Learn Chess
A free, interactive chess course that starts at the very beginning. Every lesson shows you the position on a real board, then asks you a question about it, so you are always looking at chess rather than reading about it.
4,956,402+ codders enrolled
134 lessons133 challenges
- Beginner friendly
Hands-on interactive lessons
Audio narration on every lesson
Quizzes to test your knowledge
Free certificate of completion
Syllabus
Section 1
FundamentalsDedicated page
Start sectionStartExpandCollapseChess from zero: the board, how every piece moves, check and checkmate, castling, promotion and the opening of your first game.The Board
5 lessons5The Sliding Pieces
5 lessons5The Knight
4 lessons4The King and the Pawn
5 lessons5Captures and Check
6 lessons6Checkmate and Draws
6 lessons6Special Moves
5 lessons5Writing Moves Down
5 lessons5Your First Game
Project5 lessons4Section 2
TacticsDedicated page
Start sectionStartExpandCollapseWin the game: hanging pieces, forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks, mating patterns, mate in two and the endgames that finish the job.Free Pieces
6 lessons6The Fork
7 lessons7The Pin
6 lessons6Skewers and Discoveries
6 lessons6Removing the Defender
5 lessons5Mate Patterns
7 lessons7Mate in Two
6 lessons6Winning Endgames
5 lessons5Section 3
Playing Real GamesDedicated page
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.
Build Your Chess Streak
Stay consistent and watch your progress grow! Track your daily chess habit, protect your streak with freeze days, and earn rewards for showing up every day.
12 days streak
Return tomorrow to keep your streak!
January 2026
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Double or Nothing
Day 5 of 7
Streak Freeze
2 left
You're Not Alone in This
Compete on global leaderboards, invite friends to earn rewards, and celebrate each other's wins. Chess is better with friends!
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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.
Prove Your Skills
Earn a certificate when you complete the course. Add it to your LinkedIn profile to show how far your chess has come.
Certificate of Completion
Chess Fundamentals
Add to LinkedInWhy learn chess with Coddy
- Genuinely from zero. The first lesson is what the 64 squares are and which way the board goes; nothing assumes you already know what a file, a rank or a fork is.
- You see every position. Each idea comes with a diagram of the exact board being described, so "the knight cannot be blocked" is something you look at rather than something you take on trust.
- The whole beginner syllabus in order: how each piece moves and captures, what the pieces are worth, check and the three ways out of it, checkmate and stalemate, castling, promotion, en passant, and the opening principles that decide most beginner games.
- Short lessons with a question at the end. Each one takes a few minutes, checks that the idea landed before moving on, and keeps the same streaks and progress tracking as the rest of Coddy.
Frequently asked questions about learning chess
Do I need to know anything about chess to start?
How long does it take to learn chess?
Is chess hard to learn?
What should I learn first in chess?
Is this chess course free?
Can I play games against other people on Coddy?
