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Improve & rating

Memorize an opening, build a repertoire, gain rating points.

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Articles in this theme

Building an opening repertoire (without drowning in it)

A good opening repertoire fits on a page, not in an encyclopedia. Here is how to choose your openings as White and Black, and how to work them properly.

Play the opening with a plan, not by rote

Reciting moves falls apart the moment your opponent deviates. Here's how to learn the plan behind your openings so you keep playing well off-book.

Reviewing your openings without spending hours

Reviewing your chess openings doesn't take whole evenings. Here's a short, spaced method to keep your lines fresh without wearing yourself out.

From 800 to 1200 Elo: the roadmap

Stuck around 800 Elo? Here's the roadmap to 1200: what to prioritize, the mistakes bleeding you points, and a study plan that actually moves the needle.

Openings or tactics: what should you work on first?

Openings or tactics first? It depends on your level and on what's actually losing you games right now. Here's how to split your study time by rating.

Understanding the Elo rating in chess

The Elo rating measures your chess level from your game results. Here is how it works, what the different tiers are worth, and why it swings up and down.

How to memorize an opening: the active method that lasts

Rereading a line won't make it stick. Here's the active, recall-based method for memorizing a chess opening that holds up months later, not overnight.

Gaining 200 Elo points with your openings

Playing the opening well can earn you up to 200 Elo points. Here is how your first moves win games, and how to squeeze the most out of them.

Spaced repetition applied to chess

Spaced repetition keeps your chess openings from fading. Here's why it works and how to schedule your own lines so you review them at the right moment.

Why you forget your openings (and how to fix it)

Learn an opening at night and forget it by morning? That's a method problem, not a memory one. Here's why it happens, and how to fix it for good.

Coming soon on iPhone

Ready to play your openings?

Prologue Chess is coming to the App Store. Start with the Italian Game, for free, and learn every opening by playing it.

Download on the App Store

Coming soon. iPhone first.