Introduction

In agent development with DeepSeek Harness (DSH), handling chess logic often requires additional tools for parsing and visualizing FEN notation (Forsyth-Edwards Notation). Without an intuitive board display, debugging the state of a chess position can become cumbersome.

Plugin Overview

xby-chess is a plugin for DeepSeek Harness (DSH), maintained by xby-skill. It is an MCP server that provides chess FEN notation validation and ASCII board visualization.

Core Features

  1. set_xby_apikey
    Set the API key in the chat. The key is persisted automatically and remains valid after restarting DSH.

  2. visualize_fen
    Convert an FEN string into an ASCII board visualization.

Installation

Install the plugin from the official catalog using the following command:

dsh plugin --profile web add github:xby_skill/xby-chess

Typical Usage

  1. Call set_xby_apikey in a DSH chat and enter the API key obtained from the XiaoBenYang official website.
  2. Use the visualize_fen command with an FEN string to obtain an ASCII board view.

Use Cases and Notes

This plugin is suitable for DSH agent developers who need to work with chess logic. Using set_xby_apikey requires a valid API key, which must be obtained by registering on the XiaoBenYang official website. Because the plugin runs with the permissions of the current DSH process, it is recommended to review the source code and license (MIT) before installation.

Ecosystem Background

The DSH philosophy is that “everything is a plugin.” The community catalog is an independent site and has no official affiliation with DeepSeek / High-Flyer.

This plugin addresses the difficulty of understanding FEN notation in text environments by providing board feedback directly in the conversation.