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Lessons in 3D

Short guided films. The camera moves to where the action is, arrows show each move before it happens, and glowing rays show what every piece attacks. Pause, step, or grab the camera and look around.

The rules, in motion

♚︎♝︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♚︎

9 steps

Castling

Watch the king and rook move together, on both wings, and see why an attacked square makes castling illegal.

♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♞︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♞︎♜︎

5 steps

En passant

See the pawn double step, the square it skips, and the one-move window for the capture.

♚︎♞︎♚︎

6 steps

Promotion

A pawn becomes a queen, then a knight wins the game where a queen would not.

♜︎♚︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♚︎

5 steps

Checkmate patterns

The back-rank mate and the smothered mate, seen from the king's side of the board.

♚︎♛︎♚︎

5 steps

Stalemate

Two queen moves that look almost the same: one wins, one throws the win away.

♚︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♛︎♛︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♚︎

9 steps

Perpetual check

A rook down, White saves the game by checking forever until the position repeats three times.

♝︎♚︎♚︎♜︎

3 steps

The fifty-move rule

Ninety-nine quiet half-moves, then one more.

♝︎♚︎♚︎

3 steps

Insufficient material

One capture leaves Black with a lone bishop, and the game ends in a draw on the spot.

Great openings, explained

♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♞︎♝︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♜︎

11 steps

The Italian Game

Centre, development and the pressure on f7, move by move.

♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♞︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♜︎♚︎

12 steps

The Ruy Lopez

Slow, lasting pressure on the knight that defends e5.

♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♞︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♜︎

12 steps

The Sicilian Najdorf

How Black trades a wing pawn for a centre pawn, and why ...a6 matters.

♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♜︎♚︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♞︎♜︎

12 steps

The Queen's Gambit Declined

A solid wall on d5, and the pin that tests it.

♜︎♝︎♚︎♝︎♞︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♛︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♜︎

12 steps

The French Advance

A locked centre, a pawn chain, and how to attack its base.

♜︎♞︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♞︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♞︎♜︎

12 steps

The Caro-Kann

Challenge e4 and still get the light-squared bishop out.

♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♝︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♛︎♚︎♝︎♜︎

15 steps

The London System

One solid setup White can play against almost anything.

♜︎♞︎♝︎♛︎♜︎♚︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♝︎♛︎♚︎♜︎

14 steps

The King's Indian

Let White build a big centre, then strike it.

Every other opening

Each of the 142 other opening families has its own film, narrated move by move from what every move attacks, defends and controls.