Step 1
Guided
The starting square lights up, an arrow shows the move. You grab the piece and place it. You can't go wrong — you learn the motion.
Available on iPhone Raise your Elo
Raise your Elo
by mastering
your openings.
Most games are lost in the first 10 moves. Prologue makes you replay every opening until you know it by heart: you leave the opening with a good position and a clear plan — and you win games you used to lose.
300+ playable openings
No made-up moves every line is sourced
1.e4 Method
The method
You play, it sticks, you win.
Three passes with fading guidance. By the end, you play the opening from memory in real games — while your opponent is thinking, you already know what to do.
4.Ng5
The knight heads to g5: the source square lights up and the path appears. All you do is play the move yourself.
Step 2
Hint
Less help this time. Just a hint if you get stuck. You replay the line leaning on your fresh memory.
Step 3
Memory
No more guidance. You replay the whole line from memory. When you finish it, you know it by heart — ready to use in rated games.
And every move has its why
"1.e4 — You take the center and open lines for the bishop and queen." You don't memorize moves in a vacuum: you understand the plan, so you know what to do even when your opponent leaves theory.
The repertoire
Every major family, from White to Black.
From the Italian Game to the Sicilian, 300+ openings sorted by family and tagged by their real-world popularity. You start with the essentials and go as far as you want.
Italian Game White
Essential Sicilian Defense Black
Essential Ruy López White
Essential French Defense Black
Common Caro-Kann Defense Black
Common Queen's Gambit White
Common English Opening White
Common King's Indian Defense Black
Common King's Gambit White
Occasional London System White
Occasional Scandinavian Defense Black
Occasional Pirc Defense Black
Occasional Why Prologue
Built to remember, not to review endlessly.
It sticks in real games
No video to watch passively: you replay every move yourself. That's what makes the line come back when you need it, mid-game.
You play well from move 1
Every line comes from verified sources and is engine-checked. The moves you memorize are the ones that give you a good position.
Zero wasted time
Each opening is tagged by its real popularity across 8.2M games. You study only what your opponents actually play — every minute of practice pays off in games.
A plan, not a recitation
A clear sentence explains the idea behind every move. When your opponent deviates, you know what to do instead of panicking.
Who it's for
Whether you're starting out or coming back.
You're new to chess
You know the rules but get crushed in the first few moves. Start with a solid opening and play it with confidence: you reach the middlegame with a playable position, never lost by move 10 again.
You play at a club or online
You want a real repertoire, as White and as Black, without spending hours in databases. Prologue makes you memorize it. The result: better positions out of the opening, more games won, an Elo that follows.
You're getting back into chess
You used to play and you're picking it up again. Refresh your openings and start clean: you get back to your level faster, without hours of theory.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know
Will it actually make me better?
Below 1800 Elo, a huge share of games are decided by opening mistakes. Knowing your lines by heart means better positions out of the opening and fewer early blunders — the most direct way to gain points at that level.
How does Prologue teach me an opening?
You replay the line yourself in three passes. First guided (the square lights up, an arrow shows the move), then with just a hint, then entirely from memory. When you finish the third pass, you know the opening by heart.
Do I need to already know how to play chess?
You need to know the rules and how the pieces move. No rating required: Prologue is built for beginners as well as club players who want a real repertoire.
Are the openings reliable?
Yes. No move is made up: every line comes from verified chess sources and is engine-checked. Each opening is also tagged by its real popularity across 8.2 million games.
How many openings are there?
More than 300 openings, across every major family — from the Italian Game to the Sicilian — as White and as Black, from essential lines to rarer variations.
Is it paid?
The entire Italian family is free, no limits. The full repertoire is Premium, with a free trial.
Which platforms?
Prologue Chess is available on iPhone. Download it free from the App Store.
Available on iPhone
Ready to win your openings?
Start with the Italian Game, for free. From your very next games, you'll know exactly what to play in the opening.
Download on the App StoreFree to download, on iPhone.