How the pieces move in 7 minutes
A first lesson for those who have never played.
Articles, interactive exercises, game analyses, a glossary of terms and videos — all in one place. No sign-up, no subscription and no “first lesson free, then you pay”.
From a beginner’s trap to Morphy’s queen sacrifice. Move the pieces right on the board and get your Chess Prime rating at the end.
Choose a piece and the board will highlight every square it can move to and every square it attacks. Where everyone starts when they sit down at the board for the first time.
Two short games with the coach’s comments on every move: how the trap is set and how to defuse it with a single pawn move.
The sneakiest trick in children’s games — with examples and mini-exercises to test yourself.
Three practical principles from our coaches — no “better luck next time”.
Why “luft” saves games — and how to get into the habit of making it in time.
The centre, piece development and king safety — in simple words and with examples.
The rule of the square and opposition — the basics you need to win a won endgame.
We answer the question parents ask most often at the first free lesson.
Castling, zugzwang, fianchetto, fork, opposition — what they mean and why they’re worth knowing. Right here on this page.
We add to the library every week. Reset the filters — the material you need may be in a neighbouring section.
If your child is only just sitting down at the board, go in order. Each step is a specific material from this library, and it’s all free.
Find out what each piece can do — and that a pawn captures differently from the way it moves.
Try it on the board →Check, checkmate, stalemate, castling, fork. Without them, the coach and the textbook will sound like a foreign language.
Open the glossary →The centre, development, king safety. Half of all children’s games are lost right here.
Read the article →Scholar’s mate in four moves — and the single pawn move that cancels it out.
See the analysis →Eight checkmate puzzles, each harder than the last. At the end you get a rating you can show a friend.
Take the warm-up →On video we cover what’s hard to explain in writing: how to think about a move, how to calculate variations and why a beautiful move isn’t always the best one. The first episodes are coming soon — subscribe so you don’t miss them.
A first lesson for those who have never played.
The mating patterns that come up most often.
What to do in the first five moves so you don’t lose straight away.
Send us your game — we’ll analyse it live.
As soon as the first videos are out, they’ll appear here — and in the catalogue above under the “Video” filter.
If your child comes back from a lesson and says “I was in zugzwang”, you can quickly look up what they meant here. Click a term to see its definition.
Our coaches have put the materials we use in lessons into printable PDF workbooks. Print them out and practise with your child for 15 minutes a day.
In a free lesson the coach will go through your child’s game, show their strengths and name two or three things that will lead to quick progress. 45 minutes, online, no obligation.