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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 guideLearn Chess
Online Chess Practice Tools for Kids: Puzzles, Games and Lessons
Between classes, Envision students practise in the portal: guided lessons, rated puzzles, checkmate drills, a board-vision game and games against the computer. Here is what each tool does and how to use it.
5 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 guideFor Parents
Top Chess Academies in Kolkata: A 2026 Guide for Parents
Kolkata has one of India's richest chess cultures and plenty of academies to choose from. Here are the leading options - starting with our own four centres and online classes - with the areas they serve and who each one suits.
8 min readRead the guideFor Parents
How to Join Your Free Demo Chess Class After Your Account Is Created
From the first login to the live classroom: completing your details, choosing a demo time, what happens while the academy assigns a coach, and how to join when the room opens.
10 min readRead the guideFor Parents
How to Take Your Online Chess Level Exam: A Step-by-Step Guide
Every Envision student sits a short online exam at the end of each level. Here is every screen, on a computer and on a phone: finding the exam, the rules, the questions, the positions, submitting, and getting your certificate.
9 min readRead the guideFor Parents
How to Join Your Online Chess Class, Check Attendance and Ask Your Coach
Where to find the next class, when the room opens, how the calendar and attendance pages work, and how to message the coach - every screen on a computer and on a phone.
5 min readRead the guideFor Parents
How to Do Your Chess Homework Online: A Step-by-Step Guide
Every Envision class comes with homework in the student portal: quick questions, positions to solve on a real board and games against the computer. Here is every step on a computer and on a phone.
5 min readRead the guideFor Parents
How to Book a Parent-Teacher Meeting with Your Child's Chess Coach
Families can request a one-to-one meeting with their child's coach straight from the portal. Here is how PTM credits work, how to request one, and how to join on the day, on a computer and on a phone.
5 min readRead the guideFor Parents
Chess Progress Reports and Fees: Reports, Credits, Invoices and Your Account
Monthly progress reports, the chess profile, class credits, invoices and account settings all live in the student portal. Here is where to find each one, on a computer and on a phone.
5 min readRead the guideCity guides: chess for families across India
Practical guides for parents in India's big cities - smog days, monsoons, after-school schedules, exams and local chess history.
City Guides
Online vs Offline Chess Classes: Which Is Better for Your Child?
Should your child learn chess at a local academy or in a live online class? We teach both ways - online across India and in person at four Kolkata centres - so here is an honest comparison.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Why Chennai Is the Chess Capital of India: From Manuel Aaron to Gukesh
India's first international master, its first grandmaster and its youngest world champion all came out of Chennai. Here is how one city became the centre of Indian chess - and what young players anywhere can learn from it.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Indoor Activities for Kids on Delhi's Smog Days: A Parent's Guide
When the air quality turns severe and outdoor play stops, Delhi parents face weeks of children stuck indoors. Here are indoor activities that keep children busy and learning - and a plan for making the season count.
6 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Monsoon Indoor Activities for Kids in Mumbai: Keeping Rainy Weeks Busy
From June to September, Mumbai's rain turns evenings indoors and sometimes closes schools for days. These indoor activities keep children busy, learning and off the sofa - plus a simple weekly plan for the whole season.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
After-School Activities for Kids in Bangalore: How to Choose (and How Many)
Bengaluru parents have more after-school options than almost anywhere in India - and less time to get to them. Here is how to choose a balanced mix, how many activities is too many, and where chess fits in.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
School Chess Club or Proper Chess Coaching? A Guide for Hyderabad Parents
Many Hyderabad children first play chess in a school club. Here is what a club gives them, what it usually cannot, the signs your child is ready for proper coaching - and how to keep both.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
How to Balance Chess and Studies: A Practical Guide for Pune Families
Pune parents tend to ask the same thing once a child gets serious about chess: will it hurt their studies? Here is how to build a weekly schedule that leaves room for both, and what to change when exams arrive.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Chennai: A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Chennai: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
6 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Mumbai: A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Mumbai: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
6 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Delhi (New Delhi): A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Delhi: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
6 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Bengaluru (Bangalore): A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Bengaluru: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Hyderabad: A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Hyderabad: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Pune: A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Pune: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
5 min readRead the guideCity Guides
Top Chess Academies in Ahmedabad: A 2026 Guide for Parents
A guide to chess academies in Ahmedabad: Envision's live online classes first, then the local academies families ask us about - with the areas they serve, their formats and who each one suits.
6 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.
Tournaments & Ratings
How to Get a FIDE Rating in India: A Step-by-Step Guide
A FIDE rating is the international measure of a chess player's strength, and in India the route to one runs through AICF registration and rated tournaments. Here is the process, what the rules require and how to prepare a child for it.
6 min readRead the guideTournaments & Ratings
Online Chess Tournaments for Students: How to Join and Play
Envision runs regular online tournaments inside the student portal. Here is how to find one, join it, play your games and follow your place on the academy leaderboard.
5 min readRead the guide