Are these real games?

Yes. The board mirrors Lichess TV — the live top game being broadcast on lichess.org right now — so every move you see is really being played.

Does it need an account or API key?

No. It uses Lichess's open, key-less TV stream, so there's nothing to sign up for. It just needs an internet connection.

Why did the game suddenly change?

Lichess TV always features the strongest live game. When that game ends, the feed moves to the next one and the board resets — that's expected.

Can I play moves on the board?

No, it's a spectator view of someone else's live game. It shows the play; it isn't interactive.

Completely. Like every Afterglow screensaver it runs in your browser with no download and no cost.

What does a title like GM or IM mean?

These are FIDE titles earned through rated over-the-board results: Grandmaster is the highest, International Master the next. Lichess displays a title only for players who have submitted verification.

Why do players lose on time even when ahead?

In fast time controls the clock is part of the game, and a player who runs out of time loses, with a draw only if the opponent could not possibly checkmate. A low clock can undo a winning position.

Is a Lichess rating comparable to a FIDE rating?

Not directly. Lichess uses Glicko-2 within its own pool of players and time controls, so the same person can have quite different numbers on Lichess and with FIDE.

Lichess TV Chess Screensaver

Name: Lichess TV Screensaver
Author: Afterglow

The Lichess TV screensaver streams the current top-rated game on Lichess and plays it out move by move on a board, with both players' names, ratings and clocks. It uses the open Lichess API, needs no key, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Lichess TV screensaver works

The saver opens Lichess's public TV stream — a live NDJSON feed of the strongest game currently being broadcast — straight from lichess.org, with no account or API key.

Each incoming move updates the board from the game's FEN position, and the piece that moved glides from its old square to its new one; the last move is highlighted.

Both players are shown with their title, name and rating, and their clocks count down in real time as they think.

When one game ends, the feed switches to the next featured game and the board resets to the new position.

Lichess and the games on its TV channel

Lichess is a free, open-source chess server that describes itself as powered by volunteers and donations. It does not sell ads or user data. Its public API lets other software follow games as they are played, which is what allows a screensaver to mirror the site’s TV feature. Lichess TV offers several channels, including a “best” channel for top-rated games and others for bullet, blitz, rapid and classical, as well as variants.

Lichess calculates ratings with the Glicko-2 method, developed by Mark Glickman. New players start at 1500 with a wide uncertainty that narrows as they play, and a “?” marks a rating still considered provisional. Because the pool is Lichess’s own, its numbers are not directly comparable with FIDE or national federation ratings.

Titles beside names, such as GM or IM, are shown only after a player has been verified: Lichess recognises FIDE titles earned in over-the-board play, plus many national master titles. Games on TV are live, so they can end in checkmate, resignation, a flagged clock or a draw, and in fast time controls the clock often decides the result.

A worked example

Leave it running and you'll see grandmaster bullet and blitz games fly by — pieces sliding, clocks draining, the highlighted last move jumping around the board. When a game finishes, a fresh top game takes over automatically, so there's always live play on screen.

Settings & tips

Move glide sets how quickly a moved piece slides to its new square.
Last-move highlight recolours the from/to squares of the most recent move.
Background tints the frame around the board.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real games?: Yes. The board mirrors Lichess TV — the live top game being broadcast on lichess.org right now — so every move you see is really being played.
Does it need an account or API key?: No. It uses Lichess's open, key-less TV stream, so there's nothing to sign up for. It just needs an internet connection.
Why did the game suddenly change?: Lichess TV always features the strongest live game. When that game ends, the feed moves to the next one and the board resets — that's expected.
Can I play moves on the board?: No, it's a spectator view of someone else's live game. It shows the play; it isn't interactive.
Is it free?: Completely. Like every Afterglow screensaver it runs in your browser with no download and no cost.
What does a title like GM or IM mean?: These are FIDE titles earned through rated over-the-board results: Grandmaster is the highest, International Master the next. Lichess displays a title only for players who have submitted verification.
Why do players lose on time even when ahead?: In fast time controls the clock is part of the game, and a player who runs out of time loses, with a draw only if the opponent could not possibly checkmate. A low clock can undo a winning position.
Is a Lichess rating comparable to a FIDE rating?: Not directly. Lichess uses Glicko-2 within its own pool of players and time controls, so the same person can have quite different numbers on Lichess and with FIDE.

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