Free chess guides
Chess Blog: guides for parents and players
Learn how to play chess step by step, with board diagrams for every rule, checkmate and tactic - and get straight answers on choosing online chess classes for your child, wherever you live.
For Parents
How Do Online Chess Classes Work? A Complete Guide for Parents
Thinking about online chess classes for your child? Here is how a live class actually runs, what separates a good class from a video call, how group and one-to-one compare, and how to tell if your child is improving.
7 min readRead the guideLearn chess: rules, checkmates, openings and tactics
Step-by-step guides with board diagrams, written the way our coaches teach the beginner and intermediate stages.
Learn Chess
How Chess Pieces Move: A Complete Beginner's Guide
Every chess piece moves in its own pattern. Here is each one - king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn - with a diagram of exactly where it can go, how it captures, and what it is worth.
8 min readRead the guideLearn Chess
Chess Rules for Beginners: Check, Castling, En Passant and Draws
Once you know how the pieces move, these are the rules that decide every game: check, checkmate, castling, en passant, promotion, stalemate and draws - each with a diagram and the common mistakes.
8 min readRead the guideLearn Chess
How to Checkmate in Chess: The 5 Basic Mates Every Beginner Needs
Checkmate wins the game - but only if you can actually deliver it. These five mates are the ones every beginner must know by heart, each with the final position and the method to reach it.
7 min readRead the guideLearn Chess
Chess Openings for Beginners: 10 Principles That Beat Memorising Moves
Beginners do not need to memorise openings - they need principles. These ten rules for the first dozen moves will give you a good position against anyone, and they explain every opening you learn later.
6 min readRead the guideLearn Chess
Chess Tactics for Beginners: Forks, Pins, Skewers and Discovered Attacks
Most games below club level are decided by a tactic: a fork, a pin or a skewer that wins a piece. Learn the five patterns that matter most, see each on a board, and learn how to spot them in your own games.
6 min readRead the guideFor parents: choosing chess classes for your child
Honest answers to the questions parents ask before they book a first chess class, online or abroad.
For Parents
What Is the Best Age for a Child to Start Learning Chess?
Children can learn the moves as young as four, but the best age for structured chess classes is usually five to seven. Here are the signs of readiness, what each age group gets from chess, and how to begin.
5 min readRead the guideFor Parents
Online Chess Classes for Kids Abroad: USA, UK, UAE, Singapore and Australia
Families in more than 15 countries learn chess live with coaches in India. Here is how the time difference actually works for the USA, UK, Gulf, Southeast Asia and Australia, and how to find a class time that fits school and sleep.
5 min readRead the guideFor Parents
How to Choose a Chess Coach for Your Child: A 10-Point Checklist
A strong player is not automatically a good coach, and a slick website is not a curriculum. This ten-point checklist helps parents compare chess coaches and academies - and spot the red flags before paying.
5 min readRead the guideTournaments and FIDE ratings
How rated chess works in India, and what it takes to move from academy games to rated events.