Chess University's Intro To Chess Crash Course

Discover the 8x8 chess board, light and dark squares, and the coordinate system (files and ranks), with the starting setup of kings, queens, bishops, knights, rooks, and pawns.

Learn the objective of chess, mastering checkmate and the difference from check, while exploring king and rook movement, capturing, and delivering checks.

Learn how bishops move diagonally and capture, deliver checks, and endgames with bishop vs king; the queen combines rook and bishop power to attack and fork.

Explore the knight's unique L-shaped moves and its circle of reachable squares, then see it deliver checkmate when the king is blocked by its pieces.

Introduce pawns as the most numerous yet least valuable pieces. Explain their movement, diagonal captures, two-square first moves, forward-only progression, checks, and upcoming promotion.

Learn en passant, promotion, and castling, three special chess rules. From pawn captures to end of the board promotions and king rook castling conditions, these ideas unlock strategic moves.

Test your knowledge of chess basics by naming each piece and its starting square. Then learn the movements from the initial setup for king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, and pawn.

Test your understanding of chess piece movements with a complex position featuring rook, knight, and queen, and explore checks and checkmate patterns to gauge readiness for advanced videos.

learn how to win by checkmate, win on time by flagging, or win by opponents resigning, and draw through stalemate, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule, insufficient material, or mutual agreement.

Develop calculation and the thought process behind chess moves by picturing resulting positions and forecasting opponent replies. Weigh the safety of captures versus checks to choose the strongest continuation.

Explore the three key tactical patterns: skewer, fork, and pin, through practical examples, showing how they win material and shape positions across rooks, queens, and bishops.

Master core chess vocabulary—check, checkmate, stalemate, forks, pins, blunders, and more—with clear definitions and practical guidance for center control and development.

Count attackers and defenders on key squares to evaluate captures and trades, then apply material values (pawn 1, knight/bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9) to reach favorable endgames.

Learn fundamental endgame checkmates with king and queen vs king, two rooks vs king, and king and rook vs king by building a shrinking barrier and delivering mate.

Learn to spot and execute one-move checkmates with queen, rook, bishop, knight, and pawn patterns, including face to face, back rank, and battery setups, through practical puzzles.

Explore the three phases of a chess game: opening, middle game, and end game, with principles to control the center, develop and castle, defend pieces, seek checkmate, and promote pawns.

Practice chess regularly by playing with others, joining clubs or tournaments, and using online apps; complete the prodigy program intro to chess crash course puzzle worksheets at Chess University.