Use Lichess for
- Playing games, solving puzzles and analyzing positions with Stockfish.
- Developing and sharing studies with chapters, variations and written explanations.
- Exploring played openings and practicing with interactive lessons.
Lichess and OnlyMove: build your studies, keep your openings fresh
Keep using Lichess to play, analyze and study openings. Add OnlyMove when you want a daily review schedule for your repertoire and feedback from your games. The two fit into the same routine: develop your lines in a study, import them as PGN, and train the positions that are due.
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The short version
Add OnlyMove for
- Scheduling which positions from your opening repertoire to review today.
- Sharing review progress across positions reached by different move orders.
- Checking your games against your saved repertoire and feeding opening practice back into your review schedule.
OnlyMove vs Lichess, feature by feature
Here is what each tool contributes to your opening study and practice.
| Feature | Lichess | OnlyMove |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free and open source, supported by donations | The Opening Trainer is free, with no subscription or move cap |
| Developing your preparation | Studies with chapters, variations, prose comments and sharing | Courses and repertoire trees you can edit or import as PGN; prose comments are not imported |
| Practicing your lines | Interactive lessons, hidden next moves and practice against the computer | Teaching and recall on the board, followed by scheduled opening reviews |
| Scheduled repertoire reviews | No built-in queue of study positions due for spaced-repetition review | FSRS schedules individual repertoire positions and shows which are due |
| Learning from your games | Engine analysis, Learn from your mistakes and opening statistics | Opening analysis and comparison with your saved repertoire; played moves also feed your review schedule |
| Transpositions in your preparation | Study variations are organized in chapters | Positions reached by different move orders share training progress |
| Opening research and analysis | Opening databases and a general-purpose Stockfish analysis board | Engine evaluation and master-game data support opening analysis, suggested fixes and starter repertoires |
| Playing games | Play against other people or the computer | Connect your Lichess account to review the openings from games you play there |
Lichess feature information checked on .
How to use Lichess and OnlyMove together
1. Develop your lines in a Lichess study
Use the opening explorer and analysis board to investigate moves, then keep your variations and explanations in a study. Interactive lessons can ask you to find the next move and give feedback as you learn.
2. Import the lines you want to train
Export a chapter or a whole study as PGN. In OnlyMove, open Courses, choose Add lines on a White or Black course, and paste or upload the file. For a whole study, select the chapters for that color; repeat for the other color as needed.
Follow the import guide3. Review due positions in OnlyMove
Open Training to practice the moves scheduled for review. FSRS adjusts each position’s schedule from your recall, and transpositions share progress. Return to your Lichess study whenever you want to revisit the explanations behind the moves.
How opening training works4. Keep playing and learn from your openings
Connect your Lichess account to import your games. OnlyMove checks them against your saved repertoire: correct prepared moves reinforce their review cards, and a repertoire mistake brings a position back for practice. Review suggested fixes before adding them to your preparation.
How your games feed spaced repetitionKeep your study as the reference
- Keep the original explanations and shared discussions on Lichess. OnlyMove imports the moves, variations, arrows and square highlights; prose comments are not retained.
- Study changes do not sync automatically. Export and import again to add new lines. Re-importing adds to your OnlyMove repertoire; it does not remove lines you deleted from the study.
- Keep using Lichess for playing, puzzles, interactive lessons and broader analysis. Its free, open-source service is supported by volunteers and donations.
Use your study to develop and explain your preparation, OnlyMove to schedule its review, and your games to decide what needs attention next.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import a Lichess study into OnlyMove?
Yes. Export a chapter or a whole study as PGN, then use Add lines on the Courses page in OnlyMove. A whole-study file opens a chapter picker so you can select the chapters for the course’s color. Repeat for the other color if needed. Whole-study imports are supported through Courses; the Explorer import accepts one chapter at a time.
Will my Lichess study stay in sync with OnlyMove?
There is no automatic study sync. Import the PGN again when you add lines to the study. Existing positions retain their training progress, and newly added positions get their own review cards. Lines removed from the study must also be removed in OnlyMove if you want both to match.
Are study comments and annotations imported?
Moves, variations, arrows and square highlights are imported. Written explanations and prose comments are not, so keep your Lichess study available as the reference for why you play each line.
Does Lichess have spaced repetition for openings?
Lichess has interactive lessons and other study practice modes, but no built-in spaced-repetition schedule for your study positions. Third-party tools can add scheduled practice; OnlyMove is one option, using FSRS to schedule individual repertoire positions.
Do I need a Lichess account to use OnlyMove?
No. You can sign up with a username and password and import your own PGN files. Signing in with Lichess is an alternative and links that account for game import. You can also add a Lichess account in Settings later.
Should I use OnlyMove instead of Lichess?
Use them together if you want scheduled reviews alongside your Lichess studies. Lichess covers playing, puzzles, studies and general analysis. OnlyMove adds a review routine for your opening repertoire and opening-focused feedback from imported games.
Is OnlyMove affiliated with Lichess?
No. OnlyMove is an independent product. It uses Lichess’s public API for game import and offers Lichess sign-in with your authorization.
Other comparisons
All comparisons- vs ChessableCompare Chessable’s courses and custom repertoires with OnlyMove’s free opening trainer, PGN tools and reviews based on your games.
- vs ChessbookCompare Chessbook’s repertoire-building tools and 200-move free website plan with OnlyMove’s free trainer without a move cap.
- vs ChessAtlasBoth use FSRS and learn from your games. Compare free-plan limits, training, the course library and mobile access.
OnlyMove is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Lichess. Lichess and its trademarks are the property of their respective owner. This comparison is written and maintained by the OnlyMove team from publicly available information.
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