The Chessicous blog
Guides, puzzle collections and stories. Most posts have boards you can play on.
The 50 hardest chess puzzles, ranked by rating
Fifty of the hardest well-tested chess puzzles from the Lichess database, rated about 2800 to 2900. Solve each one right here on an interactive board.
Read the postHow to read chess notation (in 5 minutes)
Learn algebraic chess notation step by step: square names, piece letters, captures, checks, castling and promotion, with boards you can click through.
What is a brilliant move in chess? (The story behind !!)
What makes a chess move brilliant: sacrifices, the !! symbol, how game review spots brilliant and great moves, plus two famous brilliancies to replay.
Scholar's Mate: how it works and how to stop it
Scholar's Mate is the four-move checkmate every beginner meets. Learn how it works, the easy defenses that stop it, and how to punish the early queen.
How to get better at chess: a 30-day plan that works
A simple 30-day chess improvement plan: daily tactics, board vision, openings, endgames and game review, with free tools for every step. About 30 minutes a day.
8 checkmate patterns every chess player should know
Back rank, smothered, Anastasia, Arabian, Boden, Légal, epaulette and Damiano: learn 8 classic checkmate patterns and solve a puzzle for each one.
How to checkmate with a king and rook (step by step)
Learn the king and rook checkmate with the box method: cut off the king, bring yours up, check on the opposition and avoid stalemate. Interactive boards.
En passant explained: the chess rule that surprises everyone
What is en passant in chess? Learn the three conditions, how to write it, why the rule exists and the tricky cases, with boards and a puzzle to solve.
How chess ratings work: Elo, Glicko and what your number means
A plain-English guide to chess ratings: the Elo formula with a worked example, how Glicko improves on it, provisional ratings, and what your number means.
10 common beginner chess mistakes (and how to fix them)
The 10 mistakes that cost beginners the most games, from hanging pieces to stalemating a won position, each with a board to try and a simple fix.
The best chess openings for beginners (White and Black)
Simple, sound chess openings for beginners: what to play as White and as Black, why each one works, and the plans to follow, with boards to click through.
Chess piece values: how much is each piece worth?
The standard chess piece values (pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9), how to use them to judge trades, and when to break the rules.