Author

Sriram Samudrala

Founder of Lumichess · Software Engineer & Product Manager · FIDE-rated

Sriram taught himself chess from around 600 to an 1850 peak on Chess.com, with no coach and no courses, and earned a FIDE rating in 2026. He is a software engineer and product manager, and he built Lumichess out of that climb. He writes about how club players actually improve, and about the tools he builds to help them.

@ssbozzy LinkedIn Full story

Articles by Sriram

Guide Sep 23, 2026 8 min read

How Elo ratings work: the formula, worked through with real numbers

The two lines of arithmetic behind every chess rating, what the K-factor changes, and why choosing weaker or stronger opponents does not farm points.

Feature Jun 10, 2026 9 min read

Free chess puzzles and the Woodpecker Method: a tactics trainer built on repetition

Solving a puzzle once teaches you almost nothing. The Woodpecker trainer makes you solve the same frozen set in faster, cleaner cycles until the patterns are automatic, with every cycle measured against the last.

Improvement Jun 5, 2026 6 min read

How to actually review your chess games

The single habit that moved my rating more than any opening I studied. A simple routine you can run in ten minutes: write down what you were thinking, find where the game turned, and ask whether you would find the move again.

Feature Jun 2, 2026 4 min read

Play chess online free against real people

Play live chess online free against real human opponents, powered by the Lichess Board API. Games save to your Lichess profile and flow straight into a Game Report for review.

Product May 18, 2026 9 min read

Game Report: a move-by-move breakdown of every game

A free, in-browser Stockfish 18 review of any Chess.com or Lichess game: move classifications, win-probability accuracy, an eval graph, and move-by-move coach commentary.