Trainings
95 trainings graded 1–10. Log in to track what you complete.
Openings 4
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.
Choosing an opening repertoire
How to pick a small set of openings that fits your style and time budget, how to study them without memorising forests of variations, and when it is worth changing.
Pawn structures from the opening
The isolated queen's pawn, the Carlsbad structure, the French chain and the open Sicilian: four structures that recur across dozens of openings, with the plans each side should follow in every one.