Start Playing Chess

✅ When to Start Playing Games?

You can start playing now, even if you’ve not completed all lessons.

Start playing once:

You understand basic rules (how each piece moves, check/checkmate, castling, en passant).
You know 1–2 simple openings (like e4 e5 or the London System).
You’ve practiced a few basic tactics (like pins, forks, and skewers).

✔️ If you've done even 25–30% of the beginner lessons, you're ready to play beginner-level games.

🎯 How to Start Playing Beginner-Level Games on Chess.com

Option 1: Play vs Computer (Customizable Difficulty)

Go to Play > Computer.
Choose a bot (look for beginner bots like “Martin” or “Nelson”).
You can control the difficulty here — start with 100–400 Elo bots.
Great for building confidence.

Option 2: Play Online Games (Real People)

Go to Play > Live Chess.
Select Rapid (10|0) or Daily time controls (more time to think).
You’ll be auto-matched based on your current rating.
Your rating will be shown at the start and end of each game.

Chess.com starts new accounts with a provisional rating (usually ~400–800). It adjusts quickly based on your wins and losses.

📈 How to Monitor Your Elo Rating Growth

Go to Home > Stats (or https://www.chess.com/stats)
You’ll see your rating graphs for:
- Bullet (1–2 min)
- Blitz (3–5 min)
- Rapid (10+ min)
- Daily (1+ day per move)
Start with Rapid — best for learners.
Each win or loss will show how your rating changed.

🎯 Tip: Track your rating in Rapid. Once you reach ~800+, you’ll feel more confident against real players.

🔁 Suggested Balanced Routine

Activity	Description	Duration
Lessons	From Learn > Lessons	15 mins
Puzzles	From Learn > Puzzles	10 mins
Game	Play Rapid (vs Human or Bot)	1 game
Review	Analyze game afterwards	5–10 mins

PIN, FORK, SKEW

Here are the three essential tactical ideas in chess with simple explanations and examples so you can spot and use them in your games.

♟️ 1. Pin

A pin is when a piece can’t move because doing so would expose a more valuable piece behind it.

🔍 Key Idea:

You "pin" a piece to a king, queen, or rook behind it.

📌 Example:

White: Bishop on b5  
Black: Knight on c6, King on e8

The bishop pins the knight because the knight can't move — it would expose the king!

✅ Who can pin?

Only bishops, rooks, and queens can pin — because they move in straight lines.

🎯 Purpose:

Immobilizes a piece
May win material later

♟️ 2. Fork

A fork is when one piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at the same time.

🔍 Key Idea:

Forks create a situation where you will win material, because the opponent can’t save both pieces.

📌 Example:

White: Knight on e5  
Black: King on g6, Rook on f7

Nf7+ → Forks the king and rook.

✅ Who can fork?

Any piece, but knights are most famous for forking due to their unique L-shaped movement.

🎯 Purpose:

Win material (especially valuable pieces like rooks or queen)

♟️ 3. Skewer

A skewer is the opposite of a pin. You attack a more valuable piece in front, and when it moves, you capture the less valuable piece behind.

🔍 Key Idea:

A skewer forces the valuable piece to move away and lose the one behind it.

📌 Example:

White: Queen on h5  
Black: King on g7, Rook on h8

Qh5+ → King moves, then Qxh8.

✅ Who can skewer?

Bishops, rooks, and queens.

🎯 Purpose:

Force the opponent to lose a key piece behind the one you attack

🎓 Summary Table

Tactic	Attacks	Purpose	Typical Piece
Pin	Weaker piece in front of stronger one	Immobilize, later capture	Bishop, Rook, Queen
Fork	Two or more pieces at once	Win material	Knight (most common)
Skewer	Valuable piece in front of weaker one	Force movement, capture	Rook, Bishop, Queen

OPENINGS

Here's a beginner-friendly list of common chess openings and defenses that every starter should know. These are foundational patterns and moves that lead to a strong position early in the game.

🟦 Common Openings (for White)

These begin with 1.e4 (King's Pawn) or 1.d4 (Queen's Pawn).

1. e4 Openings – Open Games

Italian Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 ➤ Quick development and pressure on f7.
Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 ➤ Builds pressure on knight, controls center.
Scotch Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 ➤ Aggressive central breakthrough.
King’s Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.f4 ➤ Sacrifices pawn for quick attack.
Vienna Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 ➤ Flexible development with f4 idea.

2. d4 Openings – Closed Games

Queen’s Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4 ➤ Offers a pawn for center control.
London System (Solid Setup) 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 ➤ Safe, easy-to-learn system for white.
Colle System (Beginner-friendly) 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 ➤ Simple and solid development.
Trompowsky Attack 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 ➤ Avoids mainstream theory; early pressure.

🟩 Common Defenses (for Black)

Against 1.e4

Sicilian Defense 1.e4 c5 ➤ Sharp counterplay, very popular.
French Defense 1.e4 e6 ➤ Solid with counterattack chances.
Caro-Kann Defense 1.e4 c6 ➤ Very solid, slower pace game.
Pirc Defense 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 ➤ Hypermodern style; counterattack later.
Scandinavian Defense 1.e4 d5 ➤ Directly challenges the center.

Against 1.d4

King’s Indian Defense 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 ➤ Allows white to build center, then counter.
Nimzo-Indian Defense 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 ➤ Pins knight, strong positional themes.
Queen’s Gambit Declined 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 ➤ Solid and classical defense.
Slav Defense 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 ➤ Solid and less theoretical than others.
Dutch Defense 1.d4 f5 ➤ Aggressive, but slightly risky.

🧠 Beginner Tips to Remember

Learn the basic ideas (center control, development, king safety) more than just memorizing moves.
Start with 1 or 2 openings as White and 1 defense each for 1.e4 and 1.d4.
Play the London System (as White) and Caro-Kann or Queen’s Gambit Declined (as Black) for solid foundations.