Part of the Chess JourneyPopularJourneyBeginner Chess Strategy
Turn the rules and the tactics into wins. Eight chapters teach the habits a real game needs - a pre-move routine, sensible openings for both colours, when to trade, how to convert an extra pawn, how to defend under pressure - and then have you play whole games and read your review.
4,956,402+ codders enrolled
40 lessons40 challenges
- Beginner friendly
Hands-on interactive lessons
Audio narration on every lesson
Quizzes to test your knowledge
Free certificate of completion
Syllabus
This section is part of the Chess Journey. The full syllabus has more sections - click any preview below to view it on the Journey page.
- Section 1Fundamentals46 lessons
- Section 2Tactics48 lessons
Section 3
Playing Real Games
Start sectionStartExpandCollapseTurn what you know into wins: think before you move, open like a player, your first system as White and your answers as Black, trading and converting, defending, the rules of play - and your first whole games.Think Before You Move
6 lessons6Opening Principles
6 lessons6Your First System as White
7 lessons7Your First Answers as Black
5 lessons5Trading and Converting
6 lessons6Defending
5 lessons5The Rules of Play
2 lessons2Your First Real Games
3 lessons3
Learn by Playing
See every idea on a real board. Each lesson shows you the position, explains what is happening on it, then asks you a question about it.
Every game starts here. The two arrows are the classical first moves.
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Double or Nothing
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Promotion zoneEvery way to learn
Read, listen, test yourself, or look up anything you've already covered. Every lesson meets you where you are.
The chessboard is a grid of 64 squares, 32 light and 32 dark, in a pattern where the colors always alternate.
Set it up so that each player has a light square in their bottom-right corner.
Files run up the board and ranks run across it - together they give every square its own name.
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Certificate of CompletionChess Fundamentals
Add to LinkedInWhy learn beginner strategy with Coddy
- A routine, not a rulebook. What did that move change? What are the checks, captures and threats? Where does my piece land, and is it safe? The first chapter turns those into a habit you run before every move, with positions that punish skipping a step.
- One system for each colour. The Italian setup and the plans behind it as White, 1...e5 against everything and 1...d5 against 1.d4 as Black - enough to reach a playable middlegame every game without memorising lines.
- How to win a won game. When to trade, simplifying into a won ending, no hurry, promoting the extra pawn - and the stalemate that is the only way to lose it. Converting is where beginners throw games away, so it gets its own chapter.
- Whole games at the end. The section closes with a project where you play a complete game against a scripted opponent and read a review of it, so the ideas are tested where they matter.
Frequently asked questions about beginner chess strategy
What should I think about before every move?
What are the opening principles?
Which opening should a beginner play as White?
What should I play as Black?
When should I trade pieces?
How do I defend when I am under attack?
