Chess.ceoDocking & Panels
Drag, split, resize, and arrange your workspace panels
Each analysis board in Chess.ceo has a flexible panel layout powered by a docking system. You can rearrange, resize, split, and tab panels to build the workspace that suits your analysis style.
Available Panels
Every board tab can display any combination of these panels:
| Panel | Description |
|---|---|
| Board | The chess board itself — always visible and cannot be closed. |
| Notation | The move tree showing your game with all variations and comments. |
| Local Engine | Browser-based Stockfish 17.1 running via WebAssembly — no server needed. |
| Cloud Engine | Server-side Stockfish or Lc0 running on dedicated hardware — more powerful but requires a connection. |
| Database | Position search across the game database, showing games and statistics for the current position. |
| Player Preparation | Opponent analysis mode for studying a specific player's repertoire. |
| Correspondence | Tools for managing correspondence games. |
Rearranging Panels
Panels can be moved anywhere in your workspace using drag and drop:
- Move a panel: Click and drag a panel's tab header to detach it, then drop it where you want.
- Merge as tabs: Drop a panel onto another panel's tab bar to group them together — they'll share the same area and you can switch between them by clicking their tabs.
- Split the workspace: Drop a panel on the top, bottom, left, or right edge of another panel to create a split view.
As you drag, a ghost preview highlights where the panel will land, so you can see the result before you drop.
Resizing
Drag the border between any two panels to resize them. The cursor changes to a resize handle when you hover over a panel boundary.
Tab Groups
Multiple panels can share one area as a tabbed group. For example, you might group your Local Engine and Cloud Engine panels together in one pane, switching between them by clicking their tabs. This is a great way to keep your workspace compact while still having quick access to multiple panels.
Closing & Reopening Panels
Click the X on any panel tab to close it (except the Board, which has no close button). To reopen panels, use keyboard shortcuts:
- E — toggle the engine panel
- N — toggle the notation panel
- D — toggle the database panel
You can also reopen panels through the panel menu.
Multiple Engine Instances
You can open several engine panels at the same time — for example, a Local Engine and a Cloud Engine side by side, or multiple local engines with different settings. Each instance gets its own numbered title ("Local Engine 2", "Cloud Engine 3") and runs independently with its own configuration.
Default Panel Positions
When you open a panel for the first time (or toggle it with a keyboard shortcut), it appears in a sensible default position:
- Notation / Player Preparation — above the engine panel. If no engine is open, to the right of the board.
- Engine panels — grouped as tabs with existing engines, or below the notation, or to the right of the board.
- Database — below the board.
Layout Persistence
Your panel layout is saved per tab and restored when you return to it. Each board tab remembers exactly how its panels were arranged. If something goes wrong with a layout, it resets to the default arrangement automatically.
Board Panel Protection
The board panel has special protections to ensure it's always visible and accessible: it has no close button, and it cannot be dragged to the left or top edges of the workspace. This prevents you from accidentally hiding the board behind other panels.
- Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to toggle panels on and off — learn E, N, and D first.
- Each board tab has its own independent layout, so you can set up different workspaces for different analysis tasks.
- Engine panels don't auto-start when restoring a saved layout — only panels you explicitly open will use CPU resources.