Piece Command
Every piece, every square it reaches
You move every piece correctly without checking, and you see the whole reach of a line, a diagonal and a knight.
- The Line and the Diagonal
- The Knight and the King
- The Pawn
Boss · Piece Command
The curriculum, from a first game to 2400
ChessPillar teaches in one order. 6 Acts hold 12 rating bands, each band holds a few worlds, and each world is a short run of Levels that ends in a Boss. This page lists all of it and marks what you can play today.
All 116 Levels are playable today.
- Acts
- 6
- rating bands
- 12
- worlds
- 48
- Levels
- 116
- Bosses
- 22
- Fights
- 38
How the pieces fit
- Act
- A stage of the player: from a legal game, on purpose, to mastery. Each Act ends at a Gateway.
- Rating band
- A 200-point slice of rating, with a name and a graduation target stated in plain terms.
- World
- A short run of Levels around one theme, ending in a Boss.
- Level
- One idea. It teaches the idea, then makes you find it, calculate it and use it on boards you have not seen. A gate opens the next Level when the evidence is in.
- Boss
- A cold test of a whole world: mixed positions, no labels, no hints, with at least one position where nothing is wrong.
- Fight
- A position you play out against Stockfish toward a stated goal.
The Whole Game
“A legal game, on purpose”
0–200, The First Game
5 worlds, 12 Levels, 12 live
Focus: Every piece moved correctly, every check answered, every free capture seen, and the game finished rather than abandoned.
Graduation: You can play a whole legal game on purpose and finish a won one with the queen.
Capture and Price
What can you take, and what is it worth
You find what is capturable right now, including nothing, and you know which of two pieces is worth more.
- What Can You Take?
- Know the Price
Boss · Capture and Price
The Legal Game
The rules, used rather than remembered
You answer every check with one of three outs, tell mate from stalemate on sight, castle early and promote on purpose.
- Answer the Check
- Mate or Not?
- Castle Early
- The Pawn's Last Rank
Boss · The Legal Game
First Danger
Look before you let go
You find the mate in one when it is there, and you check the destination square before you release the piece.
- One Move to Mate
- Look Before You Let Go
Boss · First Danger
Mission · Slower, and Finished
Handover
Finish what you have won
You mate with king and queen against resistance, without stalemate, and leave here able to finish a game.
- Finish With the Queen
Mission · Slower, and Finished
Gateway 0 · The First Game
You can complete a legal game on purpose and finish a won one.
It reads your record across what came before it: Levels proved, Bosses passed, skills still held, and opens 200–400 · Capture Discipline.
200–400, Capture Discipline
2 worlds, 5 Levels, 5 live
Focus: Look at the square before you take, price the one trade that follows, and be willing to take nothing.
Graduation: You decline a losing capture, choose the best way out of a check, and see the stalemate one move before it exists.
Capture Discipline
Price it before you take it
You look at the square under the piece, count the one trade that follows, and decline the capture that loses.
- Who Defends It?
- Count the First Trade
- Take It or Leave It
Boss · Capture Discipline
Mission · The Capture Inspection, Live
The Considered Game
The best way out
You choose among a check’s three answers by what each costs, and you see a stalemate one move before it is on the board.
- The Best Way Out
- Don't Stalemate Them
Boss · The Considered Game
Mission · Finish the Won Game
400–600, Whole-Board Search
2 worlds, 4 Levels, 4 live
Focus: Nothing announces the free piece. You sweep the whole board before choosing, and you finish a won game with the rook.
Graduation: You take material nobody pointed at, say that nothing is free and mean it, and mate with king and rook against resistance.
Whole-Board Search
Nothing announces the free piece
You sweep all four quadrants before choosing, catch the knight you did not see, and say when nothing is free.
- Sweep the Board
- The Knight You Didn't See
Boss · Whole-Board Search
Mission · One Sweep Per Move, Live
Finish the Game
From the first move to the last
You mate with king and rook inside a move budget, and you reach move ten developed and castled, knowing what each move gave up.
- Finish With the Rook
- Start the Game Right
Boss · Finish the Game
Missions · Finish the Won Game · Ten Moves on Purpose
Foundations
“Nothing falls for free”
600–800, Board Safety
1 world, 5 Levels, 5 live
Focus: Two questions on every move: what did their move change, and what does mine leave behind.
Graduation: Loose pieces named on both sides, an attack told from a threat, a contested square counted to a verdict, and nothing-is-wrong answered correctly.
Board Safety
Nothing falls for free
Your pieces stay safe, and you see what theirs threaten — every move, both sides.
- Stop Hanging Pieces
- What Is Your Opponent Threatening?
- An Attack Is Not a Threat
- Before You Move
- Defended Isn't Safe
Boss · Board Safety
Mission · The Safety Check, Live
800–1000, Independent Safety
1 world, 4 Levels, 4 live
Focus: The routine you already know starts running on its own, in positions nobody labelled.
Graduation: You run the safety check on your own: no labels, no prompts, days later, and in the opening.
Independent Safety
The routine runs without the prompt
You run the safety check cold, in mixed positions and in the opening, and you are right when the answer is that nothing is wrong.
- When Your Piece Is Attacked
- Mate Beats Material
- Nothing Is Wrong Here
- Survive the Opening
Boss · Independent Safety
Missions · The Safety Check, Live · The First Fifteen · Drill Your Book
Gateway 1 · Independent Safety
The learner runs the safety routine cold, without labels or highlights, and preserves it after delay.
It reads your record across what came before it: Levels proved, Bosses passed, skills still held, and opens 1000–1200 · See It, Take It, Finish It.
The Improver
“See it, take it, finish it”
1000–1200, See It, Take It, Finish It
4 worlds, 11 Levels, 11 live
Focus: You stop waiting for the position to hand you something: find the forcing move, take what it wins, and finish the game.
Graduation: Forcing moves found on sight, material converted, pawn endings won and held from both seats, and a first repertoire you can explain.
Tactical Vision
Look at their position, not just yours
You stop waiting for pieces to fall into your lap and start finding the move that wins them.
- One Move, Two Targets
- Look for the Forcing Move
- Pieces on a Line
- The Back Rank
Boss · Tactical Vision
Mission · One Forcing Scan, Live
Winning Won Games
A won position is not a won game
When you win material you win the game: you cash the piece and take the opponent’s chances away.
- Cash the Piece
- Take Their Chances Away
Boss · Winning Won Games
Mission · Convert It
The Finish Line
One pawn decides
One pawn up is a win you can execute and one pawn down is a draw you can hold, and you know which draws you can steer to.
- Outrun the King
- Win the Squares
- One Pawn Decides
- Know Your Draws
Boss · The Finish Line
Mission · Commit Before the Reveal
Home Base
The same openings, and what they are for
You play one narrow repertoire every game, six to eight moves deep, and you can say why each move is there.
- Your First Repertoire
Mission · Play Your Opening
1200–1400, Build It, Then Break It
5 worlds, 12 Levels, 12 live
Focus: A move is trusted because you found their best answer to it and beat that too.
Graduation: For a position you name a candidate, their best reply and your answer, and reach a verdict you can back up, rejecting at least one candidate for a reason.
Three Moves Ahead
Move, reply, answer
You check three plies before you commit, name their best reply rather than the one you hoped for, and try to refute your own idea.
- Move, Reply, Answer
- Refute Yourself
- Two Candidates Minimum
Boss · Three Moves Ahead
Mission · Two Candidates Per Game
The Combination Lab
One more move than the pattern
You assemble tactics that need one more move, change who is defending, find the in-between move, and see theirs coming.
- Change Who Is Defending
- The In-Between Move
- See It Coming
Boss · The Combination Lab
Missions · One Forcing Scan, Live · The Safety Check, Live
Home Base II
Punish, and plan
The second chapter adds the other seat: you punish broken principles in your openings and know the plans your tabiyas lead to.
- Punish Broken Principles
- Know Your Plans
Boss · Home Base II
Mission · Play Your Opening
First Assault
Count before you commit
You punish a king that stayed in the centre, count the attackers before you commit, and know when the bishop takes h7.
- The King in the Center
- Count the Attackers
- The Bishop Takes h7
Boss · First Assault
Mission · Write the Second Candidate
The Turning Point
Where your own game turned
You find the move where one of your own games turned, and commit to it before anything is revealed.
- Find the Turning Point
Mission · Find Your Turning Point
Gateway 2 · Disciplined Calculation
The learner generates a plausible candidate, finds the opponent's best resource, answers it, and reaches a supported verdict.
It reads your record across what came before it: Levels proved, Bosses passed, skills still held, and opens 1400–1600 · Plans, Not Just Moves.
The Club Player
“Plans, not just moves”
1400–1600, Plans, Not Just Moves
5 worlds, 13 Levels, 13 live
Focus: When nothing is forced you still know what you are doing: which moments matter, two or three real candidates, and a pick.
Graduation: Critical moments told from quiet ones, a piece improved for a reason, an active defence from the worse side, and a rook ending steered three moves early.
Candidates and Verdicts
Know when it is critical
You tell the moments that matter from the ones that do not, and you calculate to a quiet position rather than to a captured piece.
- Know When It's Critical
- Calculate to Quiet
Boss · Candidates and Verdicts
Mission · One Long Think, Placed
Better Pieces
When nothing is forced, improve something
In a quiet position you still know what to do: upgrade your worst piece, pick a real target, trade for a reason, own the file.
- Upgrade Your Worst Piece
- Pick a Real Target
- Trade With a Reason
- Own the Open File
- Every Pawn Move Leaves a Mark
Boss · Better Pieces
Mission · One Improved Piece
Hold the Line
Defend forward
Worse positions are playable: you choose the active defence instead of the reflex parry.
- Find the Active Defense
Mission · Log Every Game
The Rook Endings
Know which side you are on
You build the bridge, use the sixth-rank shield, keep the rook active and price the outside passer, and steer there early.
- The Bridge
- The Sixth-Rank Shield
- Active Rook, Dead Rook
- The Outside Passer
Boss · The Rook Endings
Mission · Hold the Ending
The Sacrifice
Material given on purpose
You find the quiet killer: the move that gives material with a verdict rather than a hope.
- The Quiet Killer
Mission · One Long Think, Placed
1600–1800, Evaluation into Plan
6 worlds, 14 Levels, 14 live
Focus: What is this position, what do they want, and which of your candidates survives it.
Graduation: On a position nobody labelled, you take stock, name your opponent’s plan, list candidates, work out where they lead, and commit to one.
Structures and Imbalances
Read the position before you choose the plan
You list the imbalances, state what the opponent wants, and read the d-pawn family, the Carlsbad and the closed centre.
- List the Imbalances
- What Do They Want?
- The d-Pawn Family
- The Carlsbad
- Chains and the Closed Center
Boss · Structures and Imbalances
Missions · Inventory Before Plan · Play the Structure, Both Sides
Pawns Have Plans
The structure tells you where to play
You name your break before you prepare it, and you march the majority when the structure says so.
- Name Your Break
- March the Majority
Boss · Pawns Have Plans
Mission · Name the Break, Then Prepare It
Attack School
Built, priced, abortable
You price every pawn push, race on opposite wings with your own king audited first, and remove the defender that matters.
- Price Every Pawn Push
- Race on Opposite Wings
- Remove the Key Defender
Boss · Attack School
Mission · Guess the Master Move
The Sacrifice II
The price of the king
The second chapter adds the king hunt: you price a sacrifice against the king honestly and set a trap that survives the best reply.
- The Price of the King
- Set the Trap
Boss · The Sacrifice II
Mission · Three Notes to Self
The Living Repertoire
Grown from your own games
Your repertoire is repaired where your games left book, and you remember why every move exists.
- The Living Repertoire
Mission · Repair the Line You Left
Annotate Before the Engine
Your reading first, then the truth
You annotate a whole game of your own before the engine sees it, and mark where it turned.
- Annotate Before the Engine
Mission · Annotate Before the Engine
Gateway 3 · Evaluation into Plan
The learner inventories the position, states the opponent's intention, generates candidates, compares consequences, and commits to a plan.
It reads your record across what came before it: Levels proved, Bosses passed, skills still held, and opens 1800–2000 · Technical Decisions.
The Strong Club Player
“Spend your thinking where it pays”
1800–2000, Technical Decisions
8 worlds, 16 Levels, 16 live
Focus: Spend your thinking where it pays: choose the branches, name the ending before you trade into it, hold the worse side on purpose.
Graduation: You cut a calculation down to the lines that matter, keep going past the last check, check the ending you aim for, hold a defensive setup, and review a whole event.
Deep Water
Manage the tree
Your calculation prunes on purpose, survives the quiet move in the line, calculates for the opponent, and uses stepping stones.
- Prune the Tree
- The Quiet Move in the Line
- Calculate for Them
- Stepping Stones
Boss · Deep Water
Mission · One Budgeted Decision
Technique
No hurry
You convert the boring way: slowly, with a second front, into the right ending.
- No Hurry
- Open a Second Front
- Trade Into the Win
Boss · Technique
Mission · Convert Without Hurry
Endgame Systems
Defend by system, trade by count
You hold rook endings by system, and you never simplify into an ending you have not checked.
- The Defender's System
- Check Before You Simplify
Boss · Endgame Systems
Mission · Verify the Ending You Are Entering
Resourceful Defense
Hard to beat
You trade the attackers, defend the worse side on purpose, and set problems in lost positions.
- Trade the Attackers
- Defend the Worse Side
- Set the Problems
Boss · Resourceful Defense
Mission · Hold One Worse Position
Structures and Imbalances II
Change the structure itself
The second chapter adds transformation: you change one structure into another on purpose, with a reason and a verified trade.
- Change the Structure
Mission · Play the Structure, Both Sides
Hold the Line II
When the game turns
The second chapter adds the switch: you notice when the game has turned and change plan before the position forces you to.
- When the Game Turns
Mission · Inventory Before Plan
Attack School II
The flank and the centre
The second chapter adds the answer: you meet a flank attack in the centre, and you know when that rule does not apply.
- Answer the Flank in the Center
The Full Postmortem
An event, read as one
You run a postmortem across four or more games from one event and leave it knowing the one thing to train next.
- The Full Postmortem
Mission · One Full Postmortem
Gateway 4 · Management and Conversion
The learner controls branch depth, chooses target endings, defends and converts, and performs a complete event postmortem.
It reads your record across what came before it: Levels proved, Bosses passed, skills still held, and opens 2000–2200 · Complete Practical Decisions.
Mastery
“New shapes, not harder puzzles”
2000–2200, Complete Practical Decisions
5 worlds, 10 Levels, 10 live
Focus: Every decision leaves a record of how it was made, and the record is graded part by part.
Graduation: A full decision record at a critical moment, near-equal choices defended, the arsenal cold, a fortress recognised, and a win converted under the clock.
The Protocol
A record of how you decided
At every critical moment you run the full decision procedure and leave a record, and you defend a choice between near-equal moves.
- Run the Protocol
- Near-Equal Choices
Boss · The Protocol
Mission · One Decision Record Per Game
The Prophylactic Eye
Their move first
You prevent and progress with the same move, and you defend before you must.
- Prevent and Progress
- Defend Before You Must
Boss · The Prophylactic Eye
Mission · Prevent One Thing, Keep Moving
The Endgame Arsenal
Theory on demand
The theoretical endings are there cold, and you steer toward a goal position you named first.
- The Arsenal, Cold
- Steer to Goal Positions
Boss · The Endgame Arsenal
The Fortress
The draw you can build
You recognise when a fortress exists and steer into it, and you find the perpetual that escapes a lost position.
- Is There a Fortress?
- The Perpetual Escape
Boss · The Fortress
Ruthless Conversion
The cleanest path
You choose the lowest-risk winning route and convert it under the clock.
- The Cleanest Path
- Convert Under the Clock
Boss · Ruthless Conversion
Mission · Convert Without Hurry
2200–2400, The Self-Coach
4 worlds, 10 Levels, 10 live
Focus: You run your own improvement loop: build the evidence, name the recurring error, design the fix, and measure whether it transferred.
Graduation: You keep a record of your decisions, sort your errors over a stated number of games, try one focused fix with before-and-after evidence, and judge honestly whether it worked.
The Self-Coach
Own the instrument
You keep your own error taxonomy, turn it into targeted training, and budget your clock across whole games.
- Your Error Taxonomy
- Train Your Weakness
- Budget Your Clock
Boss · The Self-Coach
Missions · Your Own Error Taxonomy · One Training Intervention, Judged · Budget the Whole Clock
The Personal File
Your openings, maintained
You maintain a repertoire file with its critical lines, exploit and defuse move orders, and prepare for a named opponent.
- Your Repertoire File
- Move Orders Matter
- Prepare for Them
Boss · The Personal File
Missions · Maintain the File · Prepare for One Named Opponent
Structure Mastery
Any structure, both plans
You read a structure you have never seen, go deep on your own, and break the rule when the evidence says so.
- Read Any Structure
- Your Structures, Deep
- Break the Rule
Boss · Structure Mastery
Mission · Play the Structure, Both Sides
The Protocol II
Imagine the impossible
The second chapter widens the candidates: backward moves, sacrifices and imbalances enter the record on purpose.
- Imagine the Impossible
Mission · One Decision Record Per Game
Gateway 5 · Master Candidate
Across multiple real games the learner preserves decisions, verifies truth, identifies a recurring process error, designs a bounded intervention, and measures whether it transferred.
It reads your record across what came before it: Levels proved, Bosses passed, skills still held, and opens the end of the Path.
What live means
A Level is marked live when it is built and playable. A Level that is not built yet appears in its place on the map and says so. Nothing on this page is shown as available unless you can play it.
What has been checked
Rules code validates every position and move. Stockfish checks every accepted answer, and endgame tablebases answer where a position is small enough to be solved. All 2,118 positions in the course carry a verification stamp.
Engine checking and expert review are separate. This page does not describe any Level as reviewed by a grandmaster or a coach. If a Level is ever described that way, the review will be on record for that Level. How the method works
You do not start at the beginning unless you need to
Give your rating or sit a short placement, and the curriculum opens at your level. The bands below it stay on your map, marked as skipped and unproved. They are never counted as done. If your results show a gap there, they can still be used to repair it.
Where the map ends
The curriculum covers ratings from 0 to 2400. Nothing above that is built, and this page does not claim it.
Find your place on the map.
Tell us your rating and your week, sit a short placement, and Today names your first Level.
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