Install in your browser

You can put the firmware on your board straight from this page – no Rust toolchain, no drivers, no command line. It works in Chrome, Edge and Opera on a desktop computer (Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS), which can talk to USB devices (Web Serial).

Your browser can't talk to USB devices. Please open this page in Chrome, Edge or Opera on a desktop computer. Installing needs a secure connection (HTTPS).

Firmware for ESP32-C3, ESP32-C6 and ESP32-S3.

Connect the board

Plug the board into your computer with a USB cable that carries data. All three chips have a built-in USB port, so no extra driver is needed.

Press Install

Choose the board’s port in the dialog (it is called USB JTAG/serial debug unit). The page recognises the chip and picks the right firmware for the ESP32-C3, C6 or S3.

When asked whether to erase the device, choose Erase for the first installation. When you update later, keep the data – the board then remembers your home Wi-Fi.

Done

The board restarts and starts a demo game (engine against engine). Continue with Playing.

If it doesn’t work

The port doesn’t appear in the list

Use a different USB cable – charge-only cables are very common.
Try another USB port, preferably directly on the computer instead of a hub.
Linux: your user needs access to serial ports (group dialout on Debian/Ubuntu, uucp on Arch), then log out and back in.

The installation fails or the board keeps restarting

Put the board into its bootloader by hand: hold BOOT, press and release RST (or RESET/EN), release BOOT. Then press Install again. After installation press RST once.

The board was installed but nothing happens

Press RST once – some ESP32-S3 boards stay in the bootloader after flashing. Look for the Wi-Fi network ESP-Chess-XXXX (the last characters come from the board’s MAC address).

Prefer the command line? See Build from source – the same firmware is built and flashed with espflash.

Playing