Support
Stuck, found a bug, or have an idea? We'd love to hear from you.
Email us
We usually reply within a few days. Mention your macOS version and what happened.
Frequently asked questions
I've never played chess. Where do I start?
Open Lessons from the home screen and start with the first one. Each lesson is a few short steps on a real board. After a few lessons, try Play vs Computer against Pawn, the easiest opponent.
Which computer opponent should I pick?
There are six, named after the chess pieces. Pawn and Knight make lots of mistakes, Bishop and Rook play carefully, and Queen and King play their best. Start low and move up once you win regularly; your record on the home screen keeps track.
What does the coach do?
Before you move, it warns you about pieces in danger and threats. Click Hint when you're stuck. After each move, it rates the move and can show you a better one. You can turn warnings and reviews on or off in Settings (⌘,).
How do I read the moves in the move list?
Each move shows the piece that moved and the square it went to, like ♚ → d2. A red + means check and # means checkmate; the small piece on the right is what was captured. Hover over a move to read it in words. To learn standard chess notation (like Kxd2), turn on Use chess notation in Settings.
Can I take back a move?
Yes: Undo (⌘Z) and Redo (⇧⌘Z) are in the bar under the board. Take-backs are counted next to your captured pieces, so you can see how a game went.
I quit in the middle of a game. Is it lost?
No. Your game is saved after every move. Choose Continue your game on the home screen.
Can I change how the board looks?
Open Settings (⌘,) and pick one of 18 board themes. You can also change the animation speed, hide the legal-move dots, and turn sounds off.
Does Knightlight need the internet?
No. Everything, including the computer opponents and the coach, runs on your Mac. It works on a plane, and it never sends your data anywhere. See the privacy policy.
How do I reset all my progress?
Quit Knightlight, then in Finder choose Go → Go to Folder, paste ~/Library/Containers/com.ivanharmat.Knightlight, and move that folder to the Trash. The next time you open the app, it starts fresh.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac with macOS 15 Sequoia or later, with Apple silicon or Intel.