Chess Jump-In Lessons
Pick any topic from the main curriculum. For board setup and piece rules, use the separate Start Here branch.
openings
Use a simple checklist: develop pieces, control center, castle, and avoid early queen moves.
Build a safe white opening setup with e4, Nf3, Bc4, and an early castle for king safety.
Use ...e5 and develop quickly with knights and bishops before searching for tactics.
Meet 1.d4 with ...d5 and build a calm setup with ...e6 and natural development.
middlegame
Learn the value of each piece and how to spot when a piece is left undefended ("hanging") so you can win it for free.
Before every move, scan the board for checks, captures, and threats ("CCT") - the three most forcing kinds of moves.
A fork is one move that attacks two enemy pieces at the same time, so the opponent can only save one of them.
A pin locks a piece in place because moving it would expose a more valuable piece (often the king) behind it.
A skewer attacks a valuable piece that must move out of the way, exposing a less valuable piece behind it to be captured.
A discovered attack happens when moving one piece out of the way reveals an attack from a different piece behind it.
Keep your king safe by castling early and moving it out of danger the moment it comes under attack.
An active piece controls important squares and open lines. Learn to move your pieces to their best, safest squares.
endgame
Use two heavy pieces like a sliding wall to squeeze the enemy king rank by rank until checkmate.
Make a smaller queen box, walk your king closer, and finish the mate without accidentally stalemating the king.
Use the rook to cut off lines, bring your king with opposition, and mate only when the enemy king is trapped on the edge.
Reach the last rank, choose the right new piece, and remember that a queen is strong but not always the best choice.
A passed pawn has no enemy pawn in front of it on its file or the next files, so it can become a star of the endgame.
Use an imaginary square to decide quickly whether a king can catch a running pawn.
When kings face each other with one square between them, the side not to move often has the stronger seat.
If you are winning, trading pieces often makes the game easier—as long as you do not trade into stalemate or a dead draw.