Free BETAEverything is free, no card needed
From first moves tomaster.
Training that targets your weak spots. Choose a daily chess workout that fits your day, even if you only have five minutes. Climb hundreds of levels designed by National Master and coach Robert Ramirez, beating a boss to move forward. Train with strategy puzzles, your missed tactics and opening tactics.
Free • No account needed
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- of levels
- 100s
- boss per level
- 1
- every feature
- Free
The climb
One Path From Beginner to Master
Built with National Master Robert Ramirez on his Chess Is Simple method. Every level teaches one idea, lets you practice it, then puts a boss between you and the next level.
Learn the Idea
Each section of the curriculum introduces the next idea, then a lesson shows it on a real board.
Practice It
Drills, puzzles and challenges on real positions, many from real games.
Beat the Boss
You can’t move on to the next level until you beat its final boss. Bosses rotate positions, so you can’t memorize the answers.
Where the climb starts
Discovery, Then Foundations
Levels 1–9
Board and Pieces
The board, the armies, and how every piece moves and captures
Levels 10–17
Take, Protect or Run
Free pieces, piece values and what to do when a piece is attacked
Levels 18–25
Check, Mate and Draws
Check, the ways out of check, checkmate, stalemate and draws
Levels 26–36
Special Moves, Opening Safety and Notation
Promotion, castling, en passant and a safe start
Levels 37–40
Finish and Apply
The two-rook mate and your first full game
Levels 41–46
Thinking in the Opening, Middlegame and Endgame
Read the opponent’s move, look for forcing moves, test your choice
Levels 47–54
Opening Habits and Early Threats
Center, development, king safety and early threats
Levels 55–60
Loose Pieces and Counting
Spot every loose piece and count before you capture
Levels 61–67
Forks and Double Attacks
One move, two targets, and how to avoid them
Levels 68–74
Pins and Skewers
Pieces on a line: use a pin or break it
And the climb keeps going: 237 levels in all, in four stages. After Discovery and Foundations come 75 Development levels (calculation, pawn structure, attack, defense and endgames) and 42 Mastery levels.
Boss battles
Every Level Ends With a Boss
You can’t move on to the next level until you beat that level’s final boss. Every right move lands a hit, every wrong one cracks one of your shields, and the board shows you why.
Crack the Boss’s Shields
Your rockets crack the boss’s shields, and every miss cracks one of yours, so think before you move.
Rockets That Strike
In checkmate battles every mate fills a rocket that flies into the boss.
Learn From Every Miss
Miss one and the board shows the move you should have played.
Try it now
Fight a Real Boss Right Here
This is The Mate Mechanic, the boss of Level 22. Deliver 3 checkmates before your shields run out. No account needed.
Weekly Puzzle Rocket Challenge
$300 every week. Three ways to win.
Play Puzzle Rocket on chessrocket.com and you’re in. Every week we give away three $100 prizes, picked at midnight Sunday night, Eastern time.
$100
Top Score of the Week
Post the highest Puzzle Rocket score of the week and it’s yours. A tie goes to the faster run.
Highest score
$100
Random Participant
1 entry for every day you play, up to 7 a week. Practice daily, boost your odds.
Play every day for up to 7 entries
$100
Beat Your Own Best
Beat your best score from earlier weeks and you’re in the draw. Everyone who improves has a shot.
New personal best
Weekly reset
Each week runs Monday 12:00 AM to Sunday 11:59 PM ET. Winners are picked at midnight Sunday night ET, then a new week starts.
Free to enter. No purchase necessary.
Sign Up FreeOfficial Rules
- Free to enter. No purchase necessary.
- One account per person.
- You must be 13 or older to win a prize.
- Every Puzzle Rocket run you finish while signed in counts, on chessrocket.com or in the iPhone app. Demo runs on this page never count. Apple is not a sponsor of, and is not involved in, this challenge.
- The winner’s saved birthday must show 13 or older, and the winner accepts these rules when claiming the prize on chessrocket.com. A player under 13 can play and appear in the rankings but is skipped for prizes: the prize goes to the next eligible player.
- Each week runs from Monday 12:00 AM to Sunday 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET). Winners are picked at midnight Sunday night ET.
- Top score: the highest Puzzle Rocket score of the week wins $100. A tie goes to the faster run.
- Random participant: you get 1 entry for each day (ET) you finish a run with a score of 1 or more, up to 7 entries a week. One winner is drawn at random, weighted by entries, and wins $100.
- Beat your best: everyone whose best score this week beats their best from earlier weeks gets 1 entry. One winner is drawn at random and wins $100.
- Each prize is $100, three prizes a week. One player can win more than one prize in the same week.
- We’ll contact winners.
Play the demo
See Puzzle Rocket in Action
Solve as many puzzles as you can in one minute. Three misses and the run is over.
Demo: practice runs don’t count toward the weekly challenge.
Play Bots
Meet the Bots
Twenty-five alien opponents in five tiers, from friendly first-timers to the final boss of the galaxy. The stronger they play, the scarier they look.
Tier 1 · Friendly
Zib
Collects shiny bishops.
Also in this tier: Blip · Gloop · Nubbin · Pip-Tron
Tier 2 · Tricky
Quarkle
Exists in two squares at once (allegedly).
Also in this tier: Mossik · Zorp · Vexa · Krunch
Tier 3 · Tough
Oculon
Sees the whole board. Literally.
Also in this tier: Thornax · Grimbus · Skarn · Turrok
Tier 4 · Fearsome
Vorrak
Warlord of the Ninth Rank.
Also in this tier: Nyxra · Fangrix · Kronix · Mawgoth
Tier 5 · Nightmare
Omega Void
The final boss of the galaxy.
Also in this tier: Xal'Thuun · Kryoth · Oblivax · Regalith
Real Chess Engines
Each bot is Stockfish tuned to its own level, playing full games right in your browser.
They Talk Back
Bots chat about the game as you play, from goofy first-timers to menacing monsters.
Beat Them All
Every bot you beat earns a gold medal, saved to your account.
Rocket Bot
A Coach That Sees Your Board
Rocket Bot is the chess assistant built into Chess Rocket. Ask it about the exact position in front of you and it helps you find the move yourself.
Coaches You Through It
It asks about checks, captures and threats so you find the idea, and shows the answer when you ask for it.
Checks Your Ideas
Try a move in chat: Rocket Bot checks it with the engine, shows the best reply and explains why it works or fails.
Talk or Type
Tap the mic and ask out loud. Your recording is turned into text, then deleted, and Rocket Bot answers.
Reviews Your Games
Go over finished games, missed puzzles and any position on the analysis board.
Builds Your Repertoire
Add opening lines, import a PGN and sort your folders just by asking.
Answers Your Questions
Help with your account and every feature, and a person from our team when you want one.
Fair play built in: no chess help in boss battles, Puzzle Rocket or games against people, so every score is your own.
Everything in one place
Train Every Part of Your Game
The climb is the backbone. Around it is everything else you need to keep improving.
Level Climb
Short lessons, practice and a boss battle on every level, with your progress saved as you go.
Puzzle Modes
Puzzle Rocket sprints, Puzzle Tempo, Puzzle Climb, calculation, strategy, Safety Radar, Guess the Master Moves and more.
Opening Trainer
Train popular openings move by move and track your progress on each one.
Topic Lessons
Pick one idea, like forks or rook endgames, and work on it outside the climb.
Play the Bots
Full games in your browser against twenty-five alien bots, from friendly first-timers to the final boss of the galaxy.
Play Online Through Lichess
Connect your Lichess account and play live opponents on your Chess Rocket board.
Free BETA
Everything Is Free
Jump in and train as much as you like. There’s nothing to unlock, nothing to buy and no card to enter: the whole platform is open to everyone.
Sign Up FreeClimb the Levels
Every level and every boss on the climb, at your own pace.
Learn Openings
The Opening Trainer, with practice and review for each opening.
Solve Puzzles
Puzzle Rocket, Puzzle Tempo, Puzzle Climb, Safety Radar and every other mode.
Study by Topic
Topic lessons when you want to work on one idea, outside the climb.
Play Real Games
Twenty-five alien bots, or live opponents through Lichess.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, no in-app purchases. Chess Rocket is in Free BETA: we’re still adding levels and polishing features.
Mobile app
The Chess Rocket Mobile App Is Coming Soon
The same climb, bosses and puzzles, built for your phone, starting with iPhone. Leave your email and we’ll send you one message when the iPhone app is available on the App Store.
Chess Rocket is free on the web today, and every feature will be free in the app too.
Who it is for
Wherever You Are, There’s a Next Level
Brand-New Players
Start at Level 1 with how the pieces move, check and your first checkmates. Every idea is shown on the board first.
Improving Players
Already know the basics? Tactics, endgames, calculation and strategy get steadily harder as you climb.
Serious Competitors
The climb keeps going toward master-level training, with puzzles and openings to keep you sharp.
FAQ
Questions, Answered
Is Chess Rocket really free?
Yes. Every feature is free: climb the levels, learn openings, solve puzzles, study topics and play. There’s nothing to buy and no card to enter.
Is there a mobile app?
It’s coming soon, starting with iPhone on the App Store, free like the website, with the same account and progress. Leave your email in the mobile app section above and we’ll send you one email when it launches.
Is Chess Rocket finished?
Chess Rocket is in Free BETA: it’s live and ready to use, and we’re still adding levels and polishing features. Found a bug or have an idea? Use Report a Bug on the site or email support@chessrocket.io; we read every report.
Do I need to know how to play chess?
No. Level 1 starts with the board and how the pieces move, then builds up to check and your first checkmates.
I’m not a beginner. Do I have to start at Level 1?
No. Take the free Level Test first (no account needed): a few positions against five friendly bosses show where your climb should start, and your new account starts there. Every level below your start stays open.
How far does the climb go?
The course spans hundreds of levels, from beginner all the way to master-level training, each one a little harder than the last.
How does a boss battle work?
Every level ends with a boss, and you can’t move on to the next level until you beat it. Each boss has a goal, like delivering five checkmates or winning a full game against a bot, and puzzle bosses give you a set number of shields. Replay any boss you have beaten whenever you like.
How does the $300 weekly challenge work?
Every week we give away three $100 prizes in Puzzle Rocket: one for the highest score of the week, one to a random participant and one to a random player who beat their own best score. For the random participant prize you get 1 entry for every day (ET) you play, up to 7 a week. Winners are picked at midnight Sunday night ET and we’ll contact winners. It’s free to enter, no purchase necessary, one account per person, and demo runs on this page don’t count. Prizes are for players 13 and older. See the official rules in the weekly challenge section above.
Can I play real games?
Yes. Play twenty-five alien bots right in your browser, from friendly first-timers to the final boss of the galaxy, or connect your Lichess account to play live opponents on your Chess Rocket board.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Chess Rocket runs in your browser on desktop, tablet and phone, in light or dark mode, and a mobile app is coming soon.
Free · Every feature
Your First Boss Is Waiting
Sign up free and start climbing today.