Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

6 PASS 4 REVIEW 3 FIX

Dark Mode Support

Action

Theme color only

FIX

Theme color only

Theme-color present but no dark variant

A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.

Got: #302e2b

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModePartial Dark Mode

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Link & Button Quality

Action

2 issue(s) across 47 links and 13 buttons

REVIEW

2 issue(s) across 47 links and 13 buttons

12 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: https://chess.com/support; https://www.chess.com/terms; https://www.chess.com/about; https://www.chess.com/students; https://www.chess.com/jobs; https://www.chess.com/club/chess-com-developer-community; https://www.chess.com/legal/user-agreement; https://www.chess.com/legal/privacy; https://www.chess.com/legal/privacy; https://www.chess.com/cheating (+2 more)

2 button(s) with no accessible text

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

Got: button.cc-button-component (#334 on page); button.cc-button-component (#338 on page)

35 link(s) with descriptive text

47 links

0 empty

0 generic text

12 new tab

2 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://chess.com/support	Support	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/terms	Chess Terms	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/about	About	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/students	Students	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/jobs	Jobs	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/club/chess-com-dev…	Developers	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/legal/user-agreeme…	User Agreement	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/legal/privacy	Privacy Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/legal/privacy	Privacy Settings	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/cheating	Cheating & Fair Play	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/partners	Partners	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.chess.com/legal/compliance	Compliance	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label

46 links and buttons have descriptive text

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

https://chess.com/support; https://www.chess.com/terms; https://www.chess.com/about; https://www.chess.com/students; https://www.chess.com/jobs; https://www.chess.com/club/chess-com-developer-community; https://www.chess.com/legal/user-agreement; https://www.chess.com/legal/privacy; https://www.chess.com/legal/privacy; https://www.chess.com/cheating (+2 more)

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

button.cc-button-component (#334 on page); button.cc-button-component (#338 on page)

Why this matters

Buttons with no accessible text (icon-only, no aria-label) can't be activated by voice control or understood by screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Missing Page - Chess.com ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 20 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

0 pass 20 fail WCAG AA

h1 Play Chess Online on the #1 Site!

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

h2 Search

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · mid-page

h2 Search

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · mid-page

h2 Improve Your Game with Lessons

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Play Chess Bots

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Level Up With Chess Puzzles

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Watch the Best in the World Compete

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Follow the 2026 FIDE Candidates LIVE wit…

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Learn, Play, and Have Fun!

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h3 Play Anywhere with the Chess.com App

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

title Chess.com - Play Chess Online - Free Gam…

1.53:1

#000000

#302D2A

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Skip to content

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Play

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Play

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Puzzles

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Puzzles

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Learn

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Learn

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Train

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Train

1.55:1

#000000

#302E2B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Play Chess Online on…	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Search	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Search	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Improve Your Game wi…	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Play Chess Bots	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Level Up With Chess …	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Watch the Best in th…	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Follow the 2026 FIDE…	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h2 Learn, Play, and Hav…	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
h3 Play Anywhere with t…	1.55:1	3.0:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
title Chess.com - Play Che…	1.53:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302D2A	Fail
span Skip to content	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Play	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Play	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Puzzles	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Puzzles	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Learn	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Learn	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Train	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail
span Train	1.55:1	4.5:1	#000000	#302E2B	Fail

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 89/100 — 2 failing, 19 passed

REVIEW

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Names and labels

When a button doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it as "button", making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn how to make buttons more accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
header#mobile-toolbar > div.mobile-toolbar-wrapper > div.mobile-toolbar-menu-area-left > button.cc-button-component `header#mobile-toolbar > div.mobile-toolbar-wrapper > div.mobile-toolbar-menu-area-left > button.cc-button-component`

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Support `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a#navigation-footer-help`
Chess Terms `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
About `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Students `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Jobs `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Developers `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
User Agreement `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Privacy Policy `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Privacy Settings `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a#cookie-consent-trigger`
Cheating & Fair Play `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Partners `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Compliance `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`
Chess.com © 2026 `nav > ul.navigation-footer-pages-component > li.navigation-footer-page-component > a.navigation-footer-page-link`

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Links have a discernible name

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

●Document has a main landmark.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

○`[role]` values are valid

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

○Input buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○Form elements have associated labels

○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○Skip links are focusable.

○No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○All heading elements contain content.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Identical links have the same purpose.

○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

Landmark Structure

7 landmarks

PASS

7 landmarks

<main> landmark present

3 <nav> landmark(s) found

2 of 3 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

A+

Heading Hierarchy

12 headings

PASS

12 headings

Single H1 present

H2 Search
H2 Search
H1 Play Chess Online on the #1 Site!
H2 Improve Your Game with Lessons
H2 Play Chess Bots
H2 Level Up With Chess Puzzles
H2 Watch the Best in the World Compete
H2 Follow the 2026 FIDE Candidates LIVE with the BEST Coverage
H3 Play Anywhere with the Chess.com App
H4 App Store
H4 Google Play
H2 Learn, Play, and Have Fun!

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 45 images OK

PASS

All 45 images OK

43 decorative image(s) correctly marked

2 image(s) with good alt text

45 images 2 good alt text 43 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

No form controls

PASS

No form controls

No form controls on this page

No form controls found.

Favicon & Branding

8 icon(s) detected

PASS

8 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✓ SVG Favicon Present

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

A+

Web Manifest

PWA-ready

PASS

PWA-ready

Meets PWA install criteria

Name present: Chess - Play & Learn

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

Display mode: standalone

PWA Install Criteria ✓ Installable

Name Chess - Play & Learn ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL / ✓Display Mode standalone ✓

Name Chess - Play & Learn Display Mode standalone Theme Color #312E2B Background Color #312E2B Icons 3 icon(s)

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.