FAQ — the questions I expect most about Chess Journal

Is it really free?

Yes — play, record your own games, import from Chess.com/Lichess, browse

your library, edit positions, switch themes: all free, forever. A

one-time $5 unlocks Stockfish's full depth, on-device AI commentary,

the Classics/Theory libraries, all 5,037 puzzles, and the Assistive

Coach.

Can I buy the $5 unlock today?

Checkout (LemonSqueezy on desktop, Google Play Billing on Android) is

built and tested but not public yet — landing soon. Until then, try

the whole unlock free for 14 days: paste CJLAUNCH14D in the Unlock

screen, or just open chess-journal.netlify.app/?codeRedeem.

How is this different from Chess.com / Lichess / ChessBase?

It's not a place to play online — it's your private analysis lab and

study library. No cloud dependency (Chess.com/Lichess are web-only),

local AI commentary (nobody else has this), and a 26,000+ game library

built in. $5 once vs. $99/yr (Chess.com Diamond) or $500+ (ChessBase).

Does it need internet?

No — engine analysis, AI commentary, the library, puzzles, and theory

all work fully offline, free tier or unlocked. Only Chess.com/Lichess

import, checkout, and update checks need a connection.

What platforms?

Windows, Linux, and Android — all live now. iOS/macOS aren't available

yet.

How does on-device AI work?

Qwen2.5 1.5B or Gemma 3 1B, running locally via llama.cpp (desktop) or

Transformers.js WASM (Android) — no API key, nothing ever leaves your

device. Small models by necessity, since they have to run on your own

CPU, not a datacenter GPU.

Why Tauri instead of Electron?

Needed one React/TypeScript codebase across Windows, Linux, and Android,

plus a real Rust side to spawn llama.cpp locally and verify licenses/Play

Billing — smaller binaries and lower memory than Electron for an app

that's already running Stockfish and a local LLM alongside the UI.

Is it open source?

No, proprietary/closed-source.

Just you building this — is it sustainable?

Yes, solo dev, actively shipping (check the changelog — frequent

releases). The $5 unlock funds ongoing development, and every future

update is included in that same one-time payment.

Online multiplayer? iOS?

No online play — it's built for recording/studying games you play

elsewhere (Chess.com, Lichess, in person), not for matchmaking. iOS has

no committed timeline yet.

Found a bug or have feedback?

sazardev@gmail.com — always welcome, and it directly shapes what ships

next.