What beginners learn
The Foundation syllabus is built in four stages. Each one ends with practice games so new ideas turn into habits.
1. Chess basics
- How every piece moves — king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn
- Setting up the board, coordinates and writing down moves
- Special rules: castling, en passant and pawn promotion
Prefer to read first? Our guide to chess rules for beginners covers all of this.
2. First tactics
- Checkmate in one — recognising winning patterns
- Simple forks, pins and hanging pieces
- Protecting your pieces and avoiding blunders
3. Opening principles
- Controlling the centre with pawns and pieces
- Developing every piece before attacking
- King safety — knowing when to castle
We explain these in depth in chess opening basics for beginners.
4. Endgame foundations
- Checkmating with king and queen
- Checkmating with king and rook
- King and pawn endgames — promoting a pawn
Why learn with a coach instead of apps alone?
Apps and videos are great for practice, but beginners improve fastest when someone watches how they think. A coach spots the habit behind a mistake — moving too fast, ignoring the opponent's threat, bringing the queen out early — and fixes it before it sticks. Between lessons, students practise with homework, puzzles and an analysis board on their dashboard.
What comes next
When the fundamentals are solid, students move on to the Development program — positional play, an opening repertoire and middlegame planning — and many go on to play their first tournament. Our first chess tournament checklist shows how we prepare them.