Chess lessons
Short lessons with a live board: step through the moves, read what each one changed, and solve exercises by moving the pieces right on the page.
Rules
- En passantWhat en passant is, when you can capture a pawn in passing and when you can’t. Step through examples on a live board and solve an exercise.
- CastlingHow castling works in chess, kingside and queenside, and the rules for when you cannot castle. Examples on a live board and an exercise.
- StalemateWhat stalemate is, why it ends the game in a draw, and how to win with a queen without stalemating. Examples on a live board and an exercise.
Checkmates
- Back-rank mateHow the back-rank mate works, how to give your king an escape square, and how to win with it. Step through examples and solve an exercise on a live board.
- Scholar’s mateHow Scholar’s mate and Fool’s mate work, why they catch beginners, and how to defend. Step through both mates and practise the defence on a live board.
- Smothered mateHow a lone knight mates a king boxed in by its own pieces: the pattern, a famous trap in the Caro-Kann and Philidor’s legacy, with an exercise to solve.
Tactics
- ForkWhat a fork is in chess, with knight, pawn and queen forks. Step through examples on a live board, solve an exercise and learn to spot forks in your games.
- PinWhat a pin is in chess, the difference between absolute and relative pins, and how to win a pinned piece. Examples on a live board and an exercise.
- SkewerWhat a skewer is in chess and how it differs from a pin: attack a valuable piece, then take the one behind it when it moves. A worked example and an exercise.
- Discovered attackHow a discovered attack works: one piece moves and unmasks another. Discovered check, double check, Réti’s famous mate, and an exercise to solve.
- Removing the defenderHow to win by removing the defender: capture or chase away the piece that guards a square or another piece, then strike. Example on a live board and an exercise.
Strategy
- Opening principlesThe opening principles every beginner needs: control the centre, develop your pieces, castle early, keep the queen back. Shown on a model game.
- Passed pawnWhat a passed pawn is, the rule of the square for pawn races, and the classic three-pawn breakthrough. Step through endgames and practise on a live board.
- Open filesWhy rooks belong on open files, how to double them and how to break into the seventh rank. Step through a model example and practise on a live board.
Game analysis
- Chess notationHow to read and write chess moves in algebraic notation: squares, piece letters, captures, checks and castling. Step through the moves of a real opening.
- Analyzing your gamesA simple routine for analyzing your own chess games: your own thoughts first, then the engine, then the reason behind each mistake. With an example and an exercise.
- Move ratingsWhat best move, inaccuracy, mistake and blunder mean in chess analysis, how they are measured by the change in winning chances, and what makes a move brilliant.