🌈 BEGINNER ADVENTURE

Start Chess from Zero

You do not need to know a single rule. Meet the board, learn every piece, watch moves animate, hear short explanations, practise safely, and then play a real person when you are ready.

🚀 Start My First Lesson ▶ Watch Mini Videos

1 Learn2 Try3 Practise4 Play Live

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Hi! I am your chess board 👋
Light square on the right!

YOUR LEARNING MAP

Learn one small thing at a time

Not every lesson needs a PGN. Stories are stories, piece lessons are interactive, rules are animated, and only move examples use the chess board.

1📖What is Chess?Game + history 2🧩Build the Board64 equal squares 3♟Meet PiecesNames + moves 4✨Rule LabSpecial rules 5✍️Write MovesNotation + score sheet 6🎯PracticeLevels 1–5 7🏅RatingsIndia + world 8🟢Play LiveChallenge others

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STORY TIME

What is Chess?

Chess is a two-player thinking game played on a board of 64 squares. Each player starts with 16 pieces. White moves first. The goal is not to capture every piece — the goal is to checkmate the opponent King.

Chess developed from older games in India and travelled through Persia, the Islamic world and Europe. Over many centuries, the rules changed into the modern game we play today. FIDE, the international chess federation, was founded in 1924.

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Protect

Keep your King safe.

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Think

Look before you move.

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Plan

Use all your pieces.

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Finish

Checkmate wins.

BOARD SCHOOL

Build the board correctly

The chess board below always stays perfectly square: 8 rows × 8 columns, so all 64 squares are exactly the same size.

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Build it with me — one step at a time

Step 1 — Light on rightTurn the empty board so the bottom-right corner, h1, is a light square.

Step 2 — Corners to centreRook, Knight, Bishop, then Queen on her own colour, then King. Mirror the same order for Black.

Step 3 — Pawns make the front lineWhite Pawns fill rank 2. Black Pawns fill rank 7.

Watch pieces arrive in the same order you should use at home.

PIECE PLAYGROUND

Meet the six chess pieces

Click a piece. The board lights up the squares it can move to. This is much easier for a child than reading a long PGN.

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Knight

The Knight moves in an L-shape: two squares one way, then one sideways. It is the only piece that can jump over other pieces.

🐴 Think: long step + short step.

Yellow dots show every legal destination from the centre.

ANIMATED RULE LAB

Rules that surprise new players

Choose a rule and press Play. The pieces move on the board with animated arrows. Short explanations can also be spoken aloud.

CASTLING

Move King and Rook together

NOTATION LAB

Learn to read and write chess moves

Files are letters a–h. Ranks are numbers 1–8. The square name always uses the letter first, then the number.

🎯 Find the square

Click the square shown below.

Your turn!

Move-writing examples

e4Nf3Bxc6+Qh7#O-Oe8=Qe8=N

How to fill a score sheet — no guessing

Before the game: write your name, opponent name, round and board number if the organiser asks.

During the game: after each move, write the move in the correct White or Black column. The number at the left is the move number.

Example:
1. e4 e5 → White Pawn goes to e4, Black Pawn goes to e5.
2. Nf3 Nc6 → White Knight goes to f3, Black Knight goes to c6.
3. Bc4 Bc5 → both Bishops develop.
4. O-O → White castles Kingside.

Symbols: x means capture, + means Check, # means Checkmate, O-O means Kingside Castling, and =Q means Promotion to Queen.

In a real event, follow the arbiter’s instructions. Some time controls have special score-sheet rules.

CHESSPICKER PRACTICE SCORE SHEET
White: __________			Black: __________
No.	White	Black	No.	White	Black
1	e4	e5	6
2	Nf3	Nc6	7
3	Bc4	Bc5	8
4	O-O	Nf6	9
5	d3	O-O	10

MINI VIDEO LIBRARY

Watch, then try it yourself

These short lessons use clean spoken narration in the selected language. Press Play and the lesson speaks while the animation runs. They do not depend on YouTube.

Welcome to Chess

Goal, turns and Checkmate.

Build the Board

Light on right, back rank and Pawns.

King Moves

One safe square in every direction.

Queen Moves

Long straight and diagonal paths.

Rook Moves

Files and ranks — straight roads.

Bishop Moves

Diagonal movement and square colour.

Knight Moves

L-shape and jumping.

Pawn Moves

Forward movement and diagonal captures.

Check & Checkmate

Warning versus game-ending mate.

Castling

King and Rook move together safely.

En Passant

The one-move-only Pawn capture.

Promotion & Underpromotion

Queen, Rook, Bishop or Knight.

Draw Rules

Stalemate, repetition and 50/75 moves.

Read & Write Moves

Squares, piece letters and symbols.

Score Sheet

How tournament moves are recorded.

Ratings & Tournaments

Standard, Rapid, Blitz and rating journey.

COMPUTER PRACTICE

Levels 1 to 5 — easy to medium

New players should win confidence before facing a strong engine. Start at Level 1 and move up gradually.

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First Moves

Very easy. Learn legal moves and captures.

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Keep Pieces Safe

Easy. Stop leaving pieces unprotected.

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Develop & Castle

Easy+. Centre, pieces, King safety.

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Simple Tactics

Forks, Pins, Checks and threats.

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Ready to Compete

Medium. Play a complete game.

YOUR CHESS ROAD

Ratings, game types and tournaments

A rating is a playing-strength number, not a school mark. Different game speeds can have separate ratings. Children should first learn the rules, then practise complete games, then enter suitable school, club, state, national or international events.

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Standard / Classical

Long games with the most thinking time. These are best for learning calculation and planning. In many over-the-board events you may need to record moves on a score sheet.

Good for: deep thinking, tournament habits, long plans.

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Rapid

Faster than Standard but still enough time to think. Rapid is popular in school, club and weekend events and is a useful bridge between learning and speed.

Good for: practical decision-making and confidence.

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Blitz

Very fast chess. You must think and move quickly. Blitz is fun, but a new child should first build correct habits in slower games.

Good for: pattern recognition after basics are strong.

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Online rating

Chess websites may give their own rating. It is useful for matching players of similar strength, but it is not automatically the same as an official national or FIDE rating.

One player can have different ratings on different websites.

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India: rated events

In India, children often begin through schools, clubs, academies, district or state events, and tournaments connected with the recognised federation structure. Event rules and registration requirements vary, so always read the official event notice.

Ask the organiser whether the event is officially rated and what ID or registration is required.

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FIDE ratings

FIDE is the international chess federation. Eligible FIDE-rated events can produce separate Standard, Rapid and Blitz ratings under FIDE rules.

An online rating does not automatically become a FIDE rating.

⏱️ Which game uses how much time?

Classical / Standard
Long thinking games. A player usually has much more time than in Rapid or Blitz; official events commonly use 60 minutes or more per player, often with an increment. Best for deep learning and serious tournament chess.Rapid
Faster than Standard but still enough time to think. Under FIDE definitions, Rapid is more than 10 minutes and less than 60 minutes per player, including the effect of increment. Good for developing practical decision-making.Blitz
Very fast chess. Under FIDE definitions, each player has 10 minutes or less for the whole game, including the effect of increment. Fun and useful for pattern recognition, but beginners should not learn only through Blitz.Bullet / very fast online
Often 1–2 minutes online. This is mainly entertainment and speed practice, not the best place for a new child to learn good thinking habits.

Important: the exact time control is always written in the tournament notice. Examples may look like 60+30 (60 minutes plus 30 seconds added after each move), 15+10, 10+0, or 3+2.

⭐ What does a rating mean?

Online sites can give their own ratings, and those numbers belong to that site. Official over-the-board ratings are calculated from eligible rated games under the relevant federation rules. Standard, Rapid and Blitz can have separate official rating lists. A child does not receive a strong rating by simply registering; the rating comes from actual results against eligible opponents.

🏆 Tournament formats children may meet

Swiss: everyone usually keeps playing for several rounds and is paired with players on similar scores. Round-robin: every player in the group plays every other player. Knockout: a match loss can eliminate a player or team. Team event: individual board results add to a school, club, state or country team score.

How a beginner moves from home practice to a rated tournament

Learn the full rules: legal moves, Check, Checkmate, Stalemate, Castling, En Passant, Promotion, touch-move and basic draw rules.
Practise complete games: start with Levels 1–5 here, then play family, school or club games.
Learn tournament habits: use the chess clock correctly, record moves when required, stay quiet, and call the arbiter instead of arguing.
Choose the event: check whether it is casual, school, club, state, national or FIDE-rated and read the published eligibility and registration details.
Play rated opponents: results from eligible games are processed according to the relevant rating regulations.
Keep improving: review every game. A rating goes up and down; the real goal is better chess.

Swiss — many players, several rounds, players meet others on similar scores.Round-robin — everyone in the group plays everyone else.Knockout — a match or round eliminates a player or team.Team — players score for their school, club, state or country team.

CHESS HEROES

Meet players who can inspire you

Every champion once had to learn how a Pawn moves.

Viswanathan Anand 🇮🇳

India’s first Grandmaster and a five-time World Champion. Anand became a national inspiration because of his speed, calm calculation and long elite career.

Gukesh Dommaraju 🇮🇳

A leading player of India’s new generation. His rise shows how disciplined study, classical chess and strong tournament experience can build world-class skill.

R Praggnanandhaa 🇮🇳

A young Indian Grandmaster admired for fearless play against elite opponents and for performing strongly on major international stages.

Koneru Humpy 🇮🇳

One of India’s greatest women chess players and a long-time world elite competitor. Her career is a powerful example for young girls learning chess.

Harika Dronavalli 🇮🇳

Indian Grandmaster and multiple-time Women’s World Championship medal contender, known for resilience and strong tournament play.

Arjun Erigaisi 🇮🇳

An Indian Grandmaster known for energetic, ambitious chess and rapid progress into the world elite.

Magnus Carlsen 🇳🇴

Former World Champion and one of the highest-rated players in history, famous for deep positional understanding and exceptional endgame technique.

Judit Polgár 🇭🇺

Widely regarded as the strongest female chess player in history. She competed directly with the world’s best open-field players and became a role model for attacking chess.

Garry Kasparov

World Champion famous for preparation, dynamic attacking play and intense competitive energy. His games are still studied by ambitious players.

Bobby Fischer 🇺🇸

World Champion remembered for precise opening preparation and remarkable dedication to chess improvement. His games remain educational classics.

Player photographs are loaded from Wikimedia Commons; see each source page for its licence.

Ready for a real game?

Learn first. Practise safely. Then challenge another player in the same ChessPicker Live Game Room used by Advanced players.

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