Course Description

Hi there! I'm Katie, and I've been playing chess since I was 4. I started competing in tournaments when I was 7, and at one point I was one of the top 100 women in the US. I haven't actively played since 2011, at which point my rating was 1850, but my love of chess still lingers and I think everyone should at least know how to play. This course goes beyond simply teaching how the pieces move. You'll build the foundation for continuing your chess career, if you so choose.

This course breaks down the game step-by-step, from teaching you the rules (how pieces move) to basic strategy (where to move your pieces) to how to improve (with practice positions and resources for learning more). If you watch all the videos and complete all the exercises, you’ll not only be able to play a game (the short-term goal); you’ll be able to continue learning and playing chess on your own. In a few weeks, you’ll probably be able to beat just about anyone off the street!

Besides instructional videos and exercises, this course also has interviews with the following amazing professional women chess players:

  • WGM (Woman Grandmaster) Jennifer Shahade
  • WIM (Woman International Master) Karina Vazirova

...with more coming soon!

A one-time purchase will give you lifetime access to all the new content in the course. Hope you enjoy!

CEO, TURN THE WHEEL

Katie Kormanik

Katie is passionate about education and particularly excited about the potential of online learning. She has designed courses for Udacity, Stanford Graduate School of Business, McKinsey Academy, African Leadership University School of Business, and Applied Materials, to name a few. Click here to learn more about how she works with clients. In addition, she has consulted for a number of education non-profits, start-ups, and for-profit companies on product development, curriculum development, pedagogy, and investments in edtech. And of course, she has been an educator in a number of capacities, from tutoring to teaching supplemental college courses, after-school programs, and summer school programs. Her two greatest passions are learning and making learning fun for others. Education:BS Mathematics, BS Economics (cum laude), University of Utah (2010)MA International Comparative Education, Stanford University (2011)

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Chess pieces and notation

    • Welcome!

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Interview with WIM Karina Vazirova: Why learn chess?

    • Squares on the chess board

    • Write the name of the square

    • Chess pieces

    • Which piece is it?

    • Notating moves

    • Notate the move (white side)

    • Notate the move (black side)

    • Notating a game

    • Download notation sheets
  • 2

    How pieces move

    • Knight

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Knight moves

    • Bishop

    • Bishop moves

    • Rook

    • Rook moves

    • Queen

    • Queen moves

    • Interview with WGM Jennifer Shahade: Why is the queen the most powerful piece?

    • King

    • King moves

    • Pawn

    • Pawn moves

    • Check

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Find check

    • Calculate two moves ahead

    • Play a game vs. the computer!
  • 3

    Checkmating

    • What is checkmating?

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Is it checkmate?

    • Find checkmate (mate-in-one)

    • Find checkmate (mate-in-two)

    • Checkmate with a queen and a rook

    • Practice checkmating with a queen and a rook

    • Checkmate with two rooks

    • Practice checkmating with two rooks

    • Checkmate with a king and a queen

    • Practice checkmating with a king and a queen

    • Checkmate with a king and a rook

    • Practice checkmating with a king and a rook

    • Checkmate with a king and pawn

    • Practice checkmating with a king and pawn

    • Interview with WIM Karina Vazirova: How did you get good at chess?

  • 4

    Opening

    • Intro to openings

    • White opening: e4

    • Try e4

    • White opening: d4

    • White opening: d4

    • Try d4

    • Black opening: e4 e5

    • Try e4 e5

    • Black opening: e4 c5

    • Try e4 c5

    • Black opening: d4 d5

    • Text: Try d4 d5

    • Play a real game!
  • 5

    Tactics and strategy

    • Interview with WGM Jennifer Shahade: How do strategy and tactics relate to real life?

    • Tactics

    • Find the tactic

    • Practice tactics

    • Strategy

    • Practice the endgame

    • Improve your tactics and strategy
  • 6

    Continue your chess

    • Using chess engines for analysis

    • Interview with WIM Karina Vazirova: How can I get better at chess?

    • Conclusion

    • Resources and links