After 25+ years at chesspublishing.com, we've rebuilt Chess Publishing from the ground up. The original site launched in 1999 and has served the chess community well - but it was time for a complete overhaul. The new site brings a modern interface, powerful new tools, and a fairer pricing structure, while keeping the same expert opening theory and deeply annotated games.

Here's what's new and what's changing.

The best chess database UI in your browser

The heart of Chess Publishing has always been the annotated games - and the new site is built around what we think is the best in-browser chess database experience anywhere, especially on mobile.

Unified filtering - find games by player, event, annotator, result, ELO range, date, or any combination. Filters stack, update instantly, and URLs are shareable. Perhaps you're interested in the Rossilimo or the Benko Gambit.
Position search - walk any opening tree move by move and see the statistics for what's been played from that position across the entire database, with one-click access to the games that reached it.
Mobile-first. No native app, no separate tablet build - the whole experience is fast, responsive and feels native on your phone. Prepare your openings on the train, in bed, or between rounds at a tournament.
Player statistics and an opening book explorer.
A custom built fully featured PGN Viewer. Customise settings via your account preferences page.

Explore our databases now:

Chess Publishing annotated games (34,000 games)
Chess Publishing Opening Guides (965 curated opening variation overviews)
The Week in Chess (~4.7m games, updated weekly)
Britbase (240,000 curated British games)

Video content

Alongside the annotations, our authors are recording video content explaining key ideas and updates. Videos appear inline on annotated games - the ones with video content are flagged so you can find them at a glance. See Pragganandhaa - Sindarov from the recent Candidates tournament.

TWIC - The Week in Chess

The Week in Chess, one of the longest-running chess resources on the internet, is now on Chess Publishing. The full 4.5 million game TWIC database is available to browse and search alongside our own content.

Free users: preview the first ten moves of each game and use position search across the whole database.
TWIC subscribers and Pro subscribers: full game access and PGN downloads.

TWIC will be updated weekly, as new issues become available.

Britbase - completely free

Britbase, John Saunders' authoritative archive of British and Irish chess, is now fully integrated into the new site and is completely free for all users. Browse over 240,000 British and Irish chess games with advanced filtering, position search, and PGN downloads - no account or subscription required.

Collections

Save your favourite positions, games, and updates into personal Collections for easy reference - for example "My King's Indian repertoire" or "My tournament prep".

Free users get two collections with limited saves.
Subscribers get unlimited collections and saves.

Look for the {{icon:star}} icon to add items to a Collection.

Check Your Games

Upload or paste your own PGN or enter your chess.com or lichess handle and compare your games against Chess Publishing's opening theory database. See where your play matches or diverges from our authors' recommendations, with direct links to the relevant updates and annotated games. A faster way to review your openings than wading through hundreds of lines in a book. Check where you diverge from theory now.

Lifetime access - Chess Publishing Supporter

For the first time, you can make a one-time payment of $1,499 for permanent access to everything on Chess Publishing - the full archive from 1999 to today, all future content, priority support, and early access to new features. No renewals, no recurring charges. More details on the dedicated Lifetime page.

Subscription plans

We now offer three tiers, plus a generous free tier:

Free ($0)

One fully annotated game per update
Full access to Britbase
First ten moves of TWIC games
Limited Collections and move statistics
No downloads

Pro ($11.99/month or $119.90/year)

Full access to all Chess Publishing opening theory updates with annotations
Download PGN files - new updates plus back issues (see Download Windows below)
Full TWIC access and downloads
Yearly subscribers save 30% in the shop

TWIC ($3.99/month or $39.90/year)

Full access to the TWIC 4.5 million game database
Download TWIC PGN files
Unlimited Collections

We no longer offer subscriptions to individual sections - everyone has access to all sections. Full details on the pricing page.

Download windows - how they work (new subscribers only)

For new subscribers, PGN downloads are time-gated based on your billing frequency:

Monthly subscribers: download the current month's updates plus 1 month of back issues
Yearly subscribers: download the current month's updates plus 12 months of back issues

This applies to section downloads and downloads from a specific position on the opening explorer. It does not apply to TWIC, Britbase, or Opening Guide purchases - those are always available in full to purchasers and subscribers with the appropriate access.

Why? On the old site, new subscribers had access to everything. With the introduction of a monthly plan, we needed to ensure the model is sustainable - without download windows, someone could subscribe for a single month, download 25 years of content, and cancel. The yearly plan gives you a generous 12-month window, and the shop is always there if you want to purchase the full archive outright.

Existing subscribers: This does not affect you. See the Grandfathering section below - you'll receive a one-off download of the complete back catalogue.

The Shop - one-off purchases

Don't want a subscription? You can now buy individual products outright in our shop:

Opening Guides ($19.99 each)

Annotated opening variations from our authors, organised by section. Always up-to-date - when we update a guide, your purchase reflects the latest version.

Section Archives ($29 each)

The complete archive of annotated games for a single section (e.g. Open Sicilians, King's Indian), from 1999 to the date of purchase. A snapshot of everything our authors have published in that opening.

Complete Archive ($249)

All 34,000+ annotated games across all 12 sections. The entire Chess Publishing catalogue in one download.

Volume discounts

Buy 3 or more section-scoped products and save 15%. Buy 6 or more and save 25%. Yearly Pro subscribers always get at least 30% off - whichever discount is larger wins.

Free samples

Every section offers a free single-game sample download - no account needed. Try before you buy.

All shop purchases are yours to keep. Your account is created automatically at checkout if you don't already have one.

For existing subscribers - grandfathering

If you're a current Chess Publishing subscriber, your access continues seamlessly on the new site:

Your rate is locked in - you'll continue paying the same rate you're on today for as long as your subscription stays active. No price rises.
Free complete archive - every existing subscriber gets a one-off download of the complete back catalogue - 34,000+ annotated games - in recognition of your long-standing support. Your first download from the Complete Archive on your account page will cap this as a snapshot and grant access to everything published up to that date.
Full Pro access - you automatically get the new Pro tier, with all the new features.

One thing to note: the new site uses automated annual renewal on your locked rate. When you first sign in, a short welcome screen will invite you to set up auto-renewal at your existing price - a simple one-time setup that secures your rate for future years. Nothing will be charged until your current subscription period ends.

You should already have received an email from us with your account details. If not, check your spam folder or email support@chesspublishing.com.

What's next

We're actively developing some exciting new features and will share updates as they're ready.

Questions?

If anything is unclear or you have feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at support@chesspublishing.com.

Thank you for being part of Chess Publishing - whether you've been with us since 1999 or you're just discovering us now.

The Chess Publishing team