How To Solve Chess Puzzles/Improve Calculation

Opening, Middlegame, Endgame Fundamentals

Our beginner chess course will take you from the basics of chess to being a formidable opponent with both White and Black.

Greetings! Welcome to the first chapter! 

Let’s check out all the basics you need to know to play good chess! 

We’ll teach you concepts like ranks, files, how each of the pieces move, and the possible ways that a game can end. Besides that, we’ll do some overview of the history of chess!

An Intro to the Basics

Video 1: An Overview Of Chess (History, The Board, Coordinates)

Video 2: Starting Position and How to Move the Pieces

Study 1: Ranks and Files

Study 2: The Pawns - Basics

Study 3: The Pawns - Special Moves

Study 4: The Bishops

Study 5: The Knights

Study 6: The Rooks

Study 7: The Queens

Study 8: The Kings

Video 3: How Chess Games End - Winning/Losing and Draws

Study 9: Stalemate

Quiz 1

Quiz 2

Quiz 3

Quiz 4

Quiz 5

Quiz 6

Quiz 7

Quiz 8

Quiz 9

Quiz 10

Quiz 11

Drill 1

Drill 2

Drill 3

Drill 4

Drill 5

Drill 6

Drill 7

Drill 8

Drill 9

Drill 10

Drill 11

Drill 12

Drill: Draw by Repetition

Drill: Stalemate

Quiz: Stalemate 

Chapter 1: The Basics

The first chapter covered the very basic things in chess. History, piece movement, and ways to end the game should all be familiar concepts by now.

A check is when the king is in danger, and sometimes a check can lead to a checkmate! This is the main way to win a game. Let’s examine some positions where a check occurs. You will learn how to give checks and how to defend against them as well. 

There are also lessons about checkmate in one and in two moves to help you engrave some common checkmate patterns into your memory!

Intro to Check & Checkmate

Video 1: Check & Getting Out of Check

Study 1: Check

Video 2: Checkmate

Video 3: Checkmate in 2 Moves

Study 2: Checkmate in One (Backrank)

Study 3: Checkmate in One (Queen Defended by a Piece)

Study 4: Checkmate in One (Piece Attacking and Getaway Square Covered)

Study 5: Checkmate in Two

Study 6: Checkmate in Two

Study 7: Checkmate in Two

Study 8: Checkmate in Three

Drill 1: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 2: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 3: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 4: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 5: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 6: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 7: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 8: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 9: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 10: Checking & Getting Out Of Check

Drill 11: Checkmate in 1

Drill 12: Checkmate in 1

Drill 13: Checkmate in 1

Drill 14: Checkmate in 1

Drill 15: Checkmate in 1

Drill 16: Checkmate in 1

Drill 17: Checkmate in 1

Drill 18: Checkmate in 1

Drill 19: Checkmate in 1

Drill 20: Checkmate in 2

Drill 21: Checkmate in 2

Drill 22: Checkmate in 2

Drill 23: Checkmate in 2

Drill 24: Checkmate in 2

Drill 25: Checkmate in 3

Quiz: Choose the Best Reaction to the Check

Quiz: Find Checkmate

Chapter 2: Check & Checkmate

We’ve covered the very basics of giving checks, getting out of checks, and delivering checkmates in one and two moves. Remembering the basic patterns will significantly improve the score of your games, and also help you to avoid getting checkmated as well!

The third chapter zooms in on the significance of each piece in certain positions. 

Each piece covers a certain number of squares, and some see each other, which means that pieces can attack, capture, or defend. This will lay out the basic principles behind strategy and tactics.

Intro to Piece Interactions

Video 1: Attacks

Video 2: Defense

Video 3: Captures

Drill 1: Attacking

Drill 2: Attacking

Drill 3: Attacking

Drill 4: Attacking

Drill 5: Attacking

Drill 6: Defending

Drill 7: Defending

Drill 8: Defending

Drill 9: Defending

Drill 10: Defending

Quiz: Attacking

Quiz: Attacking 2

Quiz: Defending

Quiz: Capturing

Drill 11: Capturing, Recapturing & Trades

Drill 12: Capturing, Recapturing & Trades

Drill 13: Capturing, Recapturing & Trades

Drill 14: Capturing, Recapturing & Trades

Drill 15: Capturing, Recapturing & Trades

Study 4: Attacking, Defending, Capturing 1

 Study 5: Attacking, Defending, Capturing 2

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 1

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 2

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 3

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 4

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 5

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 6

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 7

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 8

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 9

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 10

Drill: Attacking, Defending and Capturing 11

Quiz: Recapturing

Chapter 3: Piece Interactions

This chapter was all about how pieces interact with each other. We’ve gone over the concepts like attacking, capturing, and defending, which are important to understand when creating a plan.

Now that we have the very basics of piece play behind us, we can move on to the opening basics! 

The fourth chapter starts with openings for White. We’ll go over the plans, and what you should strive for during the initial part of the game!

Intro to Openings for White

Video 1: The Golden Moves

Study 1: The 10 Golden Moves (Diagram)

Study 2: The 10 Golden Moves (Practical Example)

Video 2: 1. e4 e5 Openings

Study 3: Openings with 1. e4 (Black Plays 1...e5)

Study 4: An Introduction to the Vienna

Video 3: 1. e4 c5 - The Sicilian

Study 5: 1. e4 c5 - The Sicilian

Video 4: Other Responses to 1. e4

Study 6: 1. e4 - Black Plays 1...c6/e6/d6/d5

Video 5: Queen's Pawn Openings

Study 7: 1. d4 - Queen's Pawn Openings

Chapter 4: Openings for White

By now you should be familiar with the basic plans in the opening, and also how to react the best way to different responses by Black. 

A good rule of thumb is that you are doing good when you control the center, develop the pieces into active squares, and get your king to safety!

Now that we’ve checked out some openings for White, it is time to look at openings for Black! 

The same principles prevail — developing your pieces and controlling the center. The difference is White gets to move first and thus gets to occupy the center first. There are a few approaches that we can take as Black.

Intro to Openings for Black

Video 1: Golden Moves Reversed

Study 1: The 10 Golden Moves Reversed 

Video 2: Symmetrical Play and CDC

Study 2: Symmetrical Play and CDC

Video 3: Fighting 1. e4 with 1...e5

Study 3: Playing Against The King's Pawn - 1...e5

Video 4: Building Blocks

Study 4: Building Blocks - Caro-Kann and French Defense

Video 5: Defending with Setups

Study 5: Setups - King's Indian / Dutch / e6/b6

Chapter 5: Openings for Black

All in all, we can see some similarities when playing as Black in the opening — developing the pieces and controlling the center. Our play could also revolve around attacking and putting pressure on White’s center.

As a beginner, you might find yourself acquiring some bad habits on the journey of learning chess. 

This chapter is aimed at trying to get rid of them! We’ll try to eliminate one move blunders, tunnel vision, and capturing nonstop!

Intro to Thinking in Chess/Bad Habits

Video 1: 1 Move Blunders

Study 1: 1 Move Blunders

Drill 1 

Drill 3 

Quiz 2 

Video 2: Nonstop Captures

Study 2: Bad Habits - Nonstop Captures

Video 3: Blind Spots

Study 3: Hanging Pieces and Blind Spots 

Chapter 6: Thinking in Chess/Bad Beginner Habits

This chapter was all about what not to do, how to avoid simple blunders during your games, or how to take advantage of them when your opponent has bad habits.

This chapter is all about pawn play. You’ll learn how to use your pawns correctly, how to avoid blundering them and we’ll try to eliminate common oversights. 

We’ll also discuss pawn structures — how they are  created and how to play according to them.

Intro to Pawns

Video 1: Common Pawn Structures

Video 2: Types of Pawn Islands

Video 3: Beginner Pawn Play

Study 1: Beginner Pawn Play Oversights 

Video 4: How to Use Pawns Logically

Study 2: How to Use the Pawns Logically

Chapter 7: Using Your Pawns

Pawns dictate a lot of stuff, like who gets the upper hand in the opening, plans in the middlegame and the endgame. This chapter should help you understand the basic principles and what plans to follow to avoid mistakes regarding pawn play.

Each piece has a different role and utilization. This could depend on the position, or part of the game (opening, middlegame, endgame). You’ll learn how to use them correctly and accordingly. 

This chapter also ties in nicely with the previous chapter about pawns, since piece play is also dependent on the pawn structure!

Intro to Using Your Pieces

Video 1: How to Use Your Knights

Drill 1: Using the Knight

Drill 2: Using the Knight

Drill 3: Using the Knight

Drill 4: Using the Knight

Video 2: How to Use Your Bishops

Drill 5: Using the Bishop

Drill 6: Using the Bishop

Drill 7: Using the Bishop

Drill 8: Using the Bishop

Video 3: How to Use Your Rooks

Drill 9: Using the Rooks

Drill 10: Using the Rooks

Drill 11: Using the Rooks

Video 4: How to Use the Queen

Drill 12: Using the Queen

Drill 13: Using the Queen

Drill 14: Using the Queen

Drill 15: Using the Queen

Chapter 8: Using Your Pieces

By now, it should be clearer how to use the different pieces, and how to choose the correct squares for them. 

Each piece excels at something else!

Beginner Chess

Beginner Chess

Level

Color

Stage

USD 64

What is included

Instructor

Levy Rozman

Level

Color

Stage

Elo Range

What you will learn

Description

Chapters