Making GIFs on Lichess is quite easy. Whether you want to show off a clever tactic, a beautiful combination, or just a hilarious blunder, a GIF is a perfect way to do it.

All you need is a free account on Lichess to take advantage of this tool. In this tutorial on how to make GIFs on Lichess, you’ll learn:

How to make GIF of a chess game on Lichess

To make a GIF on Lichess of a chess game, follow these steps:

  1. Click the “FEN & PGN” section located below the chessboard.
  1. Select “Share as a GIF.”
  1. The GIF will open on a new window.
  1. Right-click the GIF and select “Save Image As…”. Finally, click “Saveto download the GIF.

Sometimes you won’t see an option to share a GIF on Lichess. That’s because you might be using a Lichess tool that doesn’t have this feature.

The three Lichess tools that don’t have the GIF feature are Analysis Board, Opening Explorer, and Board Editor.

So how to create GIFs of a chess game in such a case? The answer is you’ll need to export the game to Study.

To export the game to Study from Analysis Board or Opening Explorer, follow these steps:

  1. Click on “Menu” located at the bottom right. The Menu has an icon of three horizontal lines.
  1. Once you select “Study,” you’ll have the option to either “Create a new study” or add the game to an existing study. Choose either of the options to proceed.
  1. You’ll now see a newly created chapter for your game. Below the chessboard, locate the “Share” icon, which says “Share & export” on hover.
  1. Choose the “download GIF” button.
  1. A new popup will appear. Select Save File and tick the below option. Finally, click OK to proceed.

You can also import a game on Lichess and make its GIF by following these steps:

  1. Go to “Tools” and select “Import game.”
  1. Paste the PGN text and click on Import Game.
  1. Select “Share as a GIF” located below the chessboard.
  1. The GIF will open up on a new screen. Right-click on the GIF and select “Save Image As…”. Then click Save to download the GIF.

How to make GIF of a chess position on Lichess

To make a GIF on Lichess of a chess position, follow these steps:

  1. Go to “Tools” and select “Board Editor.”
  1. Paste the FEN in the section located below the chessboard and hit “Enter” key.
  1. Alternatively, recreate the position manually on the board.
  2. Select “Study” located on the right side of the screen, below the “Continue From Here” option.
  1. You can either “Create a new study” or add the game to an existing study.
  1. Once you’re done choosing either of the options, you’ll see a new chapter for your game.
  1. Find the “Share” icon below the chessboard.
  1. Click the “download GIF” button.
  1. A new popup will appear. Select “Save File” and tick the below option. Click “OKto download the GIF.

Closing thoughts

Lichess created the GIF maker tool on February 28, 2020. Other chess websites too created their version after seeing how chess players loved this new feature.

So now that you know how to make GIFs on Lichess, go ahead and use this tool.

Lichess GIFs FAQs

No, the feature to change the color of the chessboard in the GIF isn’t available yet. All GIFs are created on the standard brown color board.

You can request the Lichess team to add color options in the Lichess forum here.

No, the feature to change the piece style in the GIF isn’t available yet. The standard light and dark brown color board is used in the GIFs.

If you have a GitHub account, you can open a new issue here.

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