Chess Moment · Learn
Learn chess, one idea at a time
Twelve lessons, in the order the app teaches them. Every one walks a real position step by step — what to look at, what to play, and what goes wrong if you play something else.
The twelve lessons
Lesson 1
How the pieces move
Rook, bishop, queen, knight, king and pawn — plus castling, promotion and one footnote.
Lesson 2
Check, checkmate, stalemate
What check forces you to do, when the game ends, and the draw that steals wins.
Lesson 3
Loose pieces
Protect, capture, do not hang.
Lesson 4
Checks, captures, threats
The scan to run before every move: your checks, your captures, their threats.
Lesson 5
Forks
One move, two targets.
Lesson 6
Pins and skewers
Two enemy pieces on one line: the one in front cannot move — or must.
Lesson 7
Discovered attacks
Move one piece, and the piece behind it attacks too.
Lesson 8
Back-rank mates and king safety
A king behind its own pawns has no door.
Lesson 9
Development and the centre
The first ten moves: centre pawn, knights, bishops, castle.
Lesson 10
Queen mate
King and queen against a lone king — and the stalemate trap.
Lesson 11
Rook mate
King and rook against a lone king: cut off, walk up, check.
Lesson 12
Converting an advantage: trades and pawn endings
Count before you capture; when ahead, trade pieces; walk the king in front of the pawn.
Opening lessons
The opening school from the app, one course per opening: the ideas behind the first moves, on real positions.
Opening Principles
Chess opening principles on real positions: claim the centre with a pawn, bring each piece out with a purpose, and answer a check with a move that develops.
Italian Game
The Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) on real positions: castle before the centre opens, guard e4 without the fork trick, and prepare d4 with c3.
London System
The London System (1.d4 and an early Bf4) on real positions: the bishop out before e3, the replies that test it, and when the Bxh7+ sacrifice really works.
Caro-Kann Defence
The Caro-Kann Defence (1.e4 c6) for Black, on real positions: the light-squared bishop out before …e6, and …c5 against the base of the Advance chain.
Queen’s Gambit
The Queen’s Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4) on real positions: why …dxc4 cannot keep the pawn, and how Bg5 pins the knight that guards d5 without grabbing too soon.
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence (1.e4 c5) for Black, on real positions: trade the c-pawn for White’s d-pawn, then put a rook on the half-open c-file and aim it at c3.
Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) on real positions: Re1 turns Bxc6 and Nxe5 into a real threat, and the knight travels d2–f1–g3 to the kingside.