HotPot AI
The Saturn Project
The BEST free chess curriculum.
Introduction
Hello, The Saturn Project is a community-based curriculum devoted to providing you with the best possible chess curriculum. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced player, The Saturn Project has something for everyone to improve their chess skills. To make the most of this curriculum, carefully absorb all of the material we provide and don't skip anything so that no holes are left in your knowledge. Consider joining our team to be notified of updates to this curriculum and to connect with other enthusiastic chess lovers who want to learn as well.
How will this curriculum work?
The Saturn Project has chosen some of the best free resources available and if there are none, we create our own. To ensure a complete understanding of the chess curriculum, it is important to go through each portion in order, without skipping anything. This is because each portion builds upon the previous one, and skipping anything could lead to gaps in your knowledge that may affect your skills and overall understanding of the curriculum.
In each section, there will be assignments and optional resources. The assignments are mandatory whereas the optional resources are there if you'd like to consolidate your knowledge. Without further ado, let's get into this!
Motivation
A mistake that leads lots of chess players to quit is comparing themselves to more experienced players, whereas you should only look at how much you've learnt and where you were in the past. Also, note that this is at your own pace, their are no tests like in school, just try and devote consistent time to it.
Assignment
- To familiarise yourself with chess, watch Gotham Chess' How to Play Chess video.
- Learn about chess notation with FM Elliott Liu's Chess Notation video.
To consolidate this knowledge please play a few practice games.
Optional Resources
If you're below 1200 elo then you should complete these tasks to build a solid foundation that this curriculum will work off.
- Jomega's Beginners Foundations course will furthermore solidify your basic understanding of chess. Click the three vertical dots then 'View on Lichess' to go to it. Beginners Foundations
- If you don't know exactly what the three stages of the game are and what you're supposed to do in them then check out FM Elliott Liu's The Three Stages of Chess video.
Opening Principles
Now that you're familiar with playing chess, it's time to get into the real fun! In chess, the opening refers to the first few moves of the game, typically the first 10-15 moves. The opening is a crucial phase of the game as it sets the tone for the rest of the game. During the opening, players try to control the centre of the board, develop their pieces, and prepare for the middle game. There are many different types of openings, each with its own set of principles and strategies.
Assignment
- There is one extremely well-made course that explains Opening Principles in a very thorough manner, which is ChessMood's Opening Principles course. This will teach you how to get a crushing position in the opening.
- Play a few games and try to apply this newfound knowledge.
Optional Resources
- There are none
Tactics
In chess, tactics refer to a sequence of moves that result in a material advantage or a checkmate. Tactics are an important part of the game as they allow players to gain an advantage over their opponents and ultimately win the game. Examples of tactics include forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, and double attacks. To improve your tactical ability, it's important to study various tactical patterns and practice solving puzzles that involve these patterns.
We'll start by learning a couple of fundamental tactics and we'll cover the more sophisticated ones later in this curriculum.
Assignment
- Yet again Chessfactor has an amazing Tactics playlist that will help you demolish your opponents with tactics! Repeat sections that you're unsure about.
- Mix up the playlist with solving Lichess puzzles, you should've solved at least 100 puzzles before moving on to the next section.
Formulating Plans
Formulating plans in chess refers to the process of developing a strategic approach to the game, to achieve a favourable position on the board. This involves analyzing the position, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and coming up with a plan of action to exploit these factors. It is an important aspect of chess as it helps players to think ahead and make informed decisions, rather than simply reacting to their opponent's moves. It can be daunting to try and do, so learning about how to do it properly will give you an advantage over your opponents.
Assignment
- Gotham Chess' highly instructive How to Make a Plan video will help you to understand positions better, and how to make good plans
- Anna Cramling has a video that will further improve your ability to make plans.
Optional Resources
- Hanging Pawn's Creating Strategic Plans video will solidify your newfound knowledge.
Endgames
In chess, the endgame refers to the stage of the game where there are very few pieces left on the board. It is a crucial phase of the game as it often determines the outcome of the game. During the endgame, players try to either checkmate their opponent or gain a material advantage to win the game. Endgames require a lot of skill and knowledge as they often involve complex tactics and strategies. Therefore, it is important to study and practice various endgame scenarios to improve your endgame skills. For now, we'll just focus on a few simple ones.
Assignment
- Complete part 1 of this free Chessable Course, which will take you through the basic endgame checkmating sequences.
- To consolidate this knowledge, practice it here.
Optional Resources
- There are none
Analyzing Your Games
Analyzing your games in chess is an important aspect of improving your skills as a player. By reviewing your games, you can identify your mistakes, weaknesses, and missed opportunities. This allows you to learn from your past games and make adjustments to your playing style to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Additionally, analyzing your opponents' moves and strategies in your games can also give you insights into their playing style and help you prepare for future matches. Overall, analyzing your games is a crucial step in the process of becoming a better chess player.
Assignment
- Watch Gotham Chess' video on How to Analyze Your Games.
Outro
Thank you for participating in the first section of this course, we hope you got a lot out of it. Future sections will be released soon so please join our team to be notified when they'll release. If you enjoyed this course please like it below. Part 2 will cover more positional and middlegame concepts, help you create an amazing repertoire and much more. Until the next section is released, we recommend studying a few of the cha.pters in this study, which are annotated by IMs. Norway Chess 2017
Looking for the best chess courses?
ChessMood has an extremely high-quality chess curriculum designed to skyrocket your elo. My favourite part is their Opening Principles course, which is completely free and all the courses are made by GM's. Register for it here. good luck learning!
