Playing the computer

Choose a game, a strength and who moves first, then play. Undo, voice moves and themes included.

Last updated 4 October 2026

Every board game on Cognivo can be played against the computer straight away, with no account and nothing to install.

The games

Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Connect Four, Nine Men's Morris, Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, Hex and Dots and Boxes. Each one can also be played by two people sharing one device.

Spy Games is different: cipher missions for one player against a clock (Caesar Cipher, Substitution Cipher, Signal Scramble and Dead Drop), with no computer opponent.

Before you start

Each game opens on a start screen with two choices.

Choice	Options	What it means
Difficulty	Easy, Medium, Hard	Easy plays plausibly, but not well. Medium is sound, straightforward play with no lookahead. Hard searches ahead, so expect to lose a few at first.
Who moves first	Coin flip, You, Computer	Coin flip is the default: the server draws once, when the game starts.

The computer's moves are worked out on Cognivo's server, so each strength plays the same on any device.

Board themes

Three looks are available: Mecha (the default), Classic (a wood board with traditional pieces) and Slate (a cool grey). Pick one on any game's start screen, or during a live game. The choice applies to every game, and is remembered in your browser.

Chess: typing, voice and undo

In chess you can click or tap the pieces, or enter moves in the command box:

moves such as e2e4 or Nf3;
castle short, or a promotion such as e7e8 queen;
possible e2 moves, to see where a piece can go;
undo takes back your last move, and resign ends the game.

Start Voice lets you speak the same commands ("knight to f3"). Voice uses your browser's own speech recognition, so it works in some browsers and not others; Chrome and Edge work best.

If you close the tab during a chess game against the computer, your browser keeps the game's ID for up to four hours, so you can pick it up again.

Learning a game

Every game has a lesson on Learn, with its rules, its strategy and its history. You can try moves on the board, or have the lesson read aloud with Listen. Chess is a full course: ten chapters, each ending with Check yourself and practice positions, and Continue takes you back to where you left off.