Move order and timing
Every move keeps its timestamp and video frame, so the digital sequence stays connected to when the physical move was seen. Small offsets may still need adjusting.
The core ChessZCam job · OTB video to PGN
Stop matching chess moves to video one by one.
Record the physical game, or open a recording you already have. ChessZCam reads the moves, keeps each one tied to its moment in the video, lets you fix anything uncertain beside the evidence, and exports a clean PGN or a finished overlay video.
Normal chessboard
Android phone or Windows PC
PGN and overlay video
Waitlist: first access + discount
Before and after
The problem is not recording. It is reconstruction and synchronisation.
A camera preserves the game visually. It does not hand the editor a trusted move list, or tell the overlay when each move happened.
Manual workflow
Video and PGN live separately.
- Play and pause the recording
- Identify the move on the board
- Enter it on a digital board
- Find the right moment in the video
- Repeat until the game ends — then build the overlay by hand
With ChessZCam
Move events built around the game's own timeline.
- Record with Record Game Video, or open an existing MP4 or WebM
- Let Analyze Video find the corners and lock the board
- Play & Detect: every move stored with its timestamp and frame
- Review flagged moves beside the video and repair any gaps
- Export a PGN or an overlay video — up to 4K
Real screens · September 2026 build · built-in demo clip
From recording to reviewed PGN.
Unedited screenshots from the September 2026 development build. Only hands and pieces are in frame. Pick a step; click a screenshot to enlarge it.
STEP 1 · ANALYZE VIDEO
Every piece, every frame.
Open a saved recording — one made with Record Game Video, or any MP4 or WebM — let ChessZCam find the board corners, lock the board and press Play & Detect.
- Adaptive scan at 1–4× playback, slowing down by itself when a move needs a closer look
- Every move stored with its timestamp and video frame
- Uncertain moves flagged for review instead of guessed
- When the scan ends, a short list tells you what to check next
STEP 2 · REVIEW & REPAIR
Evidence beside every move.
The move list, the exact video frame and the board after the move sit side by side, with first-seen, landed and confirmed times — so you check the move against what the camera actually saw.
- Add a move by clicking or dragging, castling and promotion included
- Repair several missed moves, then rescan once
- Timestamp a corrected move at its real moment in the video
- End the game at the last real move; analyse long recordings part by part
- Save the review as a project and continue later with Open Project
STEP 3 · OPTIONAL · STOCKFISH ON THE DEVICE
Grades, accuracy and the better move.
Once the moves are right, add offline analysis at Balanced or Deep depth, explained in plain language. Skip it if you only need the PGN.
- Ten grades from Book move to Blunder, and accuracy per player
- Opening names from an offline book
- Commentary in English and Malay
STEP 4 · EXPORT
A PGN — or a finished overlay video.
Export the reviewed game as PGN for analysis and sharing, or lay out the overlay over your footage and render it — up to 4K.
- PGN from the reviewed move list
- MP4 with the overlay burned in (with audio)
- Transparent WebM or PNG sequence for video editors
- Landscape 1920×1080 or portrait 1080×1920
ALREADY HAVE THE MOVES? · SYNC PGN TO VIDEO
Bring your own PGN.
If the moves are already written down — typed up from a scoresheet, for example — you do not need to detect them again. Sync PGN to Video (Android app; not in the first Studio release) matches a PGN you already have to a recording and exports a timed overlay.
- One of the six operations on the ChessZCam home screen
- Turns a known move list and a recording into a video with a digital board
- As with any timing, check the moments before you export
The same workflow runs on an Android phone and in ChessZCam Studio for Windows, which adds webcam, capture-card and OBS Virtual Camera input and render presets. Current builds: Studio 1.1.2 (trial candidate) · Phone app 1.22. Studio comes first.
The useful difference
Not merely “video to PGN”. A production timeline around the moves.
The real value appears when one reviewed move record can feed more than one output.
Correction instead of restart
When detection is unsure, you repair the moves beside the evidence and rescan once — rather than abandoning the game or starting again.
One record, several outputs
Use the reviewed game for a PGN, Stockfish analysis, an overlay video for YouTube or Shorts, or a later edit in your own video software.
6operations on the home screen, from Record Game Video to Open Project
1–4×adaptive scanning of recorded games
10Stockfish move grades, from Book move to Blunder
4Kmaximum overlay video export
Want the moves live instead of afterwards? Detect Live Game turns the camera straight into a PGN without saving video, and Broadcast Live sends the board to ChessZCam Live for vMix & OBS. See live broadcast. New: Viewer Mode lets a parent or coach outside the hall follow the live board on the same Wi-Fi or hotspot.
Timing in practice
Synchronisation still needs review.
We would rather tell you plainly what to expect than promise a perfect result.
Main jobBuild a reviewed, move-by-move digital record around the recorded game's timeline.
Timing can varyMove timing can drift, especially when a hand blocks the board or the camera shifts. Exact frame alignment may still need adjusting.
Results depend onCamera stability, lighting, board and piece contrast, blocked squares, device performance and setup.
Before exportReview flagged moves, connect any gaps, mark the last move of the game and check the timeline against the video.
An honest note. A few seconds of drift may be fine for an edited recap but not for every production. Accuracy depends on your setup and the quality of the video — a steady stand, all four corners in frame and good light make the biggest difference. ChessZCam is for recording, review and broadcast; it is never a tool for settling a dispute at the board — that belongs to the arbiter. See the setup guide and the known limitations.
Made with ChessZCam Studio · real tournament games
Watch the physical and digital boards move together.
Two real games turned into overlay videos with human intervention kept to a minimum, so they show what ChessZCam can do today — and where timing is still being refined.
19 September 2026 · Round 7 · Under 12Lotus's Kulim — field test 4.
26 July 2026 · Round 2 · Board 1SJKC Keong Hoe, Penang — field test 3.
What these videos show
- A normal OTB board recorded in real hall conditions
- Moves read from the video, including checks and castling
- A digital board and HUD rendered over the footage
- Honest timing: the digital board sometimes moves slightly out of step with the video
Spotted a wrong move?
Please forgive us — and tell us. We are deliberately not correcting these videos, so they stay an honest picture of ChessZCam's current abilities and limits. Constructive feedback goes straight to the developer.
Send feedback → · What failed and what changed → · An earlier beta test sample on YouTube
Questions before trying it
What to know about timing and output.
Will the PGN always match the exact video frame automatically?
Every detected move is stored with its timestamp and video frame, so the timeline starts close. It is not guaranteed frame-perfect: timing can drift when the board is blocked or the camera moves, and in our own published test videos the digital board sometimes runs slightly out of step with the footage. Check the timeline and adjust uncertain moments before you export.
Can it process a game I have already recorded?
Yes, that is what Analyze Video is for. Open an MP4 or WebM, let ChessZCam find the board corners, lock the board and press Play & Detect. Results still depend on camera angle, visibility and recording quality.
I already have the PGN. Can I still make a video?
Yes. Sync PGN to Video (Android app; not in the first Studio release) matches a PGN you already have to a recording and exports a timed overlay, so a game you typed up from a scoresheet can still become a video with a digital board.
Do I still need to review the moves?
Yes. ChessZCam flags uncertain moves instead of guessing, but it is designed to remove the repetitive reconstruction, not your responsibility for the final PGN. Review it before you publish, analyse or share it.
Does it need an electronic board?
No. ChessZCam works with a normal chessboard and pieces seen by a camera. Electronic boards remain a separate professional option for events that need their particular reliability and scale.
Do I need a PC?
No. A phone alone can record, detect, review and export. ChessZCam Studio for Windows adds a big screen, more speed and webcam or capture-card input; a PC is only required for live broadcast to vMix or OBS. More in A PC adds resources, not concepts.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. Detection runs locally on your device, and your videos and games stay with you. No login or internet connection is needed to record, analyse and export.
Less time rebuilding. More time creating.
Try the workflow on your own games first.
Join the waitlist now. Trial invitations go to the waitlist first — with a guided tour and a demo clip, so you can try Analyze Video before setting up a camera — and members get 50% off their first ChessZCam package when sales open (packages). Joining is free and is not an order.
Studio first
Built for OTB content creators.
The Windows Studio trial comes first: 14 days from the moment you agree to the terms and start the trial in Studio (no code needed). Explore recorded-game detection, manual move and frame correction, Stockfish analysis and PGN/video export. Android and Live follow in separate phases.