Why Is My Chessguessr Guess Marked Wrong Even If the Move Looks Correct?

Chessguessr compares your guess to the actual move played using exact algebraic notation, so a move that looks right on the board can still be marked wrong if the notation differs in any way. The most common cause is a missing or extra symbol such as + or #: the site states that Nxf7 and Nxf7+ are not considered the same move. The second most common cause is misreading the tile colors — a yellow tile means the same piece type was played somewhere in that spot, not that you found the right move.

The notation must match exactly

Chessguessr treats two moves as identical only when their notation is identical. A check symbol, a mate symbol, or any other suffix changes the move's identity in the game's comparison.

• Nxf7 and Nxf7+ are different guesses.
• Be7# is not the same as Be7.
• The same applies to any other notation difference, even if the piece and destination square look the same on the board.

If your move is legal and looks correct but the tile stays gray, check whether the real game's move included a check or mate symbol you omitted, or whether you added one that wasn't there.

What the tile colors actually mean

The feedback colors describe three different relationships between your guess and the played line, and only one of them means "correct."

The third case is the one that trips people up. As the site explains, if a knight was played in that spot, the gray tile tells you a knight belongs there — but not necessarily the same knight. So Nxg7 being gray does not mean the game played Nxg7; it means some knight move happened at that point in the line.

Order and position matter

You are guessing the five next moves in the order they were played. A move that appears later in the line will show as yellow if you place it in an earlier slot, and a move from an earlier slot placed later will do the same. Getting the right moves in the wrong order will not produce five green tiles.

A quick checklist before you submit

1. Confirm the move is legal in the displayed position.
2. Check whether the real move would be check or mate, and add + or # if so.
3. Re-read any gray tile: it may only be telling you the piece type, not the move.
4. Make sure each move sits in the slot where it was actually played.

If a guess still looks correct after all four checks, the likely explanation is that the game's move simply wasn't the one you expected — the tile colors are telling you what was played, not confirming what you hoped.