Chess PGN Database Narrator

Browse PGN chess databases with an annotated board viewer and natural voice narration of moves and comments.

Chess PGN Database Narrator turns any PGN file into an interactive, narrated chess database — built for studying courses, opening repertoires, annotated master games, and full instructional collections, not just replaying a single game. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT Most PGN viewers just step through moves. This one is built around how chess study actually works: browsing a database of many games, reading dense annotations without losing your place, and — its standout feature — having the moves and commentary read aloud so you can study hands-free, away from the screen. YOUR DATA NEVER LEAVES YOUR DEVICE This extension collects nothing — no analytics, no tracking, no advertising, and no account or sign-in of any kind. It requests zero special permissions when you install it. Every PGN file you open — every game, move, comment, and annotation — is parsed and rendered entirely on your own machine. There is no server, no upload, no sync, and nothing about your files, your games, or how you use the extension is ever sent anywhere, by us or anyone else. The only things saved are a few small preferences kept locally in your own browser: your last-viewed position in each database, your chosen narration voice and speed, and your recents list. They live in your browser's local storage on your device and stay there — they are never transmitted, never logged, and never visible to anyone but you. If you uninstall the extension, they're gone. Whether you're studying a private repertoire, an unpublished course, or your own analysis, it never leaves your computer. BROWSE YOUR PGN LIBRARY Open any .pgn file, single game or full multi-game database, and every game appears in a searchable sidebar list (search by player, event, or any text in the header). A recents tab keeps track of databases you've opened before, so you can jump straight back into what you were studying — and the app remembers exactly which game you were on in each file, so reopening a database picks up where you left off instead of starting over at game one. A FULL INTERACTIVE BOARD Every game renders on a real chess board with start / previous / next / end controls. Click any move in the notation — including moves buried inside a sub-variation — and the board jumps straight to that position. No need to step through move by move if you already know where you want to look. NOTATION THAT'S ACTUALLY READABLE Long annotated games are usually a wall of text. This extension renders PGN notation the way a well-designed chess database does: main-line moves, variations, and commentary are each styled distinctly and color-coded by depth, so you can tell at a glance whether you're reading the main line or a side variation three levels deep. Numeric Annotation Glyphs (NAG codes) are converted into their familiar symbols (!, ?, !!, ??, !?, ?!, and more) instead of showing raw codes like $1 or $4. Short parenthetical asides that are just prose — not real sub-variations — are shown as plain inline text instead of being boxed off like a variation, so the page doesn't look more complicated than the content actually is. STUDY HANDS-FREE WITH NARRATION Press Play and the extension reads the game aloud — moves, comments, exercise prompts, and annotator's notes, all in natural speech, including proper handling of parentheses and punctuation inside comments so nothing gets cut off or skipped. Choose from your system's available voices, adjust playback speed, and turn on auto-advance to move seamlessly from one game to the next in a database. Your voice and speed preferences are remembered automatically, so you don't have to reconfigure them every time you open the extension. It's a genuinely useful way to review an opening line, listen through an annotated master game, or work through a full instructional course while your eyes are elsewhere — on the physical board, on a notepad, or just resting. BUILT FOR REAL STUDY SESSIONS, NOT JUST DEMOS The interface is responsive and works the same whether you're using it in a small window or a full browser tab. Your last-viewed position in every database is saved automatically. The Recents list means you're never hunting for a course file you opened last week. WHO IT'S FOR Anyone working through PGN chess courses, opening repertoires, correspondence games, or annotated collections — whether that's a structured video course that ships with a companion PGN file, a database of classical games with instructive commentary, or your own analysis notes saved as PGN. If you've ever wished you could listen to your chess study material the way you'd listen to a podcast, this is built for exactly that. Free to use. No account. No tracking. No data collected — ever.