Built something? We create video reels & spotlights for GitHub projects.Promote your project →
official-stockfish
Home / C++ / Stockfish

official-stockfish/Stockfish

A free and strong UCI chess engine

C++ ◇ chess GPL-3.0
★16.8KSTARS
⑂3.1KFORKS
!40ISSUES
🏆#846GLOBAL RANK
🔥17DAYS TRENDING
🚀
Maintainer Growth Kit for Stockfish

Claim this project, add your verified backlink badge to your README, and download milestone cards.

Claim Repo

Star History

Continuous Observations
Interactive star growth chart for official-stockfish/Stockfish
CSV
⭐ VIRAL README KIT

Add Live Star History & Verified Badges to README.md

Keep your repository README looking professional and dynamic. As our continuous crawler records new stars, these official SVG badges update in real time with zero maintenance.

Open README on GitHub ↗
Option 1: Interactive Star History Chart Dynamic SVG

Renders your high-resolution star trajectory chart right inside your GitHub README or project docs.

official-stockfish/Stockfish Star History Preview
markdown
[![Star History Chart](https://githubrepo.cloud/api/badge/chart/official-stockfish/Stockfish.svg?theme=dark)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/official-stockfish/Stockfish?utm_source=readme_chart)
Direct SVG Link ↗
Option 2: Verified Shields Badges Shields.io Style

Compact Shields-style badges for your README header. Shows real-time stars and global ranking.

Featured badge Stars badge Rank badge
markdown (badge trio)
[![Featured on GitHubRepo.cloud](https://githubrepo.cloud/badge/official-stockfish/Stockfish.svg?metric=featured)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/official-stockfish/Stockfish?utm_source=readme_badge) [![GitHubRepo Stars](https://githubrepo.cloud/badge/official-stockfish/Stockfish.svg?metric=stars)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/official-stockfish/Stockfish?utm_source=readme_badge) [![Global Rank](https://githubrepo.cloud/badge/official-stockfish/Stockfish.svg?metric=rank)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/official-stockfish/Stockfish?utm_source=readme_badge)

Momentum

+420

STARS · LAST 30 DAYS

14

PER DAY

#57

MOST-STARRED C++

Window7 days30 days90 days
Stars gained+0+420+1.3K
Per day11414
Forks gained+0+61+153

Stockfish gained 420 stars in the last 30 days, about 14 a day, and now has 16.8K. It is about 12 years old and has averaged roughly 1.4K stars a year. It ranks #57 among C++ repositories and #846 across all languages on GitHubRepo.

Trending Record

Stockfish has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #2357. Below is the 30-day activity profile:

💡 Overview

Stockfish is an open-source project written in C++: A free and strong UCI chess engine.

Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in chess, chess-engine, cpp. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.

⚡ Key Features

1

Optimized execution pipeline written in C++ for predictable speed.

2

Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.

3

Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.

4

Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.

5

Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.

6

Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.

📥 Installation

terminal
$ git clone https://github.com/official-stockfish/Stockfish.git
cd Stockfish

⚙ System Requirements

Platforms

  • • macOS
  • • Linux
  • • Windows

Runtime & Dependencies

C++20 compliant compiler (GCC 11+, Clang 13+, MSVC)

Architecture

x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)

🧠 How It Works

Stockfish coordinates its core functionality through a modular C++ pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.

🎯 Production Use Cases

Production System Integration

Embed Stockfish into C++ backend services to handle core application logic.

CI/CD Automated Pipelines

Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.

Developer Tooling & Workflows

Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.

Open Source Extension

Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open GPL-3.0 license.

🚀 Getting Started

1

Install Stockfish using your package manager: `git clone https://github.com/official-stockfish/Stockfish.git`

2

Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for Stockfish.

3

Import Stockfish into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.

4

Execute your test suite or run `Stockfish --help` to verify successful setup.

👍 Strengths

Active community backing with 16,784 GitHub stars and verified adoption.
Permissive open-source distribution under the GPL-3.0 license.
Built in C++ for high execution speed and developer familiarity.
Cross-platform compatibility across modern Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Clean modular design allowing flexible configuration and pipeline integration.

⚠️ Considerations

Requires familiarity with C++ and modern CLI workflows.
Ecosystem extensions may require manual configuration depending on environment constraints.
Active development roadmap means breaking API changes may occur across major versions.

⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors

T
tensorflow/tensorflow ★ 201.1K C++

An Open Source Machine Learning Framework for Everyone

Compare ↗
L
ggml-org/llama.cpp ★ 131.5K C++

LLM inference in C/C++

Compare ↗
R
react/react-native ★ 126.8K C++

A framework for building native applications using React

Compare ↗
E
electron/electron ★ 123.4K C++

:electron: Build cross-platform desktop apps with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS

Compare ↗

👥 Who Should Use This

Developers and engineering teams building with C++, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.

🏆 Nearby in the Rankings

official-stockfish/Stockfish is currently ranked #846 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:

RankRepositoryLanguageStarsAction
#841 exaloop/codon Python ★ 16.9K Compare ↗
#842 postalserver/postal Ruby ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#843 pion/webrtc Go ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#844 systemd/systemd C ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#845 ffuf/ffuf Go ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#846 official-stockfish/Stockfish This Project C++ ★ 16.8K
#847 ionic-team/capacitor TypeScript ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#848 prestodb/presto Java ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#849 lidge-jun/opencodex TypeScript ★ 16.8K Compare ↗
#850 apple/foundationdb C++ ★ 16.7K Compare ↗
#851 hyperledger/fabric Go ★ 16.7K Compare ↗
SPONSORED Trending Developer Tools & Services

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Stockfish do? +

A free and strong UCI chess engine

What language is Stockfish written in? +

The primary language is C++. Topics include: chess, chess-engine, cpp, stockfish, uci.

Is Stockfish actively maintained? +

Yes, the last recorded push was on Sep 30, 2026 with 40 open issues being tracked.

How many stars does Stockfish have? +

Stockfish has 16,784 stars and 3,054 forks on GitHub.

How does Stockfish rank among GitHub repositories? +

With 16,784 stars, official-stockfish/Stockfish is ranked #846 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #57 among C++ projects.

What license is Stockfish distributed under? +

The repository reports a GPL-3.0 license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.

From our network
FOR MAINTAINERS

Built something? Put it in front of millions of developers.

We make a short reel about your project and post it across YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and X. Send a link, we do the rest.

SPONSORED Sponsored Partner