Chess for beginners: learn through play

Choose assistance separately from opponent strength

In computer practice, assistance controls what help appears on your board. Computer experience controls the opponent setting. You can choose Guided assistance with an Intermediate computer, or reduce assistance while keeping a gentler opponent.

• Guided: see legal destinations and request a suggested move.
• Balanced: see legal destinations without suggested moves.
• Challenge: choose moves without destination guides or suggestions.

Settings stay fixed once a game starts. Start a new practice game to change them. Experience labels describe provisional practice settings, not certified human ratings or official chess titles.

Try this first-game routine

1. Choose Guided and Novice, then play White to move first.
2. Select a pawn or knight and inspect its legal destinations. Pawns move straight ahead but capture diagonally; knights can jump over pieces.
3. Before each move, ask which of your pieces the computer could capture.
4. If you are unsure, request a suggestion. The instruction names the piece, starting square and destination; you still choose whether to play it.

Read a square without learning notation first

Files are labelled a to h and ranks 1 to 8. For example, “Move your knight from b1 to c3” identifies both squares directly. A suggestion that captures a piece or gives check explains that in words. It is advice for the current position, not an automatic move or a promised win.

What to learn before memorising openings

Bring pieces into play, avoid leaving them undefended, and check what your opponent threatens. When your king is in check, your next move must remove the attack. Winning material helps, but the goal is checkmate. The chess rules guide explains each piece, castling, en passant, promotion and draws.

Practice, progress and playing people

Guest practice is not saved. Registered players can save eligible completed learning results; assisted practice does not change the separate human competitive rating. When you feel comfortable, invite someone you know and agree on how much help you will use.