Free resources
A study roadmap for your level, tools to analyse your games, opening and endgame guides, training plans and the best books, all free and chosen by our coaches.
Free PDF worksheets for ChessDepth students
Sign in to the Student Area to download worksheets and concept books for every course.
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Train the board in your head. Five drills, from naming square colours to solving puzzles with the pieces hidden. The skill strong players use to calculate further and blunder less.
Start trainingStart here
Find your level and focus on what matters most right now. Ratings are rough guides (online rapid or FIDE).
Stage 1 · New to chess
0 – 800
Focus: safety of your pieces
Stage 2 · Beginner
800 – 1200
Focus: daily tactics
Stage 3 · Improver
1200 – 1600
Focus: calculation and plans
Stage 4 · Club player
1600 – 2000
Focus: strategy and endgames
Stage 5 · Advanced
2000+
Focus: depth and consistency
Free tool
Enter a Lichess username to see current ratings, recent results with White and Black, and the openings played most often. Profiles must be public.
Want an example?
Free tool
Drag pieces to set up a position, paste a FEN from a book or game, then copy it or open it on Lichess for engine analysis.
Tip: drag a piece off the board to remove it. "Analyse on Lichess" opens the position with White to move.
Opening guide
Popular openings, what they aim for and who they suit. Learn the ideas first; the moves follow. Read more in Building a Solid Opening Repertoire.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
Quick development and pressure on f7. Later White prepares c3 and d4 to build a big centre.
Explore on Lichess1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
Long-term pressure on Black's e5 pawn and centre. Rich middlegames with slow manoeuvring.
Explore on Lichess1.d4 d5 2.c4
White offers a wing pawn to remove Black's centre pawn and gain control of the centre.
Explore on Lichess1.d4 d5 2.Bf4
The same easy setup (d4, Bf4, e3, Nf3, c3) against almost anything. Less theory to learn.
Explore on Lichess1.c4
Control d5 from the side and keep many options open. Often transposes to other openings.
Explore on LichessTactics glossary
Almost every combination is built from these patterns. Learn to name them, and you will start to see them. Try them out in Mastering Basic Chess Tactics.
Fork
One piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at once.
Pin
A piece can't move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it.
Skewer
A valuable piece is attacked and, when it moves, the piece behind it is lost.
Discovered attack
Moving one piece uncovers an attack by the piece behind it.
Double check
Two pieces give check at once, so the king must move.
Removing the defender
Capture or chase away the piece that protects a target.
Deflection
Force a defender to leave the square or piece it is guarding.
Decoy
Lure a piece (often the king) onto a square where it can be attacked.
Overloading
One piece has two defensive jobs and can't do both.
Interference
Block the line between a defender and the piece it protects.
Zwischenzug
An "in-between move": a stronger move played before the expected recapture.
X-ray
A piece attacks or defends a square through another piece.
Back-rank mate
A rook or queen mates a king trapped behind its own pawns.
Smothered mate
A knight mates a king that is surrounded by its own pieces.
Desperado
A piece that will be lost anyway grabs as much as it can first.
Endgame checklist
Tick off each one when you can play it confidently from both sides. Your ticks are saved in this browser. Start with the Lucena and Philidor positions.
Foundation
Intermediate
Advanced
Weekly training plan
Pick the plan that matches the time you have. Consistency beats long, rare sessions.
| Activity | 3 hours / week | 6 hours / week | 10+ hours / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tactics puzzles | 15 min, 5 days | 20 min daily | 30 min daily |
| Serious games (15+ min) | 2 games | 3–4 games | 5+ games or a tournament |
| Analyse your games | 30 min | 1 hour | 2 hours |
| Endgames | 20 min | 45 min | 1.5 hours |
| Openings (ideas & model games) | 15 min | 30 min | 1.5 hours |
| Strategy / master games | – | 45 min | 1.5 hours |
| Calculation exercises | – | 30 min | 1 hour |
ChessDepth students get a personal plan from their coach, adjusted after every quiz.
Reading list
Classics and modern favourites our coaches recommend, grouped by level.
By our coach, GM Daniel Gormally
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
Bobby Fischer, Stuart Margulies & Donn Mosenfelder
Teaches back-rank mates and basic tactics through hundreds of short questions.
Logical Chess: Move by Move
Irving Chernev
Every single move of 33 master games explained in plain language.
The Steps Method (Step 1–3)
Rob Brunia & Cor van Wijgerden
Graded workbooks used by chess schools worldwide, ideal for children.
Chess Fundamentals
José Raúl Capablanca
A world champion's classic on endgames, middlegame planning and principles.
The Amateur's Mind
Jeremy Silman
Shows the typical thinking errors of club players and how to fix them.
Silman's Complete Endgame Course
Jeremy Silman
Endgames organised by rating, so you learn exactly what you need next.
Winning Chess Strategies
Yasser Seirawan
A friendly introduction to planning, weaknesses and piece play.
Chess Tactics for Champions
Susan Polgar & Paul Truong
Tactical patterns explained step by step with lots of practice.
My System
Aron Nimzowitsch
The foundation of modern positional chess: blockade, prophylaxis, open files.
How to Reassess Your Chess
Jeremy Silman
Teaches you to evaluate positions through imbalances and make plans.
The Woodpecker Method
Axel Smith & Hans Tikkanen
A tactics training system based on solving the same puzzles faster and faster.
Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide
Mauricio Flores Rios
The typical plans and ideas in the most common pawn structures.
Think Like a Grandmaster
Alexander Kotov
The classic book on calculation and choosing candidate moves.
Online tools
Play & solve puzzles
Study & learn
Analyse
Tournaments & ratings
From the blog
Training
Introducing ChessDepth AI: Turn Any Chess Screenshot into a Board
ChessDepth AI is free and in beta. Drop in a screenshot or a book diagram and get a board you can edit, the FEN, and a one-click Lichess analysis. Here is how to use it, how it works and what comes next.
1 Nov 2026
Training
How to Use AI and Modern Tools to Improve at Chess Faster
Engines, game reviews, human-like AI, chatbots and puzzle trainers can speed up your progress, or slow it down. Here is how to use each one the right way, with a simple weekly plan.
25 Oct 2026
Parents
Chess for Kids: A Parent's Guide
What children gain from chess, when to start, how to support your child at home, and how to choose a good chess class.
15 Oct 2026
FAQ
Yes. The analyser, board editor, guides and lists are free for everyone. Books are sold separately by their publishers.
It works with public Lichess accounts only (Chess.com isn't supported yet). Check the spelling of the username and make sure the account has played rated games.
Follow Stage 1 of the roadmap: learn the basic mates, use the Lichess Practice lessons, and solve a few easy puzzles every day. A coach makes this much faster.
Start with open games: the Italian Game as White and 1...e5 as Black. They teach development and centre control better than anything else.
Even 3 hours a week works if it's regular and balanced. See the training plan above, and remember to analyse your own games.
Use it to check your analysis, not to replace it. Think first, write down your ideas, then compare with the engine. See How to Analyse Your Own Games.
Students can download them from the Student Area. Not a student yet? Book a free demo class.
Get a personal study plan built around your games. Your first class is free.
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