♟️ 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 does a great job of sparking excitement for chess in kids. Their regular tournaments are very well organized, and they have gone the extra mile in making sure tournaments, even...
What a school! Coach Gyan showed my son and his three best friends an incredible week of chess. It was the first camp we tried for our sports crazy kids, and all of them could not stop talking about i...
This school is fantastic! Both of my boys love it so much. Great website design with its own chess homework, practice games and online challenges. Many of chess events for kids to have opportunities t...
VCS is a great place. The teachers are very patients and caring. My son learned a lot and chess skills and made lots of friends....
VCS is amazing place for both children who are just starting or experienced. Instructors are great, very encouraging and supportive in children's journey. As a parent with no chess experience I had a ...
I feel that the Vancouver Chess School is a very educational place for chess. They have some of Canada's top players as coaches and I was taught by a few of them. I just think that this would be a gre...
My children enjoy the classes offered by Vancouver Chess School and have learned a lot in only a few weeks. The school’s online component is very easy and convenient to use for busy families as well...
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...
I represented team BC at the 2019 Canadian Chess Challenge (CCC), where I won 1st place in the toughest section of the competition. This year, Gyan personally invited me to Captain Team BC at the 2022...
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, ...
Vancouver Chess School has been an amazing learning experience for our child. He has learned while having fun at the same time. The school has immensely experienced and understanding teachers who ensu...
Vancouver Chess School is a highly professional chess school. The teachers in the school are approachable and dedicated on teaching, which provides kids a great milieu of learning chess. Many students...
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...
This is the best school ever...
The best school to learn chess for any kind of levels!...
Looking for a place to develop my son chess skills. Found Vancouver Chess School, Best choice ever. Great online class, Competitive chess event to keep things interesting for kids. If your kids like c...
Chess classes and tournaments at Vancouver Chess School has significantly transformed our kid's chess study journey. He started barely understanding anything about 6 months ago, and is now able to com...
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...
This is an exceptional chess school that helped my child develop an incredible passion in the field of chess. The instructors are all engaging and helpful. There are many camps, tournaments, and other...
We joined Vancouver Chess School after watching the movie.. "Finding Bobby Fischer". Our son, who was then learning chess online with a chess instructor based outside of Canada, was ready fo...
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.
