Using a Free Engine to Analyze Games
Let the computer show you exactly where the game went wrong.
Read the guide →Every topic
Guides
Browse every guide on Pawn & Plan — practical, plain-English lessons for players from complete beginner to 1200.
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Chess Basics
Everything a brand-new player needs — the pieces, the rules, and the habits that make chess click.
Category →Openings & Strategy
Start your games well and know what to do next, from opening moves to middlegame plans.
Category →Tactics & Endgames
Win material and finish games with the patterns and technique behind most beginner wins.
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How to Review Your Own Chess Games
Find your real mistakes and actually learn something from them.
Read the guide →How to Stop Blundering in Chess
Build the simple checking habit that saves game after game.
Read the guide →What to Ask Before Every Move
A three-question routine that prevents painful one-move blunders.
Read the guide →The Rule of the Square
Can your king catch that passed pawn? Just count the square.
Read the guide →King and Pawn Endgames: The Basics
Opposition and the key ideas that decide these common endings.
Read the guide →How to Checkmate with King and Rook
Walk the enemy king to the edge and mate, step by step.
Read the guide →How to Checkmate with King and Queen
The box method: finish the game cleanly without stalemating.
Read the guide →The Smothered Mate with a Knight
A beautiful forced checkmate pattern that's worth memorizing.
Read the guide →The Back-Rank Mate Every Beginner Should Know
Trap the enemy king on its own back row behind its pawns.
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