Learn Chess: Free Interactive Chess Lessons
Every lesson here is played on the same board you play matches on. You read a few lines, make the move, and the board tells you whether it worked. Start at the beginning if you have never played. If you already know how the pieces move, jump to the special moves, the tactics, or the openings and endgames further down.
- 32 lessons
- 91 min
- Free, no sign-up
Unit 1
The pieces
The board, the starting position, and how each of the six pieces moves and captures. Most beginners can finish this unit in fifteen minutes.
The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
How the chessboard is laid out, what files and ranks are, and where each piece starts. Learn the setup on an interactive board in two minutes.How the Rook Moves in Chess
The rook moves any number of squares in a straight line, along a rank or a file. Learn it by moving one on an interactive board.How the Bishop Moves in Chess
The bishop moves diagonally as far as it likes and stays on one colour all game. Practise its moves on an interactive chessboard.How the Queen Moves in Chess
The queen moves like a rook and a bishop together, in any straight line or diagonal. Learn the strongest chess piece on an interactive board.How the King Moves in Chess
The king moves one square in any direction and may never step into check. Learn how the king moves and captures on an interactive board.How the Knight Moves in Chess
The knight jumps in an L shape, two squares one way and one to the side, and leaps over other pieces. Learn its move on an interactive board.How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
Pawns move straight forward one square, or two on their first move, and capture diagonally. Learn every pawn move on an interactive chessboard.Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth
Pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. Learn the chess piece values and use them to judge trades and captures on a live board.
Unit 2
Special moves
Check, castling, en passant and promotion: the four rules people most often get wrong at the table, and the ones a computer will not let you get wrong.
What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
A king that is attacked is in check, and the player must get out of it at once. Learn the three ways out of check on an interactive board.How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
Castling moves the king two squares towards a rook and the rook jumps over it. Learn when you can castle, kingside and queenside, on a live board.En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
En passant lets a pawn capture an enemy pawn that has just moved two squares past it. See the rule played out, then make the capture yourself.Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen
A pawn that reaches the last rank is promoted to a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Promote a pawn yourself on an interactive chessboard.
Unit 3
Winning the game
Checkmate, the difference between checkmate and stalemate, and the first ending every player should know by heart: king and queen against a lone king.
What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
Checkmate is a check the king cannot escape, and it ends the game. Learn what checkmate looks like, then deliver mate in one on a real board.Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
Stalemate is when the player to move has no legal move but is not in check, and the game is a draw. Learn to spot it and avoid it on a live board.How to Checkmate With a King and Queen
Learn the king and queen checkmate against a lone king, the first ending every player needs. Mate a defending bot on an interactive board.
Unit 4
Your first tactics
Three patterns that win material in real games: the fork, the pin and the skewer. Spot them in your own games and you will start winning pieces instead of losing them.
The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
A fork is one piece attacking two enemy pieces at the same time, so only one can be saved. Learn knight forks and pawn forks on a live board.The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
A pin attacks a piece that can't move without exposing something more valuable behind it. Learn to pin a piece and win it on an interactive board.The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece
A skewer attacks a valuable piece so that it has to move and expose the piece behind it. Skewer a king and win the queen on an interactive board.
Unit 5
Checkmate patterns
The mates that come up again and again: the back-rank mate, the smothered mate, the ladder mate with two rooks, and king and rook against a lone king, played against a defending bot.
Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
A king behind a wall of its own pawns can be mated by one rook on the back rank. Learn to deliver the back-rank mate and to protect your own king.Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
In a smothered mate a knight checkmates a king boxed in by its own pieces. Learn the pattern and Philidor's Legacy, the queen sacrifice behind it.The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
Two rooks can mate a lone king without help from your own king. Learn the ladder mate, and how to keep your rooks out of the king's reach.How to Checkmate With a King and Rook
Learn the king and rook checkmate. Box the king in, bring your own king up, take the opposition and mate on the edge, then beat a defending bot.
Unit 6
More tactics
Discovered attacks, double checks and removing the defender: three ways to make one move do two jobs, including a well-known trap from the Petrov Defence.
Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
In a discovered attack one piece moves out of the way and the piece behind it attacks. Learn discovered checks and win the queen on a live board.Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
In a double check two pieces give check at once, and only a king move can answer it. Learn to spot double checks and mate with them on a live board.Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard
When one piece guards another, capture the guard first and the piece it protected falls. Learn removing the defender on an interactive chess board.
Unit 7
Opening principles
How to start a game well: take the centre, develop your knights and bishops, castle, and never fall for Scholar's mate or Fool's mate.
Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
The four centre squares are the most valuable on the board. Learn why to control the centre in the chess opening, with pawns and pieces, on a live board.How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
Knights and bishops out, king castled, queen kept back. Learn the opening principle of development move by move on an interactive chess board.Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
Scholar's mate is the four-move checkmate on f7. See how it works, then learn to defend against it as Black on an interactive chess board.Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess
Fool's mate ends a chess game in two moves when f3 and g4 open the king to the queen. See it, play it from both sides, and learn never to fall for it.
Unit 8
Endgame basics
The first endings every player needs: the rule of the square, the opposition, and how to win with king and pawn against king.
The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
Can the king catch the pawn? Draw a square from the pawn to the last rank and see at a glance. Learn the rule of the square on an interactive board.The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
When the kings stand face to face, the side that doesn't have to move has the opposition. Learn how it wins and saves king and pawn endings.King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending
Learn to win king and pawn against king. Get your king to a key square in front of the pawn, beat a defending bot, and avoid the stalemate trap.