Opera has a new version of its web browser made especially for chess fans

Opera has produced new versions of its desktop and Android browsers which are customized to offer chess fans a whole bunch of extras.

The new browsers built in partnership with Chess.com allow you to play a game of chess right in the sidebar.

As well as the ability to play a game of chess online, you can tackle chess puzzles, and access a whole load of chess-related articles, videos, and streamed matches, allowing you to brush up on your skills in various ways.

In a blog post, Opera enthuses: "Intuitive UI makes it easier than ever to change the settings of the board, correspond with rivals, and watch instructional content - all without having to open another tab or navigate away from what's on the screen."

"You can even pin the sidebar panel open so that you can carry on reading, watching, or browsing with one eye on the board, as your opponent plots their next move."

This is certainly a novel idea in terms of encouraging folks to pick up and use Opera rather than it's more established rivals out there (notably Chrome, plus Edge and Firefox). Indeed, we've already seen Opera produce a specialist browser for gamers (Opera GX) and this new effort does appear to stand on the toes of that initiative, at least a little bit.

As mentioned, you can pick up the new Chess-themed Opera for your desktop computer, or the Android version, and both are available right off the bat now. Head here to pick up your preferred incarnation of Opera spiced up courtesy of Chess.com.