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How do I use the Game Explorer?
How do I use the Game Explorer?

Learn how to navigate and customize the Game Explorer on Chess.com, and understand how to interpret the results to improve your strategy.

Updated this week

The Game Explorer is a powerful tool that allows you to study common chess openings and see how similar games have unfolded.

To open the game explorer, hover over More in the left side menu of any Chess.com page and select Explorer:’


How to use Game Explorer on Chess.com

From the Game Explorer page

To use the Game Explorer, simply make moves on the board. As you make moves, the table on the right updates with a list of games where similar positions occurred.

You’ll also see the names of common openings based on your position.

Game Explorer on Chess.com

From a completed game

  • If you want to jump to the Game Explorer from a position in a game you are reviewing, just make sure 'Explorer' is toggled on in the sidebar on the right side.

  • After selecting the position you want to explore, click the 'Openings' icon:

Game explorer toggle on Chess.com
  • Use the 'Explore' menu on the right side to look further into the position you are interested in:

Openings page on Chess.com

Customization

From the dropdown menu at the top of the 'Explore' page, you can choose to include data from our Master games database, from your own games, or from the games of a specific Chess.com member. If you choose 'Other Players' you'll be asked to enter a username.

Game explorer on Chess.com

Understanding the Game Explorer results

When you find a position to review in 'Explorer,' the results will appear in a color-coded bar graph on the right. The table will show:

  • The move, which is also a link to the next position that will refresh the table with new data (an alternative to moving on the board)

  • The number of games in the chosen database in which the move was played.

  • The number of white wins (white), draws (gray), and black wins (black) for games where that move was played.

Game explorer on Chess.com

If you explore deep enough, you will arrive at a list of individual games you can study!

📝 The Explorer only imports the following games: Standard rules (no variants) that are at least 15 ply (or 29 ply if timeout) and played against a human (no computers).

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