Install your engine on desktop
Create your UCI engine and play against your clone in Fritz, ChessBase or Arena.
✨ 100% automatic install — no Python required
AvatarEngine.exe is shipped pre-compiled inside the ZIP pack. The script even auto-downloads Stockfish if you don't have it. No dependencies, no admin rights, just a double-click.
From the homepage, analyze your profile then download your personalized pack.
- Go to the homepage and analyze your Lichess or Chess.com username
- On your avatar card, click the green "Engine pack" button
- A ChessAvatar_<YourName>_Pack.zip file downloads to your Downloads folder
The pack contains: AvatarEngine.exe (pre-compiled engine), install_engine.bat (auto installer), swap_profile.bat (avatar swap tool), your JSON profile and a README.
Extract the ZIP anywhere, then run install_engine.bat as administrator.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: The script must be launched as administrator. A plain double-click is not enough — right-click then "Run as administrator". Otherwise the automatic Stockfish download or the file copy may fail depending on your Windows setup.
- Right-click the ZIP → "Extract All..." into a folder of your choice
- Right-click install_engine.bat → "Run as administrator"
- Accept the UAC prompt (needed to download Stockfish and write into Documents\ChessBase)
- The script auto-downloads Stockfish if needed (~30 MB)
- Everything is copied to Documents\ChessBase\Engines\<YourName>_Avatar\
⚠️ Windows may also show a SmartScreen warning on the downloaded .bat. Click "More info" then "Run anyway". The source code is readable inside the file.
In Fritz 20 / ChessBase
- Open Fritz / ChessBase
- Module tab → UCI Module → "..." button to browse
- Select AvatarEngine.exe in Documents\ChessBase\Engines\<YourName>_Avatar\
- Your bot appears with its custom name!
In Arena / Cutechess
- Engines menu → Install New Engine
- Select AvatarEngine.exe in the folder above
- Your bot appears in the list
The engine reloads its profile every startup. You can hot-swap avatars:
- Download just the new JSON profile from the site ("JSON only" button on the avatar card)
- Go to Documents\ChessBase\Engines\<YourName>_Avatar\
- Double-click swap_profile.bat (administrator window)
- Choose 1 to paste the full path (Shift + right-click the file → "Copy as path", then Ctrl+V) or 2 to browse with a file dialog — recommended when admin, because drag-and-drop into an elevated console is often blocked by Windows
- Restart Fritz / Arena: your engine plays with the new profile
Windows blocks the .bat file (SmartScreen)
Right-click → Properties → check "Unblock" → OK. Or "More info" → "Run anyway" in the SmartScreen dialog.
Stockfish couldn't be downloaded
Check your Internet connection, or manually download Stockfish from stockfishchess.org and place stockfish.exe in the ZIP folder before re-running install_engine.bat.
Engine not responding in Fritz
Check that stockfish.exe, the .json file and engine.ini are all inside Documents\ChessBase\Engines\<YourName>_Avatar\ next to AvatarEngine.exe.