Trainings
95 trainings graded 1–10. Log in to track what you complete.
Fundamentals 8
Capture the free piece
An enemy piece is standing on a square nobody protects. Find it and take it for free.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
What check means, how a game is won by checkmate, and why stalemate is a draw and not a win.
How the pieces move and capture
The six pieces, how each one moves, and how capturing works. Start here if you are brand new.
Special moves: castling, en passant, promotion
Three rules that trip up every beginner: castling, the en passant capture and pawn promotion.
Mate in one for absolute beginners
Simple checkmates in one move with the queen, rook and knight. Learn to recognise when the king has nowhere left to go.
Piece values and fair trades
The point values of the pieces and how to use them to decide whether a capture or exchange is good for you.
Reading and writing chess notation
How to read moves like Nf3, Bxc6, O-O and e8=Q so you can study games, books and this site's puzzles.
The three phases of a game
Opening, middlegame and endgame: what each phase is for and the simple goals to pursue in each one.
Checkmate patterns 2
Ladder and box mates
Finish the game with king and queen, king and rook, or two heavy pieces. The enemy king is already on the edge: find the final check.
Back-rank mates I
The king is trapped behind its own pawns. Find the rook or queen check that ends the game.
Tactics 3
Knight forks
Find the knight check that also attacks a rook or queen. Answer the check, lose the piece.
Pawn forks
A humble pawn advance attacks two pieces at once. Only one of them can escape.
What is a fork, a pin and a skewer?
The three most common tactical weapons explained with diagrams: attacking two things at once, freezing a piece in place, and attacking through a piece.
Endgames 4
King and queen vs king
The first mate every player must know. Box the king in with the queen, bring up your king, and finish on the edge without stalemating.
King and rook vs king
Drive the king to the edge with rook and king working together, then mate with the rook when the kings stand in opposition.
The opposition
Why the king that does NOT have to move often wins the fight for a square, and how to use it in king and pawn endings.
The square of the pawn
Count whether a king can catch a running pawn in a single glance, without calculating move by move.
Openings 3
Opening principles: centre, development, king safety
The three jobs every opening must do: claim the centre, bring out the pieces, and tuck the king away. Learn why, and what goes wrong when you skip one.
Common opening traps and how to avoid them
Scholar's mate, Légal's mate and the Elephant trap: recognise the three most common opening ambushes, learn the one defensive habit that neutralises all of them, and spring them yourself when your opponent slips.
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano
The quietest classical opening: both sides develop naturally toward the centre, castle early and prepare the d4 break. Ideal for learning principled development as White.