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Chess lessons

65 short lessons in 11 chapters. Each one is played on the board, step by step, just like in the app.

Chess Basics

Pieces, moves and special rules

  1. The BoardEvery square has a name: its file letter plus its rank number, like e4.
  2. Setting UpQueen on her own color, king beside her — and White always moves first.
  3. The PawnPawns move straight ahead but capture diagonally; on their first move they may go two squares.
  4. The RookRooks move in straight lines as far as they like and love open files.
  5. The BishopA bishop moves diagonally and stays on the same color for the whole game.
  6. The QueenThe queen moves like a rook and a bishop together — keep her safe, she is worth 9.
  7. The KnightThe knight jumps in an L-shape and is the only piece that can leap over others.
  8. The KingThe king moves one square at a time and may never step into check.
  9. Piece ValuesPawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9: count before you trade.
  10. CheckOut of check three ways: move the king, block the line, or capture the attacker.
  11. CheckmateCheckmate is check with no way out — and it ends the game at once.
  12. StalemateNo legal move and not in check is stalemate, a draw: when winning, leave the king a square.
  13. CastlingCastle early: the king hides in the corner and the rook comes to the center.
  14. En PassantEn passant works only right after the enemy pawn jumps two squares next to yours.
  15. PromotionA pawn that reaches the last rank becomes a new piece — usually a queen.

Keep Your Pieces Safe

Spot hanging pieces and free captures

  1. Loose piecesBefore every move, look for pieces that nothing protects — yours and theirs.
  2. Protect your piecesWhen a piece is attacked: move it, protect it, or capture the attacker.
  3. Smart tradesCapture only when you win more points than you give back.
  4. Spot the threatAfter every enemy move ask: what does it attack now?
  5. Trapped piecesA piece with no safe square is trapped — attack it and win it.

Tactics Toolkit

Forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks

  1. The forkA fork attacks two pieces with one move; your opponent can save only one.
  2. The pinA pinned piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it.
  3. The skewerA skewer hits the valuable piece first; when it moves, take the one behind.
  4. Discovered attacksMove one piece out of the way and the piece behind it suddenly attacks.
  5. Remove the defenderCapture the defender and the piece it guarded is left hanging.

Checkmate Patterns

Find the mate, and stop the mate

  1. Queen matesA queen next to the enemy king mates when another piece protects her.
  2. The rook ladderTwo rooks mate alone: one guards a row while the other checks on the next.
  3. Back-rank mateA king trapped behind his own pawns on the back rank can be mated by one rook — give him air.
  4. Smothered mateA knight mates a king who is boxed in by his own pieces.
  5. Mate in twoIn a mate in two, look for a forcing first move: a check or a big threat.

Opening Principles

Center, development and a safe king

  1. Control the centerFight for the four center squares — pieces there reach the most squares.
  2. Develop your piecesBring out knights and bishops before moving the same piece twice.
  3. Castle earlyCastle in the first moves, before the center opens.
  4. Not the queen firstBring the queen out late; small pieces chase her and gain time.
  5. Opening traps to avoidDo not grab pawns or push edge pawns while your king and pieces are still at home.

Make a Plan

Think like a player, not a mover

  1. Checks, captures, threatsScan in this order before every move: checks, captures, threats.
  2. Active piecesPut every piece where it can move freely — a buried piece is barely a piece.
  3. Pawn structurePassed pawns are strengths; doubled and isolated pawns become targets.
  4. Attack the kingAttack where you have more pieces than your opponent can defend with.
  5. Make a planWhen ahead, trade pieces; when behind, keep pieces and make threats.

Endgame Essentials

Turn an advantage into a win

  1. The active kingIn the endgame, bring your king to the center — it becomes a fighter.
  2. The passed pawnPush passed pawns; the rule of the square tells you if the king can catch one.
  3. The oppositionWith opposition, the king that must move has to give way.
  4. Rook endingsPut your rook behind passed pawns and cut off the enemy king.
  5. Convert the extra pieceUp a piece? Trade pieces, win pawns, then make a new queen.

Famous Openings

Meet the openings the masters play

  1. Italian GameItalian Game: e4, Nf3, Bc4. Center, quick development and aim at f7; then castle.
  2. Spanish GameSpanish Game: e4, Nf3, Bb5. The bishop pressures the knight that guards e5; castle and develop without hurry.
  3. London SystemLondon System: d4, Bf4, e3, Nf3, c3, Bd3. Bishop first, then the pawn; the same solid setup every time.
  4. Queen’s GambitQueen’s Gambit: d4, d5, c4. It looks like a pawn sacrifice but the pawn usually comes back; White gets the center.
  5. Sicilian DefenseSicilian Defense: answer e4 with c5. Trade your c pawn for White’s d pawn; the half-open c-file and two center pawns are yours.

Tactics: Advanced

Tactical ideas the masters love

  1. In-between moveDon’t take back at once! First ask: is there a stronger move to play in between, a check or a threat?
  2. ClearanceIf your own piece is in the way, move it without losing time, with a check if you can.
  3. InterferenceIf one piece guards another along a long line, look for a way to put a piece on that line; sometimes it is the opponent’s own king.
  4. X-rayWatch pieces standing one behind another on the same line: when the front one moves, the back one does the work.
  5. SacrificesA sacrifice is a calculation: give the piece, but see checkmate or more in return.

Checkmate Patterns: Advanced

Learn the famous checkmate patterns

  1. Anastasia’s mateKing on the edge next to its own pawn: bring the knight to e7 and mate with a rook or queen on the h-file.
  2. Arabian mateKing in the corner: knight on f6, rook on h7. The knight protects the rook and guards g8.
  3. Opera mateAn open file and a bishop that sees the end of it: the rook goes to the back rank and the bishop protects it.
  4. Boden’s mateKing on c8 with its own pieces next to it: look for two bishops, one guarding b8 and the other checking from a6.
  5. Hook mateRook next to the king, knight protecting the rook, pawn protecting the knight: no link of the chain can be taken.

Endgames: Advanced

Endgame know-how of the masters

  1. Opposition and zugzwangWhen the kings face each other, the side to move must give way: take the opposition, then go around.
  2. Queen endingsIn queen endings, look at checks first: win the piece behind the king, or trade into a winning pawn ending.
  3. Good bishop, bad bishopPut your pawns on the opposite colour to your bishop; if your opponent’s pawns share their bishop’s colour, that bishop is bad.
  4. Knight endingsA knight has short steps and arrives late against a faraway passed pawn. When the knights come off, think about the pawn ending.
  5. Defending rook endingsPhilidor: king in front of the pawn, rook on the 3rd rank; when the pawn reaches the 3rd rank, the rook goes far away and checks from behind.

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