MCP Chess

A MCP server for playing chess

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Overview

MCP Chess is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to enhance the capabilities of the Claude AI Assistant by providing chess functionalities.

To use MCP Chess, download the appropriate binary for your operating system, configure it within Claude Desktop, and then interact with Claude to perform various chess-related tasks.

Generate chess board images from a Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) string. - Suggest the next move in a chess game. - Check if a move is legal.

Visualizing chess positions using FEN strings.
Playing chess games with AI assistance.
Validating the legality of chess moves during gameplay.

Add to your AI client

Use these steps to connect MCP Chess in Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible apps. The same JSON appears in the Use with menu above for one-click copy.

Cursor

Add this to your .cursor/mcp.json file in your project root, then restart Cursor.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-chess-alexandreroman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-chess-alexandreroman"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add this server entry to the mcpServers object in your Claude Desktop config, then restart the app.

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-chess-alexandreroman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-chess-alexandreroman"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add this to your project's .mcp.json file. Claude Code will detect it automatically.

.mcp.json (project root)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-chess-alexandreroman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-chess-alexandreroman"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot)

Add this to your .vscode/mcp.json file. Requires the GitHub Copilot extension with MCP support enabled.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-chess-alexandreroman": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-chess-alexandreroman"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add this to your Windsurf MCP config file, then restart Windsurf.

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-chess-alexandreroman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-chess-alexandreroman"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cline

Open Cline settings, navigate to MCP Servers, and add this server configuration.

Cline MCP Settings (via UI)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-chess-alexandreroman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-chess-alexandreroman"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

What programming languages is MCP Chess built with?

MCP Chess is built using Java 21 and Spring Boot.

Is MCP Chess free to use?

Yes! MCP Chess is open-source and available under the Apache License 2.0.

How can I contribute to MCP Chess?

You can contribute by cloning the repository, making changes, and submitting a pull request on GitHub.

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