ChessOpeningSmith
The free Apprentice plan, what it allows and its limits
The Apprentice plan is free and has no time limit. It lets you try opening work in ChessOpeningSmith: build a repertoire, train it and analyse a few games. This page lists the exact limits so that you know in advance what is possible.
Repertoires and training
With Apprentice you can create up to 3 repertoires, with 1,500 positions in total. You can import a PGN, annotate your lines, add arrows and circles, and export your work as PGN.
Training is unlimited: you can start a session on each repertoire as often as you like, with no weekly limit. Included storage is 10 MB.
Games and analysis
You can import up to 300 games from Lichess, 300 games from Chess.com and record 20 games played over the board, at a club or a tournament. These games are used to compare your play with your repertoire, and all of them feed your statistics, up to 620 games.
Stockfish analysis runs on your device with the quick profile. You can complete up to 5 quick analyses per day. Automatic analysis is not included. You can keep up to 15 free analyses.
What the Master Smith plan adds
Opponent preparation is included once a week, from the opponent’s Lichess and Chess.com usernames and their 400 most recent games on each account; general databases, private databases and unlimited preparations remain part of Master Smith. Master Smith also raises capacity a lot: up to 1,000 repertoires and 500,000 positions, 10 GB of storage, much larger game imports, the Standard and Deep analysis profiles, optional automatic analysis and 500 saved free analyses.
Master Smith is a monthly or yearly subscription; the current price is shown in the app before any payment. You can stay on Apprentice for as long as you like.
Making good use of the free plan
Start with one short repertoire for the colour you play most. Keep the second one for the other colour and the third for an opening you want to try. A few short sessions per week are enough to check that you recall the main moves, at a calm pace.
Questions before you start
Is the Apprentice plan time-limited?
No. It stays free with no end date.
Do I need a bank card to create an account?
No. Creating an Apprentice account requires no payment.
What happens if I reach a limit?
The app tells you. Your data stays in place; you can remove content or move to Master Smith.
