Chess Guides Library
Curated chess articles from the Grandmaster instructor team, organized into 8 pillars covering every phase from first move to competitive tournament preparation. Answer-first structure so you find what you need fast.
23 articlesFor Beginners
First-step guides for learning chess: basic rules, beginner thinking patterns, and initial drills for kids and adults starting out.
5 Solid Openings for Beginners, No Deep Memorization
Five opening systems easy to learn through principles (centre control, development, king safety), no need to memorise hundreds of moves deep.
Read article →Essential Endgames: King-Pawn, Rook, and Lucena
Three foundational endgame categories for amateurs: King and Pawn vs King, Rook endgames, the type that shows up most often in practice, and Lucena and Philidor positions.
Read article →Learning Chess from Zero as an Adult: 6-Month Plan
Realistic guide for adults 25-50 learning chess from zero, with a 6-month roadmap from basic rules to rapid 15-minute games with coherent strategy.
Read article →Bullet, Blitz, Rapid, Classical: Time Control Guide
Complete difference between four chess time formats: Bullet (1 minute), Blitz (3-5 minutes), Rapid (10-30 minutes), Classical (60 minutes plus). Which format fits you.
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Strategy
Chess strategy concepts: pawn structure, middlegame planning, positional thinking, and how to review your own games with the engine.
Reviewing Chess Games with Stockfish: Step-by-Step
A complete tutorial for using Stockfish 16 on Lichess and other online chess platforms to review your own games, from depth settings to identifying critical moments to logging error patterns.
Read article →Online Chess Time Management: Blitz, Rapid, Bullet
How to distribute time across online formats (3 plus 0, 3 plus 2, 5 plus 3, 10 plus 0, 15 plus 10) and mental-clock training to avoid blunders in winning positions.
Read article →Chess Pawn Structure: 6 Patterns to Reach Class A
Six pawn-structure patterns that show up most across amateur and master games: Isolated, Doubled, Backward, Passed, Hanging Pawns, and the IQP. Plan and win condition per pattern.
Read article →Positional Chess for Improvers: Tactical to Strategic
A concrete guide for 1500-2000 rated players to leap from tactical thinker to positional understanding. Covers outposts, weak squares, prophylaxis, and piece coordination.
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Tactics
Must-master tactical motifs: fork, pin, skewer, discovered attack, and calculation patterns that accelerate rating climb.
Tactical Patterns: Pin, Fork, Skewer, Discovered Attack
The four tactical motifs that show up most often from amateur to master games, plus how to train your eye to auto-detect each in 2-3 seconds.
Read article →10 Tactical Patterns to Climb from 1000 to 1800
Ten most frequent tactical patterns in amateur chess games: fork, pin, skewer, discovered attack, double attack, back-rank mate, smothered mate, x-ray, deflection, and zwischenzug.
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Openings
Opening theory and how to build a personal opening repertoire fitting your playing style, from Italian to Sicilian.
Building Personal Opening Repertoire, No Memorization
A concrete guide to building an opening repertoire that fits your playing style (aggressive or positional), executable from principle not memorization, and matures in 4-6 coaching sessions.
Read article →Club-Level Opening Traps: Scholar's to Legal's Mate
Five classic opening traps (Scholar's Mate, Fried Liver Attack, Legal's Trap, Elephant Trap, Traxler Counter Attack) effective at Elo 800-1400, plus when each trap stops working.
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Endgames
Endgame techniques that must mature before FIDE rated play: Rook plus Pawn, Bishop vs Knight, opposition, and fortress.
Endgame Techniques to Master Before FIDE Rated
Six endgame patterns most frequently appearing in FIDE rated tournaments: Rook plus Pawn, Bishop vs Knight, opposition, Lucena, Philidor, and fortress. Must be mastered before entering official tournaments.
Read article →15-Minute Daily Endgame Drill: A 4-Week Framework
A 15-minute-daily endgame drill framework across 4 weeks (King and Pawn, Rook Endings, Minor Piece, Master Games) for Elo 1000-1800 players who want a permanent endgame level up.
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Competitive Chess
Tournament preparation and rating climb: regional tournament mental prep, online rating climb methods, and strategies against higher-rated players.
Climbing Chess Rating 1200 to 1500: 3-Month Plan
A concrete 12-week roadmap to climb from 1200 to 1500 rating, based on time allocation across tactical drills, opening principles, endgames, and game review.
Read article →How to Beat Higher-Rated Chess Players Without Tilt
Practical strategies for facing opponents 200-400 points above your rating: opening choice, mindset, identifying giant-killer moments, and post-game review without tilt.
Read article →Climbing Online Chess Rating 1400 to 1800: 6-Month Plan
A concrete 6-month roadmap for competitive players climbing online chess rating from 1400 to 1800: personal opening repertoire, thematic tactical drills, advanced endgame technique, and weekly Stockfish game review.
Read article →Chess Tournament Mental: Before Regional and FIDE
Mental preparation guide before tiered chess tournaments: energy management, time pressure, tilt recovery, sleep protocol, and focus tools used by FIDE rated players.
Read article →Choosing the Right Chess Coach for Your Level
A complete guide to picking a chess coach: when you need one, how to evaluate credentials, red flags to avoid, and how to run an effective alignment call.
Read article →Starting PERCASI Chess Tournaments: Amateur Guide
Complete guide for amateur players who want to enter the official PERCASI tournament path: from beginner registration, Kejurda district and city formats, up to Kejurnas and FIDE rated pathways.
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Indonesian Chess Players
Profiles of Indonesian chess players and PERCASI history. Stories of the GM, IM, and FM who shaped the Indonesian chess landscape from Utut Adianto era to the current generation.
Utut Adianto: Indonesia's First Grandmaster
Profile of Utut Adianto Wahyudi, Indonesia's first Grandmaster who earned the title in 1986 at age 21, former PB PERCASI Chairman, and founder of Utut Adianto Chess School.
Read article →Susanto Megaranto: Youngest GM, SEA Games Gold
Profile of Susanto Megaranto, Indonesia's second Grandmaster who earned the GM title at age 17 (2004), multiple-time Indonesian national champion, and individual gold medalist at SEA Games 2011.
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Amazing Games
Annotated classic and modern chess games with three-level explanation (beginner, competitive, master). Includes legendary Indonesian player games in international tournaments.