
Board Themes
Section titled “Board Themes”Multiple board color schemes are available. To change your board theme, open Settings and browse the available options. Themes affect the board square colors — light and dark square pairings — without changing the piece designs.
Piece Sets
Section titled “Piece Sets”Choose from a variety of piece set designs in Settings:
- cburnett — The classic Lichess default
- Alpha, Merida, California — Popular alternatives with distinct visual styles
- Several additional sets to match your preference
Pick the one that feels most comfortable to your eye. Piece sets are purely cosmetic and don’t affect gameplay.
Coordinates
Section titled “Coordinates”Toggle rank and file labels (1-8 and a-h) on the board edges. Coordinates are helpful when learning notation or following along with a written game score. You can turn them off for a cleaner look once you’re comfortable reading the board without them.
Flip Board
Section titled “Flip Board”Rotate the board 180 degrees to view the position from Black’s perspective. Useful when analyzing Black’s side of a game or when you simply prefer to see the board from the other direction. The flip is instant and doesn’t affect the game state.
Move sounds provide audio feedback when pieces are placed. Toggle sounds on or off in Settings depending on your preference. Some players find the click satisfying; others prefer silence.
Eval Bar
Section titled “Eval Bar”The evaluation bar runs along the side of the board and shows the engine’s real-time assessment of the position. A bar tilted toward White means the engine favors White; tilted toward Black means Black is better. The numeric value (in centipawns or mate-in-N) gives you a precise reading. The eval bar updates as you step through moves or when the engine deepens its search.
Arrows and Circle Annotations
Section titled “Arrows and Circle Annotations”Right-click and drag on the board to draw arrows between squares. Right-click a single square to highlight it with a colored circle. These visual annotations are great for planning, teaching, or marking key squares and lines during analysis. Annotations drawn this way are temporary overlays — they don’t get saved to the PGN.
Under the Hood
Section titled “Under the Hood”The board is powered by Chessground, the same open-source chess board library used by Lichess. This means you get smooth piece animations, drag-and-drop movement, premove support, and a responsive layout that works well at any size.