Trainings
95 trainings graded 1–10. Log in to track what you complete.
Fundamentals 8
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.
How games are drawn
Repetition, the fifty-move rule, insufficient material and agreement: every way a game can end without a winner.
No plan? Checks, captures, threats
A simple routine for every move: look at all checks, all captures and all threats before anything else.