Chess Resources & Learning

1. The Chessboard and Setup

A chessboard has 64 squares, alternating in light and dark colours. Each player starts with 16 pieces: a King, Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, and eight Pawns.

• White pieces start on the bottom two rows (rows 1 & 2 in chess notation), and Black pieces start on the top two rows (rows 7 & 8 in chess notation).

• Make sure the bottom right square is always light!

Here's the standard setup:

 R  N  B  Q  K  B  N  R   (Back row: Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King)

 P  P  P  P  P  P  P  P   (Front row: Pawns)

2. How the Pieces Move

• Pawns: Move forward one square, but capture diagonally. On their first move, they can advance two squares. 

• Rooks: Move in straight lines—either horizontally or vertically—any number of squares.

• Knights: Move in an "L" shape—two squares in one direction, then one square at a right angle. They are the only pieces that can jump over others.

• Bishops: Move diagonally across the board, and each bishop stays on the colour it starts on.

• Queens: The most powerful piece! They can move any number of squares in any direction—vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

• Kings: Can move one square in any direction. Protect the King at all costs! If it’s in danger, you’re in check. If you can’t get out of check, it’s checkmate and the game is over.

3. Special Moves

• Castling: A one-time move where the King moves two squares toward a Rook, and the Rook jumps over the King to the other side. Conditions: No pieces between them, neither has moved before, and the King is not in check.

• En Passant: A special pawn capture that can occur if a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position, and an enemy pawn could have captured it had it only moved one square. The capture must happen immediately on the next turn.

• Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it can be promoted to any piece (except a King)—usually a Queen.

4. Objective of the Game

The goal is to checkmate your opponent’s King, which means putting it in a position where it is under attack (in check) and there’s no legal move to escape. Along the way, you’ll capture pieces, defend your own, and position yourself to dominate the board.

5. Basic Strategy

• Control the Center: Try to control the center of the board (the squares d4, d5, e4, e5). This gives your pieces more mobility.

• Develop Your Pieces: Get your Knights and Bishops out early to control more squares.

• King Safety: Always keep your King safe—castling early is a good way to protect it.

• Think Ahead: Plan your moves and anticipate your opponent’s responses.

Important: To play rated classical Tournaments, you must learn to write chess notation. Here is a good video teaching all you need to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6PR885Rgb8 - Chess Notation

Want to learn more? Head over to our "Coaches" section to learn and have fun along the way!

1. Online Chess Platforms

• Lichess
  A free, open-source chess platform offering puzzles, lessons, and the ability to play games at any level. Great for practicing tactics and analyzing games.

• Chess.com
  One of the most popular platforms for playing chess, with tutorials, lessons, and game analysis tools. Offers puzzle rush, bot games, and advanced training tools.

2. Tactical Training

• Chesstempo
  A fantastic resource for improving your tactical ability, with a focus on solving puzzles of varying difficulty. Offers detailed stats to track progress.

• Chessable
  An interactive learning platform focused on spaced repetition. Learn openings, tactics, and endgames efficiently through their courses.

3. Game Analysis & Databases

• 365Chess
  A huge database of historical and modern chess games. You can search for games by players, openings, or specific positions to study how grandmasters handle them.

• ChessBase Online
  Access to one of the largest chess game databases, with options to search games by openings, players, or tournaments. A must-have for serious study.

4. Chess Engines

• Stockfish
  A powerful, free chess engine you can download to analyze your games. Perfect for improving your analysis skills and understanding deep positions.

1. Chess Apps for Mobile

• Lichess App
  Free, ad-free, and open-source chess app where you can play games, solve puzzles, and analyze your games on the go.

• Chess.com App
  The Chess.com app provides access to online games, puzzles, lessons, and tournaments. A great way to practice anytime, anywhere.

• Dr. Wolf
  An AI-based chess coach app that provides interactive lessons and personalized coaching during your games.

2. Chess Game Analysis Tools

• Scid vs. PC
  A free, powerful chess database tool for analyzing games, studying positions, and organizing PGN files.

• Lucas Chess
  A training program that includes hundreds of levels to improve your chess. It also features engines at various strengths to play against and learn from.

3. PGN & Notation Tools

• PGN Viewer
  Easily view and analyze PGN files of chess games online. Just paste your game’s PGN, and review moves with a built-in engine.

• ChessBase Reader
  A free tool from ChessBase that allows you to open and read ChessBase database files (.cbh, .pgn). Ideal for advanced study and game review.

4. Puzzle & Tactics Apps

• Chess Tactics Pro
  Offers thousands of puzzles of varying difficulty levels, designed to improve your tactical awareness.

• CT-ART 4.0
  A comprehensive chess tactics training app featuring over 2,200 puzzles and detailed explanations. Great for both beginners and advanced players.

5. Chess Clock Apps

• Chess Clock by Chess.com
  A simple, clean chess clock app for over-the-board games, customizable for different time controls.

• Clockify Chess Clock
  A minimalistic and easy-to-use chess clock for mobile devices with options for classical, blitz, and rapid formats.