# Chess Scanner - Digitizer — Convert score sheets to PGN > Scan chess score sheets to digitize games and export as PGN. (iPhone/iPad app by Steffen Ratzke von Stoyentin.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-scanner-digitizer/id6475354574 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Steffen Ratzke von Stoyentin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724035295) - Category: Utilities, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.00/5 from 18 App Store ratings · 9 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 127 MB - Languages: English, German - Released: 2024-01-23 - Data updated: 2026-08-13 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-scanner-digitizer/id6475354574/reviews.md ## What is Chess Scanner? Scan your score sheets to digitize your chess games. The texts gets extracted from the score sheet to generate the game. An overview presents the score sheet with the generated moves. If moves were not correctly recognized, you can easily correct them using move suggestions. Afterward, you have the option to categorize the games into a tournament, analyze them in Lichess/Chess.com, or export them as a PGN file. Score sheets can be captured either with the integrated scanner or selected from the gallery. The score sheet is directly extracted from the image. The score sheets can be specified for both the White and Black players, which is particularly convenient from the tournament director's perspective. When generating the game, both versions are considered. Up to two score sheets can be specified per player. The game can be generated directly after scanning the score sheets. Alternatively, you also have the option to manually overlay the move grid. Supported notations: - English: N/B/R/Q/K - German: S/L/T/D/K - Dutch: P/L/T/D/K - Spanish / Italian: C/A/T/D/R - French: C/F/T/D/R - Portuguese: C/B/T/D/R - Czech / Slovak: J/S/V/D/K - Turkish: A/F/K/V/Ş It is possible to specify other notations as well, but these are analyzed based on a model of already supported notation. Therefore, text recognition may be less accurate in such cases. For game generation, the score sheets are sent to our servers. The time required for generation may vary depending on the legibility of the score sheet, length of the game, and internet connection. Typically, this ranges between 1 and 10 seconds. An overview displays the columns of the score sheet with the generated moves. The background color of each move indicates the likelihood of the move. Tapping on a move takes you directly to the corresponding chess position, where move alternatives are also suggested. If moves were not correctly recognized, you can quickly and easily correct them using move suggestions. These are arranged based on probabilities and can be further narrowed down using a filter on the piece to be moved. After making a change, you can regenerate the game from the current move. An overall overview displays all entered games. You can filter games by tournament, round, and favorites. Additionally, there is a search field allowing you to filter games by players or game descriptions. Filtered games or individual games can be exported as a PGN file. In the settings, you can specify which data the PGN file should contain, such as tournament, round, date, etc. Additional games can be imported into the app via PGN files. To analyze the games, they can be opened directly in Lichess and Chess.com. With Premium: - Adding score sheets of the second player - Open Games in Lichess and Chess.com - PGN Export - Cloud synchronisation of games - Unlimited chessboard scans If you would like to share any thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to send an email to: steffen@chessscanner.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://chessscanner.com/eula ## Key features - Scan chess score sheets - Digitize games from images - Correct recognized moves - Export games as PGN - Analyze in Lichess/Chess.com - Categorize games by tournament ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Weekly Plan | $2.99 | per 7 days | | Yearly Plan | $22.99 | per year | | Yearly Plan | $14.99 | per year | | Monthly Plan | $2.99 | per month | | Monthly Plan | $4.99 | per month | | Yearly Plan | $22.99 | per year | ## Recent user reviews (9 of 9) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-scanner-digitizer/id6475354574/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Saves a lot of time *2026-03-27* Very nice app that helps me with tournaments. Saves so much time to digitize chess games. Easy too use, good quality of recognition. Usually I have to correct one or two moves that I wrote unclear. ### 2/5 — Not worth the money *2025-10-12* The app costs about $48 per year if you want to download the PGN. This might be worth the money if the app looked at subsequent moves to try to figure out what the note was, but it does not. In the game I input, the app got move 10 wrong, and instead of using the rest of the game to figure out move 10, it just moved the named piece to a random square for the rest of the game. In the time it took me to correct all the moves, I could have just about entered the whole game. The feature that is useful is that once I start entering corrections, it made new guesses, and I didn’t have to re-correct the rest of the game. I am just not sure this feature is worth $48 per year to me. **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your message! Depending on your country, the app with all its features costs around $18 per year. During the initial move generation, the app considers subsequent moves and also updates when you manually trigger regeneration (though this is not recommended). It's generally faster and more battery-efficient to use automatic regeneration(without analyzing subsequent moves) and then adjust any potential mistakes. The regenerated moves depend on the detected texts, which you can view by tapping the score sheet icon at the top while in edit mode. The trick is not to look at the moves one by one but to check the background color of the moves displayed next to the score sheet, scanning from top to bottom to spot any incorrectly recognized moves. My best guess is that some fields on the score sheet were not recognized correctly in your game. There is also a helpful YouTube video explaining the app here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxWUcbopu08. It's definitely worth a try! :). If you'd like, you can send me your score sheet at steffen@chessscanner.com, and I can then share a video of my process for recording your game. ### 1/5 — Only Useful If Paid *2025-08-18* I only downloaded this to save time getting the PGN to study. After I learned I had to pay to do that or open in a chess app, I uninstalled **Developer response:** I understand your frustration regarding the cost of accessing PGN files. I aimed to make this solution as affordable as possible while still covering expenses. My main goal is to eliminate the need for physical score sheets and to make your games accessible at any time. Additionally, there is a web version where you pay per game, and the first three scans are free. I would love to hear your thoughts and any ideas you might have! ### 4/5 — Spannend *2025-01-12, version 1.6.9* Das Umwandeln von Schachpartienotationen in Partieformulare klappt. Manchmal wundert man sich aber, warum deutlich geschriebene Züge falsch interpretiert werden. Das Korrigieren dieser Züge ist sehr einfach gelöst und selbsterklärend. Ob der Preis aber gerechtfertigt ist, muss jeder selbst entscheiden. Lohnen tut sich die App, wenn man viele Partien eines Turniers erfassen will. Wer nur eigene Partien erfasst, kommt bestimmt ohne zurecht. ### 5/5 — Erfüllt perfekt ihren Zweck *2024-09-24, version 1.6.8* Ich als aktiver Schachspieler nutze diese App täglich. Trotz meiner eher mäßigen Schrift, gerade bei schnelleren Partien ;) erkennt sie diese fast Fehlerfrei. Die Premiumversion lohnt sich definitiv. ### 5/5 — Sollte besser beworben werde *2024-08-26, version 1.6.5* Diese Software könnte zu einer Standardsoftware für alle Turnierspieler werden. Ich hoffe sie wird noch besser beworben, ich denke sie hat großes Potential. ### 5/5 — Sehr einfach zu bedienen, gut für jeden Schachspieler *2024-08-22, version 1.6.5* Das Scannen funktioniert sehr gut selbst bei eigenen Schreibfehlern korrigiert die App diese! ### 5/5 — Rezension *2024-07-26, version 1.6.2* Sehr gut für jeden Schachspieler ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work at all *2024-04-14* I tried to enter notation images and it recognized nothing. Completely useless. **Developer response:** In the past month, we’ve made significant improvements, including grid detection and better text recognition. We’d appreciate it if you would consider revisiting the app. ## Frequently asked questions about Chess Scanner ### How does Chess Scanner digitize chess games? Chess Scanner extracts text from scanned score sheets to generate game moves. It then presents an overview of the score sheet with the generated moves, allowing for corrections. ### Can I correct moves if Chess Scanner doesn't recognize them correctly? Yes, you can easily correct moves using move suggestions provided by the app. These suggestions are probability-based and can be filtered by piece. ### What are the supported notations for Chess Scanner? Chess Scanner supports multiple notations including English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, and Turkish. It can also analyze other notations based on a model of supported ones. ### How long does it take to generate a game in Chess Scanner? Game generation typically takes between 1 and 10 seconds, depending on the score sheet's legibility, game length, and internet connection. The score sheets are sent to servers for processing. ### What features are included with Chess Scanner Premium? Premium features include adding score sheets for the second player, opening games directly in Lichess and Chess.com, PGN export, cloud synchronization, and unlimited chessboard scans. ### Does Chess Scanner have ads? No, Chess Scanner does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use with optional in-app purchases for premium features. ### What is the user rating for Chess Scanner? Chess Scanner has a rating of 3.9 stars from 16 ratings, indicating a generally positive reception from its users. ### On which devices can I use Chess Scanner? Chess Scanner is available for iPhone and iPad, making it accessible to a wide range of Apple users. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.7.6 — 2026-04-19 - Added support for the new Lichess app - Minor UI improvements ### 1.7.5 — 2026-03-24 - Onboarding has been added - Several UI improvements - Fixed an issue with game synchronization ### 1.7.4 — 2026-01-16 - Analysis added to the Chessboard detection - UI adjustments (Liquid Glass) - The default platform for opening games can now be set to either Lichess or Chess.com ### 1.7.3 — 2025-10-07 - Added support for scanning 2D chess diagrams and opening them directly on Lichess or Chess.com - If the photo of the scoresheet is suboptimal (e.g., if it is rotated, folded, or taken from too close a distance), the app will now display an appropriate message. ### 1.7.2 — 2025-09-20 Cloud Integration - Games can now be saved in the cloud. - Synchronization of games across multiple devices. - Games can be viewed and analyzed directly on the web. 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User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-13.*