Trainings
95 trainings graded 1–10. Log in to track what you complete.
Fundamentals 6
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.
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.
Tactics 1
Endgames 2
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 2
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.