Skip to main content

    Free chess tool · no sign-up

    What to study at your chess rating

    Enter your rapid rating. You get the three things players one level up do better, and a week of practice built around them.

    Where you play

    Your level: Developing (Lichess 800–1199).

    The basic tactics now decide most games, and the first ten moves still lose too many.

    What players at 1200–1599 do better

    • Opening loss per move

      0.59 pawns one level up: 0.37 pawns

      Your level, then one level up

      They give away less in the first ten moves.

    • First blunder arrives at move

      12.5 one level up: 17

      Your level, then one level up

      Players one level up keep their pieces safe for longer before the first big mistake.

    • Errors in level positions

      15% one level up: 10.4%

      Your level, then one level up

      They make fewer errors while the game is still level.

    Measured: the middle player at each level. Lichess rapid (database.lichess.org); 450 players whose rating stayed within 100 points (drift under 60) across 10 consecutive rated rapid games. Engine: stockfish-18, depth 12 (openings depth 8).

    A week of practice: about 4.5 hours

    4 games

    at 15+10, each one reviewed afterwards

    15 puzzles a day

    5 days a week, difficulty set to "Normal"

    3 of your own positions

    from your games, set up again and played out

    These amounts are a coach's default, not a measurement. Most of the time goes on playing and reviewing games.

    Puzzle themes, in this order

    1. 1Opening tacticsOpens on Lichess
    2. 2Hanging pieceOpens on Lichess
    3. 3ForkOpens on Lichess
    4. 4PinOpens on Lichess
    5. 5Capture the defenderOpens on Lichess
    6. 6Mate in 2Opens on Lichess

    Free puzzle sets on Lichess. The order follows the measured gaps above.

    Lessons worth doing once

    Interactive lessons from Lichess Practice.

    On this site, for your level

    Teaching a child chess?

    A coach can build this plan around your child's own games. The first 30-minute class is free.

    Book a free trial class →

    More free chess tools

    All 11 tools

    Study plan FAQs

    Frequently Asked Questions

    From 450 Lichess rapid players whose rating was steady across ten games in a row, with every move checked by Stockfish. For each level we took the middle player's figure, then looked at which figures improve most one level up.

    No. How many puzzles and games to play each week is a coach's default, not a measurement. Treat it as a starting point and change it to fit your week.

    Yes. Chess.com rapid ratings run lower than Lichess ratings, so we place your rating on the Lichess scale first. Below about 815 on Chess.com the conversion is approximate, and the page says so.

    No. It shows where players one level up are better, which is the most useful place to put your time. How fast you improve depends on how much you play and review.