What is FEN notation?

Forsyth–Edwards Notation (FEN) is a standard text format that describes a chess position in a single line. It is used by chess engines like Stockfish and websites like Lichess and Chess.com.

Does the tool enforce the rules of chess?

No. This is a position-setup helper, not a game engine. You can place pieces anywhere. The movement highlights show typical movement patterns but do not validate legality for a given game state.

Can I use this to set up puzzles?

Yes. Set up the position, export the FEN, then paste it into your favourite chess app or engine to analyse or solve the puzzle.

What do the highlighted squares mean?

When you click a piece on the board, the tool highlights all squares that piece type could potentially move to based on its standard movement pattern, ignoring other pieces.

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Chess Board Setup Helper

Set up any chess position on an interactive board, export or import FEN notation, and highlight piece moves.

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About this tool

Place, move, and remove chess pieces on an interactive 8×8 board with coordinate labels a–h and 1–8. Select any piece from the palette, click a square to place it, and click an occupied square to highlight where that piece can move. Export your position as FEN notation for use in chess engines, or import a FEN string to load any position instantly.

How to use

1 Click 'Reset to Start' to load the standard starting position, or 'Clear Board' for a blank board.
2 Select a piece from the palette (white or black, from king to pawn).
3 Click any empty square to place the selected piece; click an occupied square to see movement highlights or toggle removal.
4 Click 'Export FEN' to copy the position to your clipboard, or paste a FEN string and click 'Import FEN' to load it.

Frequently Asked Questions

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