Chess Shorts support
Getting started
On the home screen, tap Paste a game. You can paste a Lichess or Chess.com game link, a full PGN, or a bare list of moves. Chess Shorts reads it, shows you the players and move count, and when you tap Create video it analyses the game on your iPhone and opens the preview. From there you can play it through, adjust the speed, and save the finished video to Photos.
Importing a Lichess game
Open the game on Lichess, copy its web address (for example lichess.org/abcd1234), and paste it into Chess Shorts. It fetches the moves automatically from Lichess’s public export. You can paste the link with or without a colour or move number on the end.
Importing a Chess.com game
Open the game on Chess.com, copy its web address (for example chess.com/game/live/1234567890), and paste it in. Chess Shorts retrieves the game’s official PGN from Chess.com’s public data. If a particular link doesn’t resolve, open the game on Chess.com, use its “Share → PGN” option, and paste the PGN instead.
Pasting a PGN or move list
You can paste a complete PGN (with the [Event …] tags) or just the moves (for example 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3). Tap Paste from clipboard to drop in whatever you last copied. Chess Shorts shows a confirmation card with the players, event and move count so you know it read the game correctly before you continue.
The preview
After analysis, the preview plays the game through automatically. Use the play/pause button and the move arrows to step forward and back one move at a time, or drag the scrubber to any point. The Relaxed / Normal / Snappy control changes the overall pace, and the Sound effects toggle controls the move sounds in the exported video. Tap the back arrow to return and import a different game.
Board themes
Open Settings (the gear on the home screen) to choose a board theme — Green, Ocean, Walnut, Slate, Rosewood or Midnight. Your choice applies to the preview and to every video you export, and is remembered between launches.
Saving and uploading your video
Tap Save to Photos to render the video and save it to your camera roll. YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels all upload from your Photos library, so this is the quickest route: save in Chess Shorts, then open the platform’s app and pick the video. You can also tap Share to send it straight to another app. The first time you save, iOS will ask permission to add to Photos.
Two copies in Photos?
Chess Shorts saves exactly one copy of each video. If you see a second copy, it is usually TikTok or Instagram saving the posted video back to your camera roll when you publish — look for a “Save to device” or “Save post” toggle in their upload screen and turn it off to avoid the duplicate.
Free videos and Pro
Chess Shorts is free to download and lets you make a few complete videos so you can try it. Free videos include a small “Chess Shorts” watermark. Chess Shorts Pro is a one-time £9.99 purchase that removes the watermark, lets you make unlimited videos, and unlocks every board theme. There is no subscription.
Purchasing and restoring
To purchase: tap Unlock Pro on the paywall or in Settings. The purchase is processed by Apple; you are charged once and access never expires.
To restore on a new device or after reinstalling: open Settings and tap Restore purchase, or use “Restore purchase” on the paywall. As long as you are signed in with the Apple ID you purchased with, Pro is restored at no charge.
Troubleshooting
- “That doesn’t look like a game link or PGN.” Make sure you pasted a Lichess/Chess.com game link, a full PGN, or a move list. Tournament or event pages without a game ID can’t be fetched — open the specific game and copy its PGN.
- A link won’t import. Check your internet connection, then try again. If a Chess.com link still won’t resolve, use the game’s “Share → PGN” and paste the PGN.
- The video didn’t save. Allow Photos access in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos → Chess Shorts.
- Reached the free limit. Unlock Chess Shorts Pro to make unlimited videos.
My data and privacy
Your games are analysed and rendered on your iPhone. Chess Shorts connects to Lichess or Chess.com only to fetch a game you import by link, and to Apple for purchases. It does not use analytics or tracking. See the full privacy policy for detail.
Reporting a bug
Email support@whiteforgetech.co.uk with a description of what you were doing, what you expected, and what actually happened. If it relates to a specific game, including the Lichess/Chess.com link or the PGN helps a lot. Your iPhone model and iOS version are useful too. We aim to respond within two business days.
Contact
Whiteforge Technologies Ltd
support@whiteforgetech.co.uk