Best Chess Openings for Beginners to Play White and Black
You've played a few games, you know how the chess pieces move, and you're starting to notice that the first...
Online Chess Lessons For Beginners
Learn how to play chess starting from the basics
If you want to learn chess, then you are in the right place. Below is the plan I recommend for you to learn how to play chess and get started with this great game — completely free!
For beginners in chess, I suggest starting with the section on the rules and following the links at the end of each page to progress through the tutorial or choose the lessons that suit you best.
The Basic Chess rules
Learn the basics step by step, starting by looking at the the chessboard and the pieces as well as all the rules with a method that has already helped more than 200,000 people to master the rules of chess! Exercises will help you acquire the material, and you will be able to play a game of chess from the beginning to the end after this lesson.
If you are already familiar with the rules, you can move on to more advanced lessons: algebraic notation, the phases of the game (the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame), checkmate patterns, tactics. You can also use the menu at the top of the page to search for specific topics or navigate through the site.
Additional Concepts
Once you have mastered the movement of the pieces and the rules, continue your discovery by learning concepts essential to your development: learning how to read and write a game of chess with the algebraic notation and understanding the different phases of a game of chess (the opening, the middlegame and the endgame).
The Checkmate Patterns
Become a better player by learning how to finish your game and studying the different checkmate patterns (back-rank checkmate, epaulette mate, the smothered mate, the lethal kiss and many others). Discover the most famous mates played in history and enjoy yourself by solving puzzles and problems with the exercises.
Chess Tactics
Build up your repertoire of ammunition, learn to win and avoid traps by exploring the world of tactics: the pin, the fork, the skewer, etc. Move on to serious things by studying the combinations and by replaying the best games of the greatest tacticians.
Looking for Individual Guidance?
If you find yourself wanting more structured guidance or quicker progress with your chess, we also offer 1:1 online coaching sessions. These work well for players who’d like personalised feedback on their games, help identifying specific areas to work on, or simply prefer having a coach to discuss ideas with.
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Learn chess as a beginner — with free lessons, tutorials, or one-on-one coaching.