Introduction 

Video 1 

Study 1: The Starting Position 

Study 2: The Pawns - Basic 

Study 3: Pawns - Special Moves 

Study 4: The Knights 

Study 5: The Bishops 

Study 6: The Rooks 

Study 7: The Queen 

Study 8: The King 

Study 9: Castling 

Study 10: Ranks, Files and Notation

Drill 1 

Drill 2 

Drill 3 

Drill 4 

Drill 5 

Quiz 1 

Quiz 2 

Quiz 3 

Quiz 4 

Quiz 5 

Chapter 1: The Basics

Study 1: Check 

Study 2: Checkmate (Back-Rank)

Study 3: Dual Piece Checkmate 

Video 2 

Study 4: Stalemate

Drill 1

Chapter 2: Checks, Checkmate and Stalemate

Study 1: The 10 Golden Moves (Diagram)

Study 2: The 10 Golden Moves in Practice 

Study 3: King's Pawn Openings

Drill 1: The Italian Opening 

Drill 2: 1. e4 vs The Sicilian Defense

Video 3 

Study 4: Queen's Pawn Openings

Drill 3: The London 

Drill 4: The Queen's Gambit 

Video 4 

Study 5: Black vs 1. e4 - The Italian And Sicilian Defense

Drill 5: Black vs The Italian Opening 

Drill 6: The Sicilian Defense

Study 6: The Caro-Kann Defense

Drill 7: The Caro-Kann Advanced Variation 

Drill 8: The Caro-Kann Exchange Variation 

Drill 9: The Caro-Kann, Classical Variation 

Video 5 

Study 7: Openings Against 1. d4 

Drill 10: The Queen's Gambit Declined 

Drill 11: The King's Indian Setup 

Video 6 

Study 8: The Scholar's Mate

Drill 12: Scholar's Mate - White's Mate in 4 

Drill 13: Scholar's Mate - Black's Best Defense

Chapter 3: Opening Basics

Study 1: The Fork 

Study 2: The Absolute Pin 

Study 3: The Skewer

Chapter 4: Tactics

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In this chapter, we'll go over checks and checkmates. 

For this study, let's define what a check is. A check is an attack on the king. 

When a player's king is in check, it must get out of check on the next available turn. There are three ways to get out of check: capturing, blocking or moving away.

However, in this position White can recapture with the queen, and since the queen attacks diagonally as well, it's another check on the black king.

To get out of it, we have several options: moving away or blocking with a piece.

White may choose to trade bishops. 

This is an equal exchange of pieces. 

This capture happens to be a check, so you need to get out of it, preferably by recapturing the bishop so you don't lose material.

White can save their bishop. 

If you count the pieces, White is winning because they have 4 minor pieces and Black only has 3.

Just because you can move away doesn't mean that you should. There could be a better way to get out of check.

White takes the queen and they emerge up material. The queen is worth 9 points and the bishop is only worth 3.

Blocking with the queen is bad. Sure, you get out of check, but the problem now is that you will lose the game. 

The reason for this is that the queen is worth more! White would win material.

Blocking is another way of getting out of checks.

Ba4+ is a check. The bishop sees the king because it's on the same diagonal. 

Now, it's Black's turn. Black cannot move a rook or a pawn because they have to get out of check.

A basic way of getting out of check is to move the king way. 

This method isn't desirable right now because you lose castling privileges. 

Despite this, it's perfectly reasonable to move the king out of check in other circumstances.

This would be a pretty equal recapture that allows the game to continue normally.

Blocking with a piece is probably the best idea. 

We're developing a bishop. Development is getting pieces off their home squares onto better squares. We'll learn more about development in the opening chapter.

Since the bishop stands in the way, the black king is safe from checks.

This is how checks are given and how you get out of them! Now go and check your opponents on the board!

I first want to teach you that you can capture the piece giving the check. 

This frees your king for the time being. If no other piece can check you, your king is off the hook.

This is an example where moving away is really bad. 

You have to recapture the piece because if you don't, White has an extra piece!

Chapter 2, Lesson 2

Chapter 2, Lesson 2

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