PicoChess in the News

[Dirk]

Thanks to Martin (who created some of our historic script engines) for spotting and discovering something quite surprising: PicoChess has been featured in the German magazine “Linux-Welt” (issue 01/2026). Our project officially made it into real, printed pages – which feels a bit surreal, but also pretty great.

The article focuses on PicoChess Version 3 and unfortunately contains a few inaccuracies and outdated points. It’s a little unfortunate that the author didn’t get in touch with any of the developers or take a look at Version 4, where a lot of exciting development has been happening. That would have given a fairer and more up-to-date picture of the project.

But let’s look at the positive side: PicoChess reached a broader Linux audience. The idea of playing and experimenting with chess engines on a Raspberry Pi made it into mainstream tech media, and that’s something to appreciate. If even a few readers become curious, dust off a Pi, and dive into open-source chess tinkering, that’s already a win for the community.

So big thanks to everyone who has contributed to PicoChess over the years (by developing, testing posting new ideas etc.) and of course Johan for . Our little Raspberry Pi chess project continues to wander out into the world… sometimes in ways we don’t expect. 

Happy holidays and an exciting new year for version 4 thanks to Johan, who picked up the torch for V4 and tuned it into reality)...

Dirk

[Dirk]

[Johan Sjöblom]

Wow, that was good news for Picochess indeed. I am still impressed by the earlier work so I am happy to carry the torch to run the system on the latest Python versions. Without the huge testing efforts we could not have made a V4.

Happy holidays and maybe we get more press coverage 2026, lets see :-)

PS. Dirk, I would need some pointers on what is required to support transformers, ... maybe I only need to read your post from the autumn. I have not studied that part at all yet. DS.

[Randy Reade]

That is so cool. The more people that know about the project the better. PicoChess wouldn't be where it is today without people discovering it and providing their own thoughts or expertise.

Happy holidays to you and everyone involved, both end users and developers.

Randy

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[Aldo Bleeker]

I've found this page at pcwelt.de, it seems to be quite similar to the article from the German magazine Linux-Welt.

https://www.pcwelt.de/article/1176047/raspberry-pi-computerschach-per-pi-cam-spielen.html

You can find another version of this page at pcworld.com as well, translated in English.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2997325/how-to-turn-your-raspberry-pi-into-the-ultimate-chess-trainer.html

Aldo

[RAP]

Many people have discovered PicoChess by chance; in my case, while trying to update my DGT watch. I've been following you for almost a year now, and the experience has been fantastic. I not only updated my watch but also decided to get a Raspberry Pi 5 to try out the new updates you release. Thank you!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/picochess/CAE5WduskEOFNV8hRJ1pHwToCF__q5Nqse2Z%3D-AHXkQCWQf7jdQ%40mail.gmail.com.