♟️ What You’ll Be Able to Do After This Course
After completing this beginner chess course, students will be able to:
- Set up the chessboard correctly and start games the right way.
- Move every chess piece with confidence using the correct rules.
- Understand check and checkmate and recognize game-ending threats.
- Play complete chess games independently with clear next steps.
- Recognize basic winning ideas and make smarter beginner decisions.
📘 What You Will Learn
This free beginner chess course teaches you how to play chess step by step, starting with the essential chess rules and basic concepts. The lessons are structured to help new players quickly understand the game and build a strong foundation for future chess improvement.
Each video lesson explains one important topic clearly, making it easy for beginners to follow and learn chess at their own pace.
In this course, you will learn:
- How each chess piece moves
- Basic chess rules and piece values
- What check and checkmate mean
- How chess pieces work together in a real game
- The fundamentals needed to start playing chess confidently
For best results, we recommend using a real chessboard while watching the lessons. Practice setting up positions and repeating the moves shown in each video to strengthen understanding and memory.
Watch the lessons in order to progress naturally from basic chess rules to practical gameplay.
After completing the course, you can take our free online chess test to evaluate your understanding and confirm your beginner chess skills.
👥 Who Is This Course For?
- complete beginners learning chess for the first time
- parents teaching chess at home
- kids starting structured chess training
- students preparing for their first full games
📚 Course Lessons
Tip: Start from Lesson 1 and watch in order for the fastest progress.
How the King Moves in Chess | Beginner Guide
2:25
How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess | Beginner Guide
3:07
How the Bishop Moves in Chess | Diagonal Movement Explained
2:03
How the Rook Moves in Chess | Files and Ranks Explained
2:09
How the Knight Moves in Chess | Easy Beginner Guide
3:35
How the Queen Moves in Chess | Complete Beginner Guide
2:21
Chess Piece Values Explained | Beginner Strategy Basics
3:22
What Is Check in Chess? | Beginner Explanation
4:05
What Is Checkmate in Chess? | Beginner Guide
3:35
Chess Notation Explained | How to Record Moves
1:35
How to Set Up a Chessboard | Step-by-Step Guide
0:53
Beginner Chess Test | Check Your Chess Knowledge
4:51
🎯 Final Skill Test
After the lessons, take a short online assessment. It helps us recommend the correct next level and the best learning format.
➡️ Continue Learning
Next course recommendation: Targeting the King | Beginner Checkmate Course
🚀 Your Next Step
Complete the course, then choose the next step — no pressure.
Best For
- Kids ages 5–12
- Complete beginners
- Families who want structure
🏅 Why Parents Trust Chess Heroes Academy
- 15+ years of teaching experience
- 5,000+ students taught worldwide
- Multiple Provincial & National Champions
- 3 Scholastic World Champions trained through our programs
What Parents Say About Our Chess Programs
Thousands of families trust our programs to help beginners learn chess with confidence.
Vancouver chess school has been a wonderful experience for my 8 year old. He’s gained meaningful skills, developed self-confidence and earned a medal for his accomplishments which he’s very proud ...
My boys take 2 programs in Vancouver Chess School. They joined the NPP program around one and half years ago. The course is a little bit hard for them which I believe is a good thing. If you want your...
We highly recommend Vancouver Chess School, where the child has been studying for more than a year and has made great progress. The teachers are conscientious and constantly motivate the children t...
My son has been taking chess lessons at the Vancouver Chess School for at least 3 years now and he absolutely loves it! The instructors are great! The materials they cover always challenges him and th...
A great chess school. Our kid Leon attended his very first chess tournament in this school three years ago and now won his provincial champion and represent BC to win his first national champion. For ...
My daughter has been taking chess for a number of years now. Gyan has been very supportive since day 1 and allowed her to progress at her pace. With heavy school workload, my daughter managed to res...
VCS is a very good school for all age chess learners. It provides a resourceful topics on chess and there are many tournaments that you might not even have time to play all of them!...
Veronica learned a ton from all the teachers who were there teaching during the training sessions of the Canadian Chess Challenge. It was all incredibly useful and they provided many resources to help...
The camp at VCS is an amazing experience for all ages. Whether your child is 5 or 15, there is a variety of opportunities of learning. Completely approve of the camp and believe in its ability to impa...
I have been a student at this academy for many years now and has guided me to many achievements. The academy helped me with my university applications as I can put the awards I received and competitio...
We have proudly been with Vancouver Chess School since day one and we have always experienced high-quality and productive lessons from all the instructors here. Not only that, but the coaches are alwa...
My kids really love this school。The teacher are very professional, very Patient, very methodical. So that kids can go from not doing anything at first to now very like chess. And now with pandemic, ...
My son started chess classes here from 5 years old. He told me it is a good place to learn chess. Actually, he has made big progress on it. He also said, his coach Uranchmeg is a really awesome tea...
The coaches are very nice and responsible, my son has been in this school for one year, he really like it....
My daughter has been taking chess lessons with VCS for two years now. After trying out different activities, chess is the only one that she's enjoyed and kept going. The coaches are amazing and patien...
Very good place to learn chess and playing tournaments, no matter if you’re a total beginner or really advanced. Plus, they have Summer camps for all to come too!...
My son just completed a chess camp at VCS and had a great experience. He was really pleased with the way the camp was run and noted how enthusiastic Gyan and the other instructors were in maximizing t...
I love vanchess! It taught my brother endgame techniques that he never knew about and tactics. I appreciate vanchess for its effective teachings. It is very good!...
Vancouver Chess school is best chess academy in Vancouver. They have very talented staff. The events are well organized. They have excellent virtual chess platform. I am glad that we enrolled our chi...
Great chess school. Provided many training sessions, coaching, and encouragement for the players of the 2022 Canadian Chess Challenge. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Vancouver Chess School!...
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is this course suitable for complete beginners?
Yes. This course is designed for students with no prior chess experience and teaches the rules step by step.
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What age group is this course best for?
While suitable for beginners of any age, it is especially effective for children ages 5–12 starting chess for the first time.
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Do we need special equipment?
No special equipment is required. A real chessboard is recommended for practice, but you can also learn using an online board.
