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International Chess Federation
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Thursday, 29 Apr 2021 11:43
From “flashcards” to Chessable


We’ve received many congratulations and positive words about FIDE's new partnership with Chessable, the world’s leading and largest chess e-learning platform. However, for those of you not yet familiar with our new sponsors, we would like to share a bit more about Chessable and their mission to help make learning chess more fun and efficient, while making chess education a more professional and sustainable career for all. These are values that both FIDE and Chessable share, making them a perfect partner for FIDE in the years to come. 

Chessable’s staff consists of certified chess coaches, grandmasters and scientists in the field of educational psychology. Chessable’s CEO David Kramaley himself is a published scientific author on the topic of chess improvement. 

So, what is Chessable? Chessable.com is a comprehensive and social learning website that offers interactive chess courses with and without video instruction on all possible areas of expertise such as openings, endgames, tactics, strategy and more. Chessable also offers interactive versions of classic chess books built on top of its unique MoveTrainer™ software. 

Chessable’s online library of courses has quickly grown to be one of the largest in the world with hundreds of exclusive courses free and paid, by top players and coaches, including world champion Magnus Carlsen. 

What makes Chessable different and unique? With its MoveTrainer™ software, Chessable utilizes two main concepts – spaced repetitions/scheduling and gamification - and relies on a scientific approach. How does it work? By now, we think the story of the Polgar family’s famous private flashcard system, the “cartothec”, is no longer a secret in the chess world. 

It was a key part of the Polgar sisters’ tremendously successful training regimen.


Photo courtesy of the Polgar family

In many ways, Chessable has taken this classic idea of “flashcards” to a whole new level. On Chessable everything is an interactive flashcard. Opening lines, endgame positions, tactics, and grandmaster games are given to students as part of an online curriculum, a course. Sometimes the student starts by copying the moves shown and is then asked to repeat them to show he has learned them. At other times the student is quizzed to show what he has already learned. 

All of the student’s progress is stored on the site and served back in timed intervals until the student can play the moves perfectly. Students can earn points and badges for their progress making the act of studying itself a game! 

Chessable saves coaches and students alike enormous amounts of time by having all of the positions already preloaded on the site making it instantly accessible and instantly trainable. 

“My experience with the Chessable digital version of 100 Endgames You Must Know (by New In Chess) was highly favourable. Because I’m a data nut, I can tell you exactly how long it took me to go through the paper version in 2008, setting the board included: 88 hours. That doesn’t include positions I photocopied and carried with me, but actual sit-down time with the book and board. The Chessable version has taken me 34 hours (and change), and I’ve gone through the book more than 9 times already. The degree of efficiency, not having to deal with setting up the board, is outrageous”, says David Milliern, a Chessable student. 

To top it off, most authors on Chessable are active on the site and readily answer questions by students and coaches in the comments section under the trainable positions, making the study experience both a social and an educationally complete tool for anyone interested to improve.




FIDE Official Chess Learning Partner