LEVEL 1
First Moves
The board, the pieces, and how the game begins.
0%
Learn
What should I learn next?
Watch the idea. Understand why it works. Try it on The Board. Keep the progress. Chess Mate always answers the next-step question for you.
Continue your journey
The Board
Files, ranks, diagonals and square names.
Practice for you
More time on how pawns move.
Forward one, two from home, capture diagonally.
PRACTICE THISAsk Chess Mate
“Why does this move win a piece?”
Ask for an explanation in plain language, or say “show me” and the answer plays out on The Board.
OPEN ASK CHESS MATEThe Board
Watch → Understand → Try → Progress.
Every lesson ends on a real position. Wrong moves are never punished — they are explained, and you try again.
WATCH
A short, patient explanation of one idea.
UNDERSTAND
The reasoning, in words, before you move.
TRY
A real position, staged hints, Show Me if you want it.
PROGRESS
Mastery is remembered and shapes what comes next.
The curriculum
Six levels, from first move to real understanding.
LEVEL 2
Think Ahead
Development, safety, and your first tactics.
0%
LEVEL 3
Build a Position
Structure, squares and quiet advantages.
0%
LEVEL 4
See the Tactic
Patterns that win material and games.
0%
LEVEL 5
Master the Endgame
Fewer pieces, more precision.
0%
LEVEL 6
Build Your Opening Book
Guided openings — the reasons, not the memorisation.
0%
Openings
Learn an opening move by move.
COURSE
The Italian Game
Occupy the center, develop toward it, and aim the bishop at Black's weakest square.
LEARN ITCOURSE
The Queen's Gambit
Offer a wing pawn to trade it for total control of the center.
LEARN ITCOURSE
The Sicilian Defense
As Black, refuse a symmetrical game — trade a wing pawn for a central one and play for the win.
LEARN ITTactics
Train one pattern at a time.
NEW
Forks
One piece attacking two targets at once.
PRACTICENEW
Pins
A piece frozen by what sits behind it.
PRACTICENEW
Skewers
The pin, reversed — big piece in front.
PRACTICENEW
Discovered Attacks
Moving one piece to unleash another.
PRACTICENEW
Back Rank Mate
Punishing a wall of pawns.
PRACTICENEW
Opposition
The kings' silent standoff.
PRACTICEWatch first
The lesson, explained on video.
TUTORIALPins: The Pattern Behind Half of All Tactics
How to create a pin, how to punish one, and the two moves that break it before it costs you a piece.
Tactics Room · Beginner
TUTORIALFork Vision: Seeing Two Targets at Once
Twelve positions that train the same reflex — spot the two undefended pieces before you look for a move.
Tactics Room · Beginner
TUTORIALKing and Queen Mate Without Panic
The box method, drawn out square by square, so you never stalemate a winning endgame again.
Endgame Hour · Beginner
TUTORIALOne Setup You Can Play Every Game
The London System as a learning tool: fewer decisions in the opening, more attention on the middlegame.
Chess Mate Studio · Beginner
TOURNAMENT ANALYSISThe Slow Italian at the Top Level
Elite players keep returning to the quietest lines of the Italian. Here is what they are actually playing for.
Chess Mate Studio · Advanced
TUTORIALWhy the Sicilian Refuses a Quiet Game
The strategic argument behind 1...c5: trading a wing pawn for a central one, and living with the imbalance.
Chess Mate Studio · Intermediate
TUTORIALThe French Defense, Structure First
Three pawn structures, three completely different games — and how to tell which one you are in.
Positional Notes · Intermediate
TUTORIALThe Italian Game, Explained Slowly
A patient walkthrough of e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 — why the bishop belongs on c4 and what to do when Black copies you.
Chess Mate Studio · Beginner
Your chess journey