Learn chess, one guide at a time.

1. 1. First Moves

   Beginner

   The board, the pieces and how they move

   The starting point for every child in the programme. By the end of this course a pupil can set up a board correctly, move every piece legally and read simple chess notation.

   9 lessons · ~90 min

   • The chessboard
   • Setting up the pieces
   • Reading chess notation
   • The rook
   • The bishop
   • The queen
   • The knight
   • The pawn
   • The king

2. 2. Check, Checkmate & Special Moves

   Beginner

   How games actually end — plus castling, en passant and promotion

   Once pupils can move the pieces they need to know how a game is won, drawn and finished off. This course covers check, the three basic results, and the three special moves that surprise every beginner.

   6 lessons · ~80 min

   • Check
   • Checkmate
   • Stalemate and other draws
   • Castling
   • En passant
   • Promotion and underpromotion

3. 3. Basic Tactics

   Improver

   Forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks

   Tactics decide almost every game between beginners. This course teaches the four patterns that account for the vast majority of them, so pupils start spotting free material.

   4 lessons · ~75 min

   • The fork
   • The discovered attack
   • The pin
   • The skewer

4. 4. Openings & Simple Endgames

   Improver

   Start well, and know how to finish

   Beginners lose games in two places: the first ten moves and the last ten. This course gives pupils three opening principles they can apply to any position, and the two checkmates every player must know by heart.

   5 lessons · ~85 min

   • Control the centre
   • Develop your pieces
   • King safety
   • King and queen versus king
   • King and rook versus king

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