# JabberChess > Speech-activated mobile chess application for accessible gameplay. (iPhone/iPad app by Jackson Chen.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jabberchess/id1060714450 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Jackson Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1060714449) - Category: Games - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 3 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 7.0 · 39 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2015-12-21 - Data updated: 2026-07-02 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jabberchess/id1060714450/reviews.md ## What is JabberChess? JabberChess is the first speech-activated mobile chess application that allows users to play chess with voice commands. Users can talk to the app to start a new game (as black or white), play moves or request the location of the pieces on the chessboard. This makes it the first chess application that is truly accessible to visually impaired users. The speech commands use the standard chess algebraic notation to make moves on the chessboard. The app's voice and speech recognition functionalities use software packages from Nuance Communications, a world-leading company in speech recognition technologies. JabberChess is built on top of the open-source Stockfish chess program and engine, one of the strongest chess engines in the world. In other words, visually impaired users can now play chess games against the world’s strongest chess engine on their mobile phones. With the generosity of Nuance Communications, JabberChess is free to all visually impaired users. I hope to use this first release to gather feedback so that I can improve the application in my future releases. Please, send your valuable feedback to support@jabberchess.chenjackson.com. Features 1. Start JabberChess App Using Voice Command To start JabberChess, you can say “Start JabberChess” to Siri. Users can also click on the app icon to start it. 2. Talk to JabberChess JabberChess shows Stockfish’s screen layout. It has a chessboard displayed on the upper two thirds of the screen and a chess notation area below the chessboard, which takes the remaining one third of the screen, except for a narrow menu bar at the very bottom of the screen. To talk to JabberChess, you need to activate its speech recognizer by swiping anywhere in the chess notation area. You can swipe either from left to right or right to left. Afterwards, you should hear the app say "Listening", indicating for you to state your command. After you finish speaking, the app should say "Done listening”. Otherwise, the app did not detect the end of your speech and will eventually time out. Once JabberChess detects the end of your speech and is able to understand it, it will execute your command. Otherwise, it will respond with “Invalid command”. The term “successful swipe” will henceforth indicate a swipe in the chess notation area (the bottom one third of the screen) that the app successfully detects and responds with "Listening". Remember to wait for JabberChess to complete its speech before swiping again. 3. Start A Game Using Voice If you want to start a game as white player, you need to say “Start game with white” after a successful swipe. After the game starts, JabberChess should say “Game ready”. That means a new game started, where you are the white player and the chess engine is the black player. If you want to start a game as the black player, you should tell the app “Start game with black” instead. If you start a game as the black player, you need to wait for the white player (the engine) to make a move, which JabberChess will announce. Then, make a successful swipe and respond with your move. 4. Tell JabberChess to Make A Move In order to make a move, do a successful swipe and then state your move using chess algebraic notation. For example, you can say “e4”. The app should move the pawn to square e4. If JabberChess detects an invalid move, it will respond with “Invalid move”. It would tell you “Invalid command” if it did not understand what you said. 5. Ask JabberChess for Pieces and Their Positions on the Chessboard If you need to know where the pieces are on the chessboard, you can ask JabberChess to show the current pieces and their positions by saying “Show Position” after a successful swipe. It should start saying each piece currently on the chessboard, its color and its position in algebraic coordinates. 6. Stockfish in JabberChess JabberChess contains all of the Stockfish features for click and touch actions. 7. See app website for details and known issues. ## Key features - Speech-activated gameplay - Voice commands for moves - Accessible for visually impaired users - Integrates with Stockfish engine - Start games via voice - Play as white or black ## Recent user reviews (3 of 3) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jabberchess/id1060714450/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Very nice! Would improve with tiny fixes *2017-04-24* The interface is amazing. Synthesizing it with stockfish packs a punch into it, and enables it to run independently of other chess apps. All things considered, you can't really ask for better in this department. One area that needs to be upgraded is the voice recognition and delivery. I'm not sure how it is with other users, but the pronunciation of "d" and "e" is very hard to distinguish, if not that, they're exactly the same. In addition, it's very difficult for the app to recognize Knight moves - it picks up what I say less than 30% of the time. At times, the audio will overlap as well when you swipe on the screen to initiate another listening period, which can make making quick moves troublesome. A neat feature that I believe could be added is voice activation, so one does not need to swipe, and therefore keep their hands out of their pockets / hand and can focus on other things. Overall though, really a novelty app. I love it. I'm astounded more don't know about it. Because I love it so much, I wanted to chirp in my own feedback. Thanks so much for making this, and thanks for reading! Cheers. ### 5/5 — Finally!! *2017-01-15* I have been looking for a program like this for YEARS!! I've even read white papers on the difficulties of developing such a program. Kudos to you! If word of this gets out in the chess community this program will be very popular. As mentioned in another review, this is great not just for sight impaired players, but for sighted players interested in a minimalist approach to playing on a physical board. I'm also impressed with the feature rich options and chess engine. I have just one question, is there a list of accepted voice commands somewhere? In my initial trial I ran into a lot of frustrating "invalid move" and "invalid command" responses. ### 5/5 — Awesome *2016-10-25* What a great chess program. Play against Stockfish with voice commands allowing you to easily play the computer while using a physical chess set. ## Frequently asked questions about JabberChess ### How do I start JabberChess? You can start JabberChess by saying "Start JabberChess" to Siri or by clicking on the app icon. Once the app is open, you can initiate a game using voice commands. ### How does JabberChess work? JabberChess uses Nuance speech recognition technology to interpret your voice commands. You activate the speech recognizer by swiping in the chess notation area, then speak your moves or commands. The app uses the Stockfish chess engine for gameplay. ### Can I play as both white and black in JabberChess? Yes, you can choose to start a game as either the white or black player. Say "Start game with white" or "Start game with black" to begin. ### Is JabberChess free to use? Yes, JabberChess is free to all users, particularly aimed at visually impaired users. The developer is gathering feedback for future improvements. ### What chess engine does JabberChess use? JabberChess is built on top of the open-source Stockfish chess program and engine, which is known for being one of the strongest chess engines available. ### What devices is JabberChess available on? Based on the provided data, JabberChess is a mobile application. Specific device compatibility beyond mobile phones is not detailed, but it is rated for ages 4+. ### How often is JabberChess updated? The provided data indicates the latest version is 1.0, released on 2015-12-21, which was also the release date. There is no information on update frequency beyond this initial release. ### What is the user feedback process for JabberChess? Users are encouraged to send their valuable feedback to support@jabberchess.chenjackson.com. This feedback is intended to help improve future releases of the application. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 1.0 — 2015-12-21 This update is signed with Apple’s latest signing certificate. No new features are included. ## Related topics [jabberchess](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/jabberchess) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-02.*