Chess guides

Practical guides for becoming a stronger chess player

Practical ChessRivo guides for calculation, tactics, strategy, openings, endgames, rating, game analysis and better decision-making.

How to play chess onlineA practical beginner guide to choosing a time control, making legal moves, managing the clock and learning from analysis.Chess rules for beginnersA complete beginner guide to piece movement, check, checkmate, castling, en passant, promotion and draws.How to improve at chessA practical improvement plan for chess players: play thoughtful games, analyse mistakes, train tactics, learn key endgames and review progress.How chess rating worksUnderstand what chess ratings measure, why they move after games, why short-term swings are normal and how to use rating as useful feedback.Best chess openings for beginnersChoose beginner-friendly chess openings by principles, plans and pawn structures instead of trying to memorise long forced variations.How to stop blundering in chessReduce one-move blunders with a practical thinking routine: threats, forcing moves, loose pieces, final safety check and better time use.Chess tactics guideLearn the tactical building blocks that decide games: forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, removal of the defender and mating patterns.Chess strategy guideLearn how to form plans using pawn structure, weak squares, piece activity, open files, space and favourable exchanges.Chess endgames for beginnersLearn the beginner endgames that matter most: king activity, opposition, passed pawns, rook activity and basic technical conversion.How to analyse your chess gamesA repeatable post-game analysis method: reconstruct your thinking, identify critical moments, check with Stockfish and turn mistakes into training.Time management in chessUse your clock intelligently: identify critical positions, avoid automatic moves, budget time for decisions and keep enough reserve for the finish.How to build a chess opening repertoireBuild a practical opening repertoire by choosing compatible structures, learning plans first, recording your games and expanding only where needed.How to calculate chess variationsImprove calculation by choosing candidate moves, analysing forcing replies, visualising accurately and stopping at positions you can evaluate.

Continue training on ChessRivo

Play on ChessRivo Open Academy

Choose a guide by the problem you want to solve

Use these guides when you need a focused answer, then move into an interactive lesson or a real game.

Play chess online Chess rules Chess ratings Analyse your games