Online Places Where You Can Learn and Play

The web is chock full of websites and influencers offering advice and lessons. Good news: There are plenty of free and useful resources. Not-so-good news: It’s a challenge to sift through the noise to find the useful materials. The list here is not all-inclusive. But I hope it will save you some time.

But first, as you begin to play online, it helps to understand some terminology so you can choose a playing format that suits your needs.

Variants. Always choose a “Standard” variant, which is the traditional form played at chess clubs and events everywhere. The others, such as Chess960 and Crazyhouse, have their own special rules that appeal to advanced players who want a change of pace. Start with Standard while you are learning, and you can mess around with other variants later.

Timing. The “blitz” and “bullet” games with pieces flying all over the board are entertaining to watch. But they are frustrating for beginners to play because you definitely need to develop your “chess muscles” by having enough time to thoughtfully anticipate your opponent’s plan and develop your own plans. When you can set a single amount of time for an entire game, choose at least 20 minutes. When setting a time for a single move, choose at least 2 or 3 minutes. You can always move faster when choices are simple. But you will need the time to plan your moves. Sometimes you can also set an “Increment,” which is the amount of time added to your total available time after each move. Most increments are 3 to 5 seconds. When the game is in its final stages and players must move quickly to avoid losing, this gives you an extra cushion to keep going.

Lichess.org

The unique appeal: It’s completely free. The chief reason to create an account is to enable Lichess to calculate a rating for you based on your game results. But you can play anonymously if you prefer. Some resources to explore:

Under the Learn menu: How to Play and Basic Concepts

Under the Watch menu: Although it is entertaining to be a spectator while advanced players blitz through games, you won’t learn much. Try the Chess Videos. There’s still a lot there, so start with videos under the Fundamentals tag.

Under the Tools menu: The Analysis Board lets you play through a game or analyze a position. The chess engine will identify the opening for you and let you back up moves in order to analyze and compare different branches of a position.

Under the Play menu: Create Lobby Game lets you set the parameters for the type of game you’d like to play. Again, playing quick chess might look like fun, but you can’t learn anything while pieces are flying. Start with a Standard variant, a 20-minute game, and a 5-second increment.

Under the Puzzles menu: Start with the main Puzzles page for plenty of instructive challenges.

Chess.com

This popular website attracts everyone from amateur players to international grandmasters. A few good places to get started:

Under the Puzzles menu: The main Puzzles section walks you through some increasingly difficult challenges to force checkmate or win material. Start your day with the Daily Puzzle for advanced challenges.

Under the Learn menu: The Lessons page is a good starting point.

Under the Play>Play Online menu: The website pushes you toward a Blitz format. Click the down arrow on the 3 min (Blitz) button to reveal more options. While you are learning, choose a Rapid format game. The 30-minute game will be best for learning. The Daily options are also great for more thoughtful play and are especially good for games between friends with busy lives!

Connect with the Us! Once you sign up, you can go straight to the Estrella Life Chess Club page. Or, under the Social > Clubs menu choice: Use the “Find a club” feature to search for “Estrella Life Chess Club.” Join the club and challenge us to a game!

Wikipedia

This online encyclopedia has lengthy stories about chess history and chess world champions, but also many dozens of short, instructive articles. For a complete list of articles, see the Outline of Chess.

YouTube (and Facebook)

Many talented players and teachers have YouTube channels and Facebook pages. Some of these are crowded with lessons, their own games, entertaining anecdotes, and more. In general, go to their playlists to find collections of tutorials and beginners’ material. Here are some good places to start:

Levy Rozman, also known as GothamChess, is worth following on YouTube and Facebook. He has a talent for clearly explaining chess positions in a clear way. A good place to start is his How to Play Chess: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide on YouTube.

As the daughter of two Grandmasters, Anna Cramling is one of several woman masters who are spreading chess among younger players. On YouTube, she and her mother, Grandmaster Pia Cramling, demonstrate how advanced players think through positions.

Finally, American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura’s Master Slowkaru Educational Speedrun playlist has many videos you can tackle once you’re familiar with the basics. It’s a bit silly, but you’ll be learning from the world’s second-highest rated chessplayer!

Chess Books

Sitting with a book in front of a board is still one of the best ways to focus and study in a disciplined way. Here are books you can find on Amazon:

Start here:

How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond by Levy Rozman (same author whose video is mentioned above)

Then you’re ready to delve into the phases of the game:

Discovering Chess Openings by John Emms
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev
Silman’s Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman

Here’s a more extensive list on Reddit for chess learners.