Hello Chess Fans,
I'm incredibly excited to announce the biggest free content update for Just Chess yet! This update introduces a feature designed to help you sharpen your tactical vision and have a ton of fun doing it: the Puzzle Arena.
At the heart of this update is a massive, integrated database of over four million chess puzzles
sourced directly from Lichess.org. Whether you have five minutes or an hour, there's a new way to challenge yourself. The new Puzzle Arena is available as its own button within the Lichess game mode.
Welcome to the Puzzle Arena
The Puzzle Arena is your new home for tactical training. It features several game modes, each offering a unique challenge:
Puzzle Blitz: Inspired by Lichess's 'Puzzle Storm', this is a fast-paced race against the clock. Start with a set amount of time and solve as many puzzles as you can. Correct answers add a small time bonus, and chaining them together builds a combo for even more points!
Puzzle Run: A true test of consistency and accuracy. You start with easy puzzles, and the difficulty increases with every correct solution. How long can you keep your streak going? One mistake, and your run is over.
Puzzle Sprint: Focus your training! Solve as many puzzles of a chosen theme as you can within a tight 90-second time limit. If no theme is selected, it will draw from all available puzzles. It's the perfect way to drill specific tactical patterns.
Training: Your personal tactics gym. Set your own rules by choosing the difficulty rating and up to three specific themes you want to practice. It's a relaxed, untimed mode designed for focused learning. If no theme is selected, it will draw from all available puzzles.
Daily Puzzle: A fresh tactical challenge from Lichess, delivered every day directly into the game.
Other Fixes & Improvements
This update isn't just about puzzles. It also includes several under-the-hood improvements to make the game more stable and enjoyable:
Fixed several race conditions related to piece animations and board clearing, which could occasionally cause visual glitches or errors between moves. The transitions between actions are now much more robust.
Improved UI consistency across different game modes and menus.
Refined text and descriptions for better clarity on game mode rules.
General stability and performance tweaks.
What's Next?
The Puzzle Arena is a huge new playground, and I can't wait for you to jump in and test your tactical skills. Please share your feedback and any suggestions on the Steam forums. Your input is invaluable as I continue to develop and improve the game.
**Please note:** The puzzles are designed to follow a single, pre-determined solution. This means you may occasionally find a valid move (like promoting to a Rook for mate) that the system marks as incorrect because it doesn't match the specific solution path. This is a known aspect of the puzzle set
Additionally, all puzzles are run from a local database included with the game. Your puzzle-solving activity within Just Chess is completely separate from your Lichess account and will not affect your official Lichess puzzle rating or statistics.
Thank you for your continued support, and happy puzzling!