diff --git a/src/stockfish/index.ts b/src/stockfish/index.ts
index 75cf3ec01..0adb23643 100644
--- a/src/stockfish/index.ts
+++ b/src/stockfish/index.ts
@@ -1,58 +1,69 @@
-import { Capacitor, registerPlugin } from '@capacitor/core'
-import { Stockfish, StockfishPlugin as IStockfishPlugin } from 'capacitor-stockfish'
 import { VariantKey } from '../lichess/interfaces/variant'
-import settings from '../settings'
 
-export const StockfishVariants = registerPlugin<IStockfishPlugin>('StockfishVariants', {
-  web: () => import('./StockfishVariantsWeb').then(m => new m.StockfishVariantsWeb()),
-})
+// stub for externally used functionality
+export const StockfishVariants = {
+  getMaxMemory: () => Promise.reject("unimplemented"),
+  getCPUArch: () => Promise.reject("unimplemented"),
+};
+
+interface INativeEngine {
+  send(line: string): void;
+  addListener(listener: (line: string) => void): void;
+  removeListener(listener: (line: string) => void): void;
+  kill(): boolean;
+}
+
+declare const startStockfish: () => INativeEngine;
 
 export class StockfishPlugin {
-  private plugin: IStockfishPlugin
+  private engine: INativeEngine | undefined
+  private startPromise: Promise<{ engineName: string }> | undefined
 
   constructor(readonly variant: VariantKey) {
-    this.plugin = !this.isVariant() &&
-      canUseNNUE() &&
-      settings.analyse.cevalUseNNUE() ? Stockfish : StockfishVariants
   }
 
   public async start(): Promise<{ engineName: string }> {
-    return new Promise((resolve) => {
-      let engineName = 'Stockfish'
-      const listener = (e: Event) => {
-        const line = (e as any).output
-        console.debug('[stockfish >>] ' + line)
-        if (line.startsWith('id name ')) {
-          engineName = line.substring('id name '.length)
-        }
-        if (line.startsWith('uciok')) {
-          window.removeEventListener('stockfish', listener, false)
-          resolve({ engineName })
-        }
-      }
-      window.addEventListener('stockfish', listener, { passive: true })
-      this.plugin.start()
-      .then(() => this.send('uci'))
-    })
+    console.log('trying to start stockfish')
+    if(typeof this.startPromise === 'undefined') {
+      this.startPromise = new Promise<{engineName: string}>((resolve) => {
+        let engineName = 'Stockfish'
+        this.engine = startStockfish();
+        
+        const listener = (line: string) => {
+          console.debug('[stockfish >>] ' + line)
+          if (line.startsWith('id name ')) {
+            engineName = line.substring('id name '.length)
+          }
+          if (line.startsWith('uciok')) {
+            this.engine!.removeListener(listener)
+            resolve({ engineName })
+          }
+         }
+        this.engine.addListener(listener)
+        this.send('uci')
+      })
+    }
+
+    return this.startPromise
   }
 
   public isReady(): Promise<void> {
     return new Promise((resolve) => {
-      const listener = (e: Event) => {
-        const line = (e as any).output
+      const listener = (line: string) => {
         if (line.startsWith('readyok')) {
-          window.removeEventListener('stockfish', listener, false)
+          this.engine!.removeListener(listener)
           resolve()
         }
       }
-      window.addEventListener('stockfish', listener, { passive: true })
+      this.engine!.addListener(listener)
       this.send('isready')
     })
   }
 
   public send(text: string): Promise<void> {
     console.debug('[stockfish <<] ' + text)
-    return this.plugin.cmd({ cmd: text })
+    this.engine!.send(text)
+    return Promise.resolve()
   }
 
   public setOption(name: string, value: string | number | boolean): Promise<void> {
@@ -61,10 +72,8 @@ export class StockfishPlugin {
 
   public setVariant(): Promise<void> {
     if (this.isVariant()) {
-      if (Capacitor.getPlatform() !== 'web' && this.variant === 'threeCheck')
+      if (this.variant === 'threeCheck')
         return this.setOption('UCI_Variant', '3check')
-      if (Capacitor.getPlatform() === 'web' && this.variant === 'antichess')
-        return this.setOption('UCI_Variant', 'giveaway')
       else
         return this.setOption('UCI_Variant', this.variant.toLowerCase())
     } else {
@@ -73,7 +82,11 @@ export class StockfishPlugin {
   }
 
   public exit(): Promise<void> {
-    return this.plugin.exit()
+    if(this.engine!.kill()) {
+      return Promise.resolve()
+    } else {
+      return Promise.reject('Failed to kill process')
+    }
   }
 
   private isVariant() {
@@ -95,11 +108,13 @@ export function getNbCores(): number {
 }
 
 export function canUseNNUE(): boolean {
-  if (Capacitor.getPlatform() === 'android') {
-    return window.lichess.cpuArch === 'arm64-v8a'
-  } else if (Capacitor.getPlatform() === 'ios') {
-    return true
-  } else {
-    return false
-  }
+  // TODO maybe later
+  return false
 }
+
+window.addEventListener("stockfish-outer" as any, (evt: CustomEvent) => {
+  const newEvent = new CustomEvent("stockfish");
+  (newEvent as any).output = evt.detail;
+
+  window.dispatchEvent(newEvent);
+});