Build tactical vision and learn first endgames.

42 Fork Mastery Teaching 60 min · 8 positions Teach it free

Deepening knight forks in more complex positions

Find knight forks in positions with more pieces, choosing a forking square the opponent cannot simply capture.

taught after 34 · 35 · 38

43 The Whole Fork Family Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Forks by every piece; choosing the right target

Create forks with any piece and choose a safe forking square that wins the bigger target.

taught after 35 · 42

44 Absolute & Relative Pins Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Pins to the king (absolute) vs to a piece (relative)

Classify pins as absolute or relative and exploit each correctly.

taught after 36 · 38

45 Piling Up on a Pin Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Winning a pinned piece by attacking it again

Win a pinned piece by adding attackers to it, out-counting its defenders.

taught after 24 · 44

46 Skewers & the Pin/Skewer Difference Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Skewer technique and distinguishing pin vs skewer

Choose between a pin and a skewer and execute the one that wins more.

taught after 37 · 44

47 Tactic Hunt (Guided Practice) Guided practice 60 min · 6 positions

Applying forks, pins, and skewers in guided games

Find and play at least one fork, pin, or skewer in a guided game.

taught after 42 · 43 · 44 · 45 · 46

48 Unit Review: Double Attacks Review 55 min · 8 positions

Review of forks, pins, and skewers

Identify and solve mixed fork, pin, and skewer problems, choosing the right tactic for each position.

taught after 42 · 43 · 44 · 45 · 46 · 47

49 The Discovered Attack Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The discovered attack — unveiling a rear piece’s attack by moving the front piece

Execute a discovered attack that wins material by moving a front piece to unveil an attack from the piece behind it.

taught after 43 · 47 · 48

50 The Discovered Check Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The discovered check — unveiling a check from the rear piece by moving the front piece

Execute a discovered check — moving a front piece (often with a capture) so the piece behind it gives check — to win material the opponent cannot save because they must answer the check first.

taught after 49 · 46 · 42

51 The Double Check Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The double check — moving a piece so it gives check while also uncovering a check from the piece behind it, so two pieces check at once

Recognise and deliver a double check.

taught after 50 · 49 · 42

52 Combining Two Tactics Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Combining two tactics into one combination — a forcing first move (most often a check that also threatens material) that the opponent must answer, followed by a second tactic that wins

Solve positions that combine two tactical ideas.

taught after 51 · 50 · 49 · 42

53 Removing the Defender (Intro) Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Removing the defender — capturing or chasing away the piece that guards a key target so the target can be won, knowing that a defended target falls cleanly only when it is frozen by a pin or when the guard is removed WITH check

Win material and deliver mate by removing the defender.

taught after 52 · 51 · 50 · 49

54 Spot the Tactic (Guided Practice) Guided practice 60 min · 6 positions

Applying the Unit 2 tactics — discovered attacks and checks, double checks, two-tactic combinations, and removing the defender — in guided games

Find and play at least one discovered attack, discovered check, double check, or defender removal in a guided game, choosing the right tactic for the position.

taught after 49 · 50 · 51 · 52 · 53

55 Unit Review: Discovered Power Review 55 min · 8 positions

Review of Unit 2 — discovered attacks and checks, double checks, two-tactic combinations, and removing the defender

Identify and solve mixed discovery, double-check, combination, and defender-removal problems, choosing and naming the right tactic for each position.

taught after 49 · 50 · 51 · 52 · 53 · 54

56 Back-Rank Mates & Luft Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The back-rank mate — a king trapped behind its own unmoved pawns is mated by a rook or queen reaching the open back rank with check — together with its defence, making luft

Recognise the back-rank mating pattern — a king with no luft, trapped behind its own unmoved pawns, mated by a major piece arriving on the open back rank — deliver it.

taught after 53 · 52 · 51 · 49

57 Scholar’s Mate — Attack & Defense Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Scholar’s Mate — aiming the queen and a bishop at f7 (the square only the king defends) so two attackers beat one defender — together with its defence: developing with tempo, counting attackers versus defenders, and punishing the early queen

Execute Scholar’s Mate — the queen-and-bishop attack on f7 that beats one defender with two attackers — and, more importantly, defend against it by developing pieces with tempo (…Nc6, …g6, …Nf6) and by punishing the premature queen, while learning to guard one’s own f2/f7.

taught after 56 · 53 · 52 · 42

58 Smothered Mate Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Smothered mate — a knight delivering checkmate to a king whose escape squares are all blocked by its own pieces, including the queen-sacrifice setup that forces the enemy to self-block the final flight square

Deliver a smothered mate — a knight check against a king whose escape squares are all blocked by its own pieces — including the queen-sacrifice setup.

taught after 57 · 56 · 51 · 42

59 Anastasia’s & Arabian Mates Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Anastasia’s mate and the Arabian mate — two knight-and-rook patterns in which the knight removes the king’s escape squares and guards the rook, so the rook can mate a king on the edge or in the corner

Recognise and deliver Anastasia’s mate (a knight on e7 sealing g8/g6 while a rook mates along the h-file against a king on h7) and the Arabian mate (a knight on f6 guarding g8/h7 while a rook mates the cornered king on h8), and force these patterns with a driving check or a queen sacrifice.

taught after 58 · 57 · 56 · 51

60 Mate in Two Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Forced mate in two — selecting a forcing first move and then proving checkmate against every possible reply, the foundation of accurate attacking calculation

Find a forced mate in two moves by choosing a forcing first move (a check, a capture, or an unstoppable threat) and then confirming a mate against every legal reply the opponent has, rather than hoping for one particular defence.

taught after 59 · 58 · 57 · 56

61 Mating Pattern Rush (Guided Practice) Guided practice 60 min · 6 positions

Rapid recognition of the Unit 3 mating patterns — back-rank, Scholar’s, smothered, Anastasia’s, Arabian, and the forced mate-in-two — and delivering the mate under time pressure

Quickly identify which mating pattern is on the board and deliver the mate, then do it under time pressure in a team rush — naming the pattern before playing the move.

taught after 56 · 57 · 58 · 59 · 60

62 Unit Review: Checkmate Patterns Review 55 min · 8 positions

Review of Unit 3 — the named checkmate patterns (back-rank, Scholar’s, smothered, Anastasia’s, Arabian) and the forced mate-in-two

Identify and deliver the correct mate across mixed checkmate patterns, naming the pattern for each position before playing the move.

taught after 56 · 57 · 58 · 59 · 60 · 61

64 Deflection Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Deflection — forcing an enemy piece to leave a square or duty it is required to hold, then exploiting the abandoned square.

Win material or force checkmate by deflecting (forcing away) an enemy piece from a square or duty it must keep — usually with a check or a capture the opponent cannot ignore.

taught after 56 · 60 · 63

65 Decoy & Attraction Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Decoy and attraction — luring an enemy piece (usually the king) onto a fatal square with a forcing check or sacrifice, then striking with a fork or mate.

Use a decoy/attraction — a forcing check or sacrifice the opponent must accept — to lure an enemy piece (usually the king) onto a fatal square, setting up a fork or checkmate.

taught after 60 · 63 · 64

66 Removing the Defender (Full) Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Removing the defender — eliminating the enemy piece that guards a key target square or mating square, then capturing the undefended target or delivering mate.

Plan and execute the removal of a defender to win material or mate.

taught after 64 · 65

67 Overloading Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Overloading — exploiting an enemy piece burdened with two or more defensive duties by attacking one duty with a forcing move so the other target collapses.

Identify an overloaded enemy piece — a defender burdened with two or more duties — and exploit it with a forcing move so that, when it answers one threat, the other target falls.

taught after 64 · 65 · 66

68 Interference & In-Between Moves Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The in-between move (zwischenzug) — inserting a forcing move, usually a check or a larger threat, BEFORE the expected reply or recapture, so the opponent is forced into a worse outcome; and interference — interposing a piece to cut the line between an enemy piece and what it guards.

Find the in-between move (zwischenzug) — a surprising forcing move.

taught after 64 · 65 · 66 · 67

69 Name That Tactic (Guided Practice) Guided practice 60 min · 6 positions

Tactical pattern recognition: identifying WHICH advanced-tactic motif is present (deflection, decoy, removing the defender, overloading, or the in-between move) before calculating, then executing the combination the motif points to.

Apply THE SCAN to mixed problems: first NAME the tactical motif at work — deflection, decoy, removing the defender, overloading, or the in-between move — and only then calculate and execute the combination, so that identifying the idea drives the calculation.

taught after 64 · 65 · 66 · 67 · 68

70 Unit Review: Advanced Tactics Review 55 min · 8 positions

Review of Unit 4 — the advanced-tactic motifs (deflection, decoy & attraction, removing the defender, overloading, interference / in-between move) and IDENTIFYING which one a mixed position calls for before solving.

Solve mixed advanced-tactic problems by first IDENTIFYING which motif a position calls for — deflection, decoy, removing the defender, overloading, or the in-between move — and then executing the combination, naming the motif for each position before playing the move.

taught after 64 · 65 · 66 · 67 · 68 · 69

71 King and Rook versus King Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Checkmating a lone king with king and rook (the box method): the rook cuts the enemy king into a box, your king comes up to take the opposition, you shrink the box step by step with rook checks, and the rook mates on the edge — never stalemating.

Checkmate a lone king with king and rook using the box method.

taught after 68 · 69 · 70

72 The Opposition Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The opposition in king-and-pawn-versus-king endings: kings face each other with one empty square between, and the side not to move forces the other king aside. The attacker uses it to escort the king in front of the pawn to a key square and queen (king first, not pawn first); the defender uses it to block and draw; the rook-pawn corner is the drawn exception.

Use the opposition in king-and-pawn-versus-king endings.

taught after 68 · 69 · 70 · 71

73 Key Squares & the Square of the Pawn Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Two tools for deciding whether a lone king can catch a passed pawn: the rule of the square (for an unescorted pawn, draw the square whose side is the pawn’s moves to promote — counting a 2nd-rank pawn from the 3rd — and the king catches it if inside the square or able to step in on its move) and key squares (when your own king escorts, lead it onto a square two ranks ahead of the pawn to queen by force).

Decide whether a lone king can catch a passed pawn, using two promotion-geometry tools: the RULE OF THE SQUARE for an unescorted pawn.

taught after 68 · 69 · 70 · 71 · 72

74 Passed Pawns — Create & Push Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Passed pawns decide endings: a passed pawn has no enemy pawn ahead of it or on the adjacent files, so only a king can stop it. Today’s job is to RECOGNISE one and to CREATE one — by a pawn breakthrough that sacrifices to clear a lane, or by capturing away from the enemy king to make an outside passer. (The protected passer is named as a preview, and pushing the passer home is revision of S072-S073.)

Recognise a passed pawn — no enemy pawn ahead of it or on either neighbouring file, so only a king can stop it — and CREATE one in two ways: the pawn BREAKTHROUGH.

taught after 68 · 69 · 70 · 71 · 72 · 73

75 Promotion Races Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

A promotion race is decided by counting tempi: count how many single steps each passed pawn needs to reach the back rank — the side to move effectively counts one fewer, and queening even one move earlier wins. When the enemy can also queen, promote WITH TEMPO: a new queen that gives CHECK skewers the enemy king and the enemy queen when they share a file, rank, or diagonal, and wins the queen. If an enemy pawn blocks your runner, sacrifice a pawn to deflect it, then count the survivor home.

Win a pawn race by counting tempi and promoting with tempo. Count how many single moves each passed pawn needs to reach the queening square — the side to move effectively counts one fewer, and queening even ONE move earlier wins the race.

taught after 69 · 70 · 71 · 72 · 73 · 74

76 Endgame Challenge (Guided Practice) Guided practice 60 min · 6 positions

Endgame technique under resistance: NAME the fundamental endgame type (king-and-rook mate, the opposition, the square of the pawn, passed pawns, promotion races), state the winning or drawing plan, then execute it against an opponent who defends actively — converting basic wins and holding basic draws.

Apply THE SCAN to fundamental endgames: first NAME the endgame TYPE, then state the winning or drawing PLAN, then play it out against active resistance — so that recognising the type drives the technique. Convert basic winning endgames and hold basic drawn ones.

taught after 71 · 72 · 73 · 74 · 75

77 Unit Review: Endgame Foundations Review 55 min · 8 positions

Interleaved review of the unit’s five fundamental endgames: NAME the type cold (king-and-rook mate, the opposition, the square of the pawn, passed pawns, promotion races), decide whether to convert / hold / evaluate, then execute the plan that type calls for — with no theme announced to give the answer away.

Review and interleave the five fundamental endgames of the unit. Given a MIXED endgame with no theme announced, use THE SCAN to NAME the endgame TYPE cold, state the winning or drawing plan, then solve it.

taught after 71 · 72 · 73 · 74 · 75 · 76

78 Control the Center Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

The center is the four squares d4, e4, d5 and e5 — the high ground of the board. A piece in the center reaches the most squares and can swing to either wing fastest, so the first job of the opening is to fight for these squares. There are three ways to fight: OCCUPY the center with a pawn (1.e4 or 1.d4 grabs space and controls the squares beside it), DEVELOP knights and bishops so they attack central squares, and CHALLENGE an enemy pawn that lands in the center by striking it with a pawn of your own. When you must recapture, take TOWARD the center to keep a pawn in the middle.

Choose opening moves that fight for the center — occupying it with pawns, aiming pieces at it, and challenging the enemy when they try to take it.

taught after 71 · 72 · 73 · 74 · 75 · 77

79 Develop Your Pieces Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Development means getting your pieces off the back rank and into the game. In the opening you have four minor pieces — two knights and two bishops — asleep at home, and the player who wakes them up fastest, on the best squares, gets the attack first. Three rules guide development: (1) Knights before bishops — a knight belongs on f3/c3 (or …f6/…c6) where it hits the center, and that square is clear from move one, while a bishop should wait until you can see which diagonal is best. (2) Bring out a NEW piece every move — never shuffle the same piece twice or drag the queen out early to be chased. (3) Develop toward the center and castle — each piece should fight for the middle and clear the path so the king can castle to safety. A lead in development means more pieces ready to attack.

Develop all four minor pieces quickly and purposefully in the opening — bringing out knights before bishops, putting each piece on a square that fights for the center, never moving the same piece twice, and finishing with castling.

taught after 71 · 72 · 73 · 77 · 78

80 Castle Early — King Safety Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

King safety is the first job of the opening. While your king sits in the center on e1 (or e8), it is exposed: the moment the central files and diagonals open, enemy pieces deliver checks and the king has nowhere to hide. Castling solves this in a single move — the king jumps two squares toward a corner and a rook leaps to its other side, so the king ends up tucked behind an unbroken wall of three pawns while a rook swings toward the center. The rule of thumb is to castle EARLY, usually by about move ten, as soon as you have developed a knight and a bishop and cleared the squares between king and rook. You can castle king-side (the short castle, O-O) behind the f-, g- and h-pawns, or queen-side (the long castle, O-O-O) behind the a-, b- and c-pawns; choose the side whose pawn shield is still intact. If a piece still blocks the path, first develop that last piece — then castle next move. Develop, get the king safe, THEN attack.

Castle early in the opening — by about move ten — to tuck the king safely into the corner behind an intact wall of pawns and connect the rooks, recognising when castling is the right move and which side is safer to castle to.

taught after 71 · 78 · 79

81 Opening Don’ts Teaching 60 min · 8 positions

Good opening play has three simple rules — take the center, develop your pieces, and castle your king to safety. “Opening Don’ts” are the three classic ways beginners break those rules, and each one hands the opponent free time. DON’T bring your queen out too early: the queen is your most valuable piece, so the moment it stands in the open the enemy develops knights and bishops that attack it, and you waste move after move running it to safety while your opponent brings out a whole army. DON’T move the same piece twice in the opening without a real reason: every move you re-touch one developed piece is a move you did NOT use to wake up a sleeping one, so you fall behind in development. DON’T grab pawns with pieces in the opening: chasing a stray pawn drags a piece offside, costs tempo, and often leaves your king stuck in the center while the opponent opens lines. The flip side is just as important: when your OPPONENT breaks a Don’t, punish it — develop a piece that attacks the early queen, so you gain time for free, then finish developing and castle. Develop with purpose, one new piece at a time, and let greedy or careless opponents lose the race.

Identify and avoid the three classic opening mistakes — bringing the queen out too early, moving the same piece twice, and grabbing pawns instead of developing — and know how to punish an opponent who makes them by developing a new piece with tempo.

taught after 78 · 79 · 80

82 The Opera Game (Model Game) Model game 60 min · 8 positions

The Opera Game is the most famous teaching game in chess history: in 1858 the American champion Paul Morphy, playing White against two amateurs (the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard) during a night at the opera, won in just seventeen moves by doing nothing magical — only following the opening principles you have already learned, one after another, perfectly. He took the center with 1.e4 and 3.d4. He developed a new piece almost every move — Nf3, Bc4, Nc3, Bg5 — always toward the center and always with a purpose, often hitting something so that he gained time. He castled (12.O-O-O) and in the very same move swung his rook onto the open d-file, straight at Black’s uncastled king. His opponents, meanwhile, broke the rules: they left pieces at home, wasted moves, and never got their king to safety. Once every White piece was working and every Black piece was tangled up, Morphy finished with a combination — the breakthrough 13.Rxd7 to remove a defender, and the dazzling queen sacrifice 16.Qb8+!! that decoys the last guard so that 17.Rd8# is checkmate. The lesson of the Opera Game is simple and powerful: you do not need tricks to win in the opening — develop every piece, castle your king, aim at the enemy king, and the tactics will appear by themselves. Lead in development is the engine; the sacrifice is just the finish.

Explain how each of Morphy’s moves in the Opera Game follows an opening principle.

taught after 78 · 79 · 80 · 81

83 Unit Review: Opening Principles Review 55 min · 8 positions

Interleaved review of the unit’s opening principles: NAME the principle at work (control the center, develop, castle early) or SPOT the opening Don’t being broken (early queen, moving a piece twice, grabbing pawns), then play the principled move — with no theme announced to give the answer away.

Review and interleave the opening principles of the unit. Given a MIXED opening position with no theme announced, use THE SCAN to NAME the principle at work.

taught after 78 · 79 · 80 · 81 · 82

84 Stage 2 Comprehensive Review Review 60 min · 8 positions

Comprehensive interleaved review of the whole of Stage 2 across THREE domains: NAME the kind of position cold (a tactic to calculate, an endgame to convert or hold, or an opening to develop), PICK the right tool, then solve — with no theme announced to give the answer away.

Review and interleave everything learned in Stage 2 — tactics, endgames AND opening principles.

taught after 70 · 77 · 83