Android, it’s your turn. Language learning application Duolingo announced Tuesday that it will release its chess instruction for Android phones, three months after introducing the game to iOS devices. The company also said it will bring a player versus player mode to iOS in the coming weeks.
Duolingo announced the news on Tuesday at its flagship conference. duoconwhich takes place virtually on the Duolingo website.
The company said a “very small percentage” of Duolingo customers had early access to chess on Android ahead of Tuesday’s launch.
“Our goal has always been to make the world’s best education available to everyone. With these updates, we are taking another big step in that direction,” Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn said in a press release. “Whether you’re adding your Duolingo score to your LinkedIn profile or battling a real person in a chess game led by Oscar, we’re proving that education can be useful, credible, and really fun.”
Oscar is the mustachioed Duolingo character who is the face of the app’s chess element, best known for teaching languages but also teaching chess, music and math.
The Android version of chess will be available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.
Player vs. Player mode for iOS will allow players to challenge other Duolingo chess players in real-time matches. According to Duolingo, Android will also receive player versus player option at some point after iOS.
Duolingo Chess is primarily for beginners and uses puzzles and short lessons to teach. The company refers to the format as “dockable,” meaning players can take several consecutive lessons instead of simply being involved in a long game of chess.
Players can also get tips and tricks, and maybe a bit of funny sarcasm, from Oscar, Duolingo’s chess tutor avatar. The company says several million customers have already played chess on iOS and expect that number to increase significantly with the launch on Android.
‘Curious’ about multiplayer
CNET senior writer Mike Sorrentino likes Duolingo chess so far. He played on his iPhone over the summer and has now tried it on Android.
“I’m a beginner at chess, so it’s been helpful in learning how to turn pawns into queens or create a fork that requires the opponent to give up a piece,” Sorrentino said. “I’m curious about multiplayer, but I’m hoping there’s a matchmaking element because I don’t want to play against people who are way beyond beginner level.”
Sorrentino says he would like to see Duolingo add “strategy suggestions” when playing a full game, since they can last several minutes longer than chess puzzles.
“That way I can learn during the game instead of having to rely on myself, because sometimes I really want to play something for two minutes and then go on with my day,” he said.
Scores added to LinkedIn
Also on Tuesday, Duolingo announced that language learners can link their Duolingo scores to their LinkedIn profiles. A Duolingo score is a real-time indicator that shows how well a student has learned the language and could help them search for jobs and network.
CNET has good things to say about Duolingo’s language acquisition model. It’s on our list of the best apps of 2025, and CNET writer Zachary McAuliffe had a positive experience preparing for his trip to Rome with his Duolingo Italian lessons.
