: Feature request: optional shared analysis board during online games (with engine-readable move log • page 1/1 • Lichess Feedback • lichess.org

Why I want this:

I have real difficulty visualizing positions several moves ahead. If I can set the pieces out on a board, I can analyze the position clearly — but under current rules I'm not allowed to, so I feel I can't fully use my chess ability. The current rules effectively select for one cognitive style (pure mental calculation) rather than measuring chess analysis ability as a whole.

Why it doesn't break fairness (if both opt in):

Both players either have it or don't. Same tool, same rules.
It doesn't provide engine evaluation; it only externalizes the search tree the player would otherwise do in their head.

The training-feedback angle (my main reason):

Lichess already generates an analysis report from your recent games. But that report only sees your moves, not your thinking process. If the analysis board logged the moves and lines a player explored, an engine could reconstruct the search tree and show where the player pruned too early, missed an opponent resource, or evaluated a line wrongly. That would make the existing report far more useful — it would expose decision-process defects, not just decision-result defects. This is valuable for training regardless of whether the format ever becomes a rated competitive mode.

Proposed implementation sketch:

Pre-game checkbox: "Allow shared analysis board (both players must agree)."
Board is private to each player; no engine, no tablebase, no opening book.
Moves made on the board are logged with timestamps and can optionally be exported after the game for engine-assisted review.
Unrated or separate rating pool by default; clearly labeled as a different format.

Now I want to know other ideas.

I'd like to propose an optional analysis board for online games, enabled only when both players explicitly agree before the game starts. Both players get the same tool; neither can use it unless both opt in. The board is not a live engine — it's just a place to move pieces and try lines, like scratch paper for a math problem. Why I want this: I have real difficulty visualizing positions several moves ahead. If I can set the pieces out on a board, I can analyze the position clearly — but under current rules I'm not allowed to, so I feel I can't fully use my chess ability. The current rules effectively select for one cognitive style (pure mental calculation) rather than measuring chess analysis ability as a whole. Why it doesn't break fairness (if both opt in): - Both players either have it or don't. Same tool, same rules. - It doesn't provide engine evaluation; it only externalizes the search tree the player would otherwise do in their head. The training-feedback angle (my main reason): Lichess already generates an analysis report from your recent games. But that report only sees your moves, not your thinking process. If the analysis board logged the moves and lines a player explored, an engine could reconstruct the search tree and show where the player pruned too early, missed an opponent resource, or evaluated a line wrongly. That would make the existing report far more useful — it would expose decision-process defects, not just decision-result defects. This is valuable for training regardless of whether the format ever becomes a rated competitive mode. Proposed implementation sketch: - Pre-game checkbox: "Allow shared analysis board (both players must agree)." - Board is private to each player; no engine, no tablebase, no opening book. - Moves made on the board are logged with timestamps and can optionally be exported after the game for engine-assisted review. - Unrated or separate rating pool by default; clearly labeled as a different format. Now I want to know other ideas.

dundeel67

What you're describing is already available in correspondence chess. I don't believe you need the pressure of the clock to practice in this way.