Chess Opening Training: learn any opening, and actually remember it

Forgetting your openings by move six is the quickest way to start a game on the back foot. These tools fix that with quick, hands-on practice instead of 300-page books and YouTube rabbit holes. Pick the one that suits how you like to learn.

See the Opening Mastery TrainerBrowse all opening products

Pick the part of the game you want to improve

Chess Opening Training

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Two ways to learn your openings. The trainer is for practice and the cheat sheets are for quick reference. Plenty of players use both

  • Chess Opening Mastery Trainer | Master Any Opening in 5 Minutes a Day NEW
    Best for active practice

    Chess Opening Mastery Trainer

    150+ openings in one app with a short daily plan. It puts the position on the board and asks you for the move, so you remember what you practice. One payment, no subscription, and no account needed

    • Practice openings on a real board, not just read about them
    • Remember your lines with recall and reconstruct training
    • Follow a daily plan of about 5 minutes a day
    • Learn the openings you choose, 150+ for White and Black
    • Instant download • Works offline on any device • Pay once
    £27 ($35)£750 ($1000) Individually
  • The Complete Chess Opening Cheat Sheets Bundle Classic
    Best for quick reference

    The Complete Opening Cheat Sheets Bundle

    Every opening on a visual cheat sheet you can check in seconds, on screen or printed beside your board. 150+ Popular Moves sheets, 126 Book Moves sheets, and PGNs for every line

    • Learn an opening in ~30 minutes instead of weeks
    • Understand the plans, not just the moves
    • Remember more with visual layouts
    • Maximise retention with an interactive recall app
    • Instant download • PDFs + PGNs • Print or study digitally
    £16.97 ($22)£750 ($1000) Individually
  • Pawn Mastery Trainer: Interactive Chess Pawn Course, 2,010 Puzzles & Endgame Lab
    Pawn Structure

    What To Do With Your Pawns After The Opening

    Every opening leaves you with a pawn structure, and every structure has a plan. The Pawn Mastery Trainer teaches you what to do with your pawns in the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. You think first, learn each idea live on a board, and practice until it sticks. 2,010 puzzles and an endgame lab, one payment, no subscription

    • Learn the pawn structure each of 40 openings leads to
    • 16 pawn structures, each with the plans that go with it
    • Practice with 2,010 pawn puzzles and an adaptive Pawn Rating
    • One payment, no subscription, works offline
    £48.00£102.00
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Just want one opening? 
Browse every solo opening trainer and cheat sheet or see every Chess Openings product

Tools that help in every phase

These work whether you're sorting your openings, winning the middlegame, or finishing off the endgame

Why your opening matters

A good opening won't win the game on its own, but it decides the kind of position you'll be playing for the next twenty moves. When you know your first ten moves, you save time on the clock, dodge the common traps, and reach the middlegame with a plan instead of a guess.

The trouble is that most ways of learning openings are tedious, overwhelming, or expensive. Our tools are built around the opposite idea: short sessions, visual summaries, and practice you can fit around your day.

Freebies

Free guides and resources

Not ready to buy? Start with these.

FAQs

Common Questions

Should I learn openings first?

Not necessarily. Openings are one of the last things most players should study. If you still drop pieces to tactics or throw away winning endgames, fix that first, because it wins you more games. Once those are solid, openings help you reach good positions faster

Which opening should I learn first?

If you're not sure, take the free quiz and we'll match you with one that suits how you play. The Opening Mastery Trainer has the same quiz built in

Do I need to be good at chess?

No. These tools are built for improving players, from beginners up to around 2000 Elo

What format are they in?

The Opening Mastery Trainer is an app: a single file you open in your web browser, with no account or internet needed. The cheat sheets are PDFs with PGN files for your chess software, and they print well too

Is there a subscription?

No. Every product here is a single payment with instant access

Not sure what to work on next?

Pick the part of your game that costs you the most points. For many players that's tactics or endgames, with openings coming after.