A new way to learn and improve your chess on Lichess

Today, we're excited to announce Practice, a way for users of all skill levels to learn and practice many different aspects of chess. Practice is based on the idea of playing against a chess engine in positions that are specifically designed to be instructive, allowing the user to learn about themes, recognize patterns and practice techniques. Currently, Practice covers piece checkmates, checkmate patterns, tactical themes and pawn endings.

Showing the Checkmates and Basic Tactics sections. Sections not shown: Intermediate Tactics and Pawn Endgames. Notice that Lichess saves your progress if you are logged in.

Right now we have 18 topics across 4 sections. Inside each topic we have anywhere from 4 to 24 exercises. Inside each topic, the exercises typically get progressively more difficult. Let's look at the Interference topic as an example.

Most topics start out with a simple example illustrating the topic at hand. Often, there are instructive comments and helpful annotations. Most excersises are from real master games, and when that is the case, the players and the year is referenced in the commentary.

In this exercise, the objective is to get a winning position in 2 moves. In other exercises the objective might be different, e.g. checkmate, draw, equalize, or promote a pawn safely.

If I play Qxe2, I get feedback that I blundered, and I will be prompted to restart the exercise. If I play Bb5 - interfering with the white queen's connection to the sensitive e2 square and threathening mate - I get feedback that I played a good move and the chess engine plays what it considers the best move for Black, Qxb5.

I get to complete the excersise sucessfully by playing Rxb5, winning the queen, and I'm taken automatically to the next excercise which is also about interference, but more difficult.

Here are some exercises from other topics, to show the diversity of Practice.

Defending against an incorrect Greek Gift sacrifice. Can you play like Yasser Seirawan?

After having been introduced to Morphy's Mate and solved the first couple of exercises, you may find it easy to solve this mate in 6.

Now it's time for you to head over to Practice and try this out. We have plans to expand Practice with more types of content in the future, but first we want to make sure the basic practice system works well. Let us know if you like it in the comment section, or in the Lichess feedback forum.