diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d5e7eaa..afa7ea7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ yarn add @react-chess/chessground
 
 ## Documentation
 
-After installing, the component can be default imported and it has 4 optional props:
+After installing, the component can be default imported and it has 5 optional props:
 
 - `width: number` defaults to `900`, determines width of the chessboard in pxs
 
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ After installing, the component can be default imported and it has 4 optional pr
 
 - `contained: boolean` defaults to `false`, when enabled renders the chessboard in a `100%` width & height div.
 
+- `ref: Api` returns an instance of the Chessground API for interacting with the chessboard.
+
 Renders a simple `900 x 900` board, with pieces in their default position:
 
 ```jsx
@@ -40,3 +42,51 @@ import "chessground/assets/chessground.cburnett.css";
 
 ReactDOM.render(<Chessground />, document.getElementById("root"));
 ```
+
+## Example: showing the moves of a game
+
+```tsx
+import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";
+import Chessground, { Api, Config, Key } from "@react-chess/chessground";
+
+// these styles must be imported somewhere
+import "chessground/assets/chessground.base.css";
+import "chessground/assets/chessground.brown.css";
+import "chessground/assets/chessground.cburnett.css";
+
+const CONFIG: Config = {
+  movable: { free: false },
+};
+
+// Demo game moves in long algebraic form
+const MOVES = (
+  "e2e4 e7e5 g1f3 d7d6 d2d4 c8g4 d4e5 g4f3 d1f3 d6e5 " +
+  "f1c4 g8f6 f3b3 d8e7 b1c3 c7c6 c1g5 b7b5 c3b5 c6b5 " +
+  "c4b5 b8d7 e1c1 a8d8 d1d7 d8d7 h1d1 e7e6 b5d7 f6d7 " +
+  "b3b8 d7b8 d1d8"
+).split(" ");
+
+export const DemoGameMoves = () => {
+  const apiRef = useRef<Api | undefined>();
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    // Make a move every 2 seconds
+    const interval = setInterval(() => {
+      const move = MOVES.shift();
+      if (move) {
+        apiRef.current!.move(move.substring(0,2) as Key, move.substring(2,4) as Key);
+      } else {
+        clearInterval(interval);
+      }
+    }, 2000);
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  });
+
+  return (
+    <Chessground
+        width={640} height={640}
+        config={CONFIG} ref={apiRef}
+    />
+  );
+}
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/index.tsx b/src/index.tsx
index 317e5f6..94246ff 100644
--- a/src/index.tsx
+++ b/src/index.tsx
@@ -1,44 +1,50 @@
-import React, { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
-import { Chessground as ChessgroundApi } from 'chessground';
+import React, { forwardRef, useEffect, useImperativeHandle, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 
-import { Api } from 'chessground/api';
+import { Chessground as ChessgroundApi } from 'chessground';
 import { Config } from 'chessground/config';
+import { Api } from 'chessground/api';
+import { Key } from 'chessground/types';
+
 
 interface Props {
-  width?: number
-  height?: number
+  width?: number;
+  height?: number;
   contained?: boolean;
-  config?: Config
-}
-
-function Chessground({
-  width = 900, height = 900, config = {}, contained = false,
-}: Props) {
-  const [api, setApi] = useState<Api | null>(null);
-
-  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (ref && ref.current && !api) {
-      const chessgroundApi = ChessgroundApi(ref.current, {
-        animation: { enabled: true, duration: 200 },
-        ...config,
-      });
-      setApi(chessgroundApi);
-    } else if (ref && ref.current && api) {
-      api.set(config);
-    }
-  }, [ref]);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    api?.set(config);
-  }, [api, config]);
-
-  return (
-    <div style={{ height: contained ? '100%' : height, width: contained ? '100%' : width }}>
-      <div ref={ref} style={{ height: '100%', width: '100%', display: 'table' }} />
-    </div>
-  );
-}
-
+  config?: Config;
+};
+
+const Chessground = forwardRef<Api | undefined, Props>(
+  (
+    { width = 900, height = 900, config = {}, contained = false }: Props,
+    apiRef,
+  ) => {
+    const [api, setApi] = useState<Api | undefined>();
+    const divRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+
+    useImperativeHandle(apiRef, () => {
+      return api;
+    }, [api]);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+      if (divRef.current && !api) {
+        const chessgroundApi = ChessgroundApi(divRef.current, config);
+        setApi(chessgroundApi);
+      }
+    }, [divRef.current, api]);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+      if (api) {
+        api.set(config);
+      }
+    }, [config]);
+
+    return (
+      <div style={{ height: contained ? '100%' : height, width: contained ? '100%' : width }}>
+        <div ref={divRef} style={{ height: '100%', width: '100%', display: 'table' }} />
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+);
+
+export type { Api, Config, Key };
 export default Chessground;