Part of the Chess JourneyNewJourneyChess Tactics for Beginners
The tactics that decide beginner games, taught one at a time and drilled on the board. Eight chapters go from noticing a free piece to finding mate in two, each with its own puzzle sets, and the section ends with the endgame technique to finish a game you have won.
48 lessons48 challenges
- Beginner friendly
Hands-on interactive lessons
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 2
Tactics
Start sectionStartWin 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 lessons5- Section 3Playing Real Games40 lessons
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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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 tactics here first
- Free pieces first. Most beginner games are decided by a piece left en prise, so the section opens with hanging pieces, counting attackers and defenders, good and bad trades, and the one question to ask before every move: is it safe?
- Each motif in its own chapter. The fork, the pin, the skewer, the discovered attack and double check, removing the defender, the back rank and the smothered mate: taught, then drilled with two puzzle sets each.
- Puzzles with reasons. A wrong move is answered with why - the piece it hangs, the escape square it leaves - and a correct one is followed by the opponent's best reply, so you play each combination through to the end.
- It closes the loop. The last chapter teaches king and queen against king, king and rook against king, the pawn race and the opposition, so the material you win with tactics turns into a result.
Frequently asked questions about beginner chess tactics
What is a hanging piece?
A piece that can be captured for free - attacked and not defended, or defended by fewer pieces than attack it. Spotting hanging pieces, yours and your opponent's, wins more beginner games than any other skill, which is why it is the first chapter of this section.
What is a fork in chess?
One move that attacks two things at once, so the opponent can only save one. Knights fork best because they attack squares no other piece covers, but pawns, queens and even kings fork too. The Fork chapter teaches how to see one coming and how to set one up.
What is a pin in chess?
An attack along a line where the piece in front cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it. If the piece behind is the king the pin is absolute - the front piece may not legally move at all. The chapter covers winning a pinned piece and breaking a pin.
What is a skewer?
A pin in reverse: the more valuable piece stands in front and must move out of the attack, exposing the piece behind it to capture. Rooks and bishops skewer along their lines; the queen along both.
What is a discovered attack?
A move that steps one piece out of the way to unmask an attack from the piece behind it, so two threats appear at once. When the unmasked attack is on the king it is a discovered check, and when both pieces give check it is a double check - the only check that cannot be blocked or captured out of.
How do I stop hanging pieces?
Before every move, look at your opponent's checks, captures and threats, then at what your intended move leaves undefended. The section turns that into a habit with the Is It Safe? lesson and its puzzles, and the Playing Real Games section builds the full pre-move routine on top of it.
