Experience the battle. Understand the move.

Short chess lessons on a wooden board. Each one takes a single position and shows the best move, why it works, and why the tempting move is not the best.

The lesson library is coming

Leave your email and we will write once, when it opens. After that we delete the list.

Close view of a wooden chessboard: the white knight has just jumped to f7, the black king on h8 sits on a red square, and gold frames mark g8, g7 and h7, the squares his own rook and pawns block. — Checkmate in the first lesson. His own pieces close every door.

How to read a lesson

Blue arrow The move being explained.
Gold frame A square the king cannot use.
Red square The king is in check.
Move marks ! for a good move, !! for a brilliant one.

The starting position of the first lesson on a wooden board, seen from White's side.

First lesson: The Knight Behind the Walls

White to move. Every knight move gives check, and one of them wins the queen. Only one move mates in three.

1. Nh6+! Kh8 2. Qg8+!! Rxg8 3. Nf7#

Illustrative position, built for teaching.

Watch on YouTube

How we check a lesson

Stockfish analyses the position. Every claim records the engine version and how deep it searched.
Short forced mates are proved by trying every legal defence, not by trusting a single search.
A person reviews the chess and the film before it is published.

The narration is a synthetic voice, and the board and pieces are 3D renders. The chess is checked by hand.