A real curriculum, not ad-hoc lessons
Five stages, fifteen levels and 240 taught sessions, from the first move through to Masters. Every level is sixteen sessions across two months.
Beginner Stage · 48 Sessions
Beginner Chess Course
Online chess classes for beginners, starting from the very first move.
Start from the very first move. 48 live sessions with a coach, across three levels, taking a complete beginner from how a rook moves to delivering checkmate on purpose.
3
Levels
48
Sessions
6
Months
48 live sessions
Across three levels
2 classes per week
A steady, repeatable rhythm
16 sessions per level
About two months each
No experience needed
Placed by a coach in the demo
Why Envision
Why parents choose Envision Chess Academy.
Not a set of loose classes. A structured path, a coach who knows where your child is, and a portal that shows you the progress.
Your child starts at the right level
A free assessment with a coach places them at the exact session to begin from, rather than a generic beginner slot.
Everything in one portal
Live classes, homework, tournaments, coach feedback, progress reports, invoices and payments behind a single login.
Feedback every week
Coaches review submitted homework and answer questions between classes, so nothing waits until the next session.
Competition is built in
Weekly academy tournaments with real pairings, live games, results and leaderboards - not just practice games.
Parents can see all of it
Attendance, assignment scores, tournament results and fee history are visible to parents, not only to the student.
Full Curriculum
Every session in the beginner chess course.
This is the actual syllabus a coach teaches from - not a summary. 48 sessions, 3 levels, in the order they are taught. Every session is live, online for students anywhere in India and offline at our four Kolkata centres.
Beginner · Level 1
Sessions 1–16
The board, the pieces and the rules. By the end of this level a complete beginner can play a full, legal game and record it.
- 1Introduction to the course, the game & its history, introduction to the board
- 2Introduction to the pieces & their values, symbols of the pieces, setting up a board
- 3Movement of Rook, Movement of Bishop (including captures)
- 4Movement of Queen (including captures)
- 5Movement of Pawn, Movement of King (including captures)
- 6Movement of Knight (including captures)
- 7Notation Writing
- 8Revision Class
- 9Attacking a Piece
- 10Capturing a Hanging Piece
- 11Good Trade, Bad Trade, Equal Trade
- 12Gaining by Exchange
- 13Defending a Piece
- 14Giving Check & Getting Rid of Check
- 15Checkmate
- 16Revision Class
16 sessions · about 2 months
Beginner · Level 2
Sessions 17–32
The rules that catch people out - stalemate, castling, promotion, en passant - plus finding checkmate in one and the opening principles.
- 17Stalemate
- 18Castling & Exceptions
- 19Promotion & Underpromotion
- 20En Passant Day 1
- 21Legal and Illegal Moves
- 22Revision Class
- 23Practice and Analysis
- 24How Does a Game End in a Draw
- 25Mate in 1 (Queen)
- 26Mate in 1 (Rook & Bishop)
- 27Mate in 1 with Pawn
- 28Mate in 1 (Knight)
- 29Defending Checkmate
- 30The Basic Principles of Chess (including Opening)
- 31Revision Class
- 32Practice and Analysis
16 sessions · about 2 months
Beginner · Level 3
Sessions 33–48
Delivering checkmate on purpose: king and queen, two rooks, rook and king, then defending, opening traps and punishing weak moves.
- 33Mate in 1 Easy
- 34Mate in 1 Medium
- 35Mate in 1 Hard
- 36Mate in 1 Mixed
- 37Checkmate with King and Queen
- 38Checkmate with Double Rook
- 39Checkmate with Single Rook and King
- 40Combined Practice: Checkmate with Queen, Double Rook and Single Rook
- 41Revision Class
- 42Practice and Analysis
- 43Proper Defensive Choices
- 44Opening Traps (Simple)
- 45Punishing Bad Opening Moves
- 46The Important Rules of Chess
- 47Practice and Analysis
- 48Revision Class
16 sessions · about 2 months
Student Results
Results from students on this ladder.
Students who trained through the Envision syllabus, of which the beginner course is one stage.
Aqmal Rizqy bin Abdul Rasid
1st in Under 10 category
Manjungrian 6 Chess Championship 2024 · 2024 · International level
Story
Yash Lohana
Arena International Master title; rating increased from 1480 to 1737
FIDE Online Arena · International level
Story
Anish Bijibilla
Top Boy award
EJCOA Chess Qualifying Tournament · National level
Story
Sarah
1st in Girls Under 11; selected as G11 National Player of Myanmar
Myanmar National Age Group Chess Championships · 2025 · National level
StoryQuestions
Common questions about this beginner chess course.
Who is this online chess course for beginners suitable for?
Anyone who has never played, or who knows roughly how the pieces move but has never been taught properly. The first session starts with the board itself, so no prior knowledge is assumed.
How long does the beginner course take to complete?
The beginner stage is 48 sessions in total, split into three levels of sixteen. At two classes a week each level takes about two months, so the full beginner stage runs roughly six months.
Are the classes live or recorded?
Every session is live with a coach. Students join from the academy portal, and homework, coach feedback and progress reports live in the same place.
What happens after the beginner course?
The ladder continues into Intermediate, Semi Pro, Pro and Masters. Each stage is another three levels of sixteen sessions, 240 taught sessions end to end.
How do I know which level my child should start at?
Book a free demo class. A coach assesses the student during the session and recommends the exact session number to begin from, rather than defaulting everyone to session one.
Start with a free assessment
Start this chess course this week.
A coach assesses your child in the demo class and tells you exactly which session to start from. No obligation, online or at a Kolkata centre.