# Install xboard with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman Graphical user interface for chess. Version 4.9.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:xboard ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install xboard ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install xboard ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: games/xboard/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add xboard ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xboard from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install xboard ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: xboard from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install xboard ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xboard from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#xboard ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xb/xboard/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S xboard ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: xboard from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:xboard - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 4.9.1 - **Source summary:** Graphical user interface for chess - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - xboard (cli) - xboard (alias) ## Dependencies - at-spi2-core - cairo - fairymax - gdk-pixbuf - gettext - glib - gtk+ - harfbuzz - librsvg - pango - polyglot ## Build dependencies - pkgconf - texinfo ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 4.9.1 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/xboard/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage XBoard is the GNU Project's graphical chessboard and chess front end for Unix and Unix-like systems using the X Window System. It supports local engines, Internet Chess Servers, correspondence chess by email, saved games, and many chess variants. ### Project history Tim Mann's project-history page says he found GNU Chess 4.0 and xboard 1.2 in 1991, began fixing bugs and missing features, and became the maintainer. He also says that by early 2000 most of the contemporary xboard/WinBoard code had been written after he took over. The project evolved from a front end for GNU Chess into a general engine interface. Mann recounts that users began asking how to connect their own engines, with Shay Bushinsky asking in November 1994, and that the ad-hoc GNU Chess communication grew into documented and extended engine support. WinBoard, the Microsoft Windows counterpart, came out of Mann's work to port xboard to Windows NT around 1993. He split the code into platform-specific front ends and a shared chess backend, and later kept xboard and WinBoard released together. ### Adoption history The GNU project page describes XBoard as a front end for engines such as GNU Chess and Crafty, Internet chess servers, and email correspondence chess. Tim Mann's 2000 interview describes rapid growth in WinBoard-compatible chess programs and notes that what began as GNU Chess integration had become a compatibility target for many amateur and commercial chess programs. The GNU page also documents XBoard's later stewardship through the GNU package infrastructure: stable source releases on GNU download servers, development on Savannah, mailing lists, bug trackers, and developer releases for testing. ### How it is used Users run XBoard to play against a local chess engine, analyze games, connect to servers such as FICS or ICC, play correspondence chess through CMail, or review PGN files. The GNU page emphasizes international chess, xiangqi, shogi, Makruk, Chess960, Crazyhouse, and other variants. For engine authors and chess-package maintainers, XBoard is also the reference GUI for the Chess Engine Communication Protocol lineage. It can also work with UCI engines through the Polyglot protocol adapter, according to the GNU XBoard links section. ### Why package nerds care XBoard matters because it separated chess engines from chess user interfaces in the Unix free-software world. That separation helped make engine packages composable: a distro could package a GUI, many engines, protocol adapters, and server clients as interoperable parts instead of monolithic chess programs. It is also a classic GNU/X11 package: old enough to carry pre-Git history, still distributed through GNU infrastructure, and broad enough to touch GUI packaging, engine protocols, online chess, and variant chess communities. ### Timeline - 1991: Tim Mann finds GNU Chess 4.0 and xboard 1.2, starts fixing xboard, and becomes maintainer. - 1992: Internet Chess Server support is added after patches from John Chanak. - 1993: WinBoard begins as a Windows NT porting project and shares backend code with xboard. - 1994: Requests from engine authors help push the documented XBoard/WinBoard engine protocol beyond GNU Chess. - 1998: Tim Mann notes version 4.0.0 as a major release point in his history interview. - 2016: GNU XBoard 4.9.0 appears as a stable release on the GNU project page and Savannah/Git tags. ### Related projects - Closely related projects include GNU Chess, Crafty, WinBoard, CMail, FICS, ICC, Polyglot, and chess engines that speak the XBoard/WinBoard protocol. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** xboard - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 4 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** yes - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - xboard - 4.9.1-3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: xboard from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | X Window System Chess Board | https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/xboard/ - Nix - xboard: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/xb/xboard/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - xboard - 4.9.1-2build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xboard from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | X Window System Chess Board | https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/xboard/ - apk - xboard - 4.9.1-r5: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xboard from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Graphical chessboard for the X Window System | https://www.gnu.org/software/xboard - apk - xboard-doc - 4.9.1-r5: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xboard-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Graphical chessboard for the X Window System (documentation) | https://www.gnu.org/software/xboard - apk - xboard-lang - 4.9.1-r5: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xboard-lang from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Languages for package xboard | https://www.gnu.org/software/xboard - dnf - xboard - 4.9.1-24.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xboard from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | An X Window System graphical chessboard | https://www.gnu.org/software/xboard/ - pacman - xboard - 4.9.1-4: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: xboard from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Graphical user interfaces for chess | https://www.gnu.org/software/xboard/ - MacPorts - xboard: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: games/xboard/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Game and emulation packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/game-emulation-tools/) - Matched game or emulation metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [cairo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cairo/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [fairymax](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fairymax/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gdk-pixbuf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdk-pixbuf/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [glib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glib/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gtk+](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gtk/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [harfbuzz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/harfbuzz/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [texinfo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/texinfo/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cheops](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cheops/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: chess, cli, game, games. - [fairy-stockfish](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fairy-stockfish/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: chess, cli, games. - [gnu-chess](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnu-chess/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: chess, cli, games. - [lc0](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lc0/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: chess, cli, games. - [polyglot](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/polyglot/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: chess, cli, games. - [stockfish](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/stockfish/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: chess, cli, games. - [allureofthestars](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/allureofthestars/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, game, games. - [gnu-apl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnu-apl/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, cli, core, gdk. - [mdk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mdk/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: at-spi2-core, cairo, core, gdk, gdk-pixbuf. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/xboard.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/xboard.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph