Opening library

100+ opening courses, organised the way openings are

Every official course grouped by family - Sicilian, semi-open, queen's pawn, Indian defences and more - each one trainable as White or as Black.

Grouped by family, not alphabetically

The library is arranged the way you already think about openings: the Sicilian systems together, the semi-open defences together, the queen's pawn games together. Named systems get their own entry rather than hiding inside a generic parent, so you can go straight to the Najdorf, the Sveshnikov, or the Taimanov instead of scrolling a family list.

Each card tells you how many lines the course contains before you commit to it, which matters - a five-line course is a different project from a twenty-line one.

What is free, and what is not

The Fried Liver Attack is free to everyone, guests included. Sign in and the Vienna Opening, Jobava London System, and London System join it at no cost. The rest of the library needs a paid plan, and every course in it works in all four training modes.

  • Free for guests: Fried Liver Attack.
  • Free after sign-in: Vienna, Jobava London, London System.
  • Paid plans add the full library, plus new courses as they ship.

Endgames live next to the openings

The Endgames Vault runs on the same trainer, so the basic mates and the classic rook endings are drilled the same way: learn the technique, then convert it without help. The king-and-rook and king-and-queen mates are free to everyone.

Open the Endgames Vault

FAQs about opening library

Which free course should I start with?

The Fried Liver Attack. It is short enough to finish in one sitting and it does not hide behind an account, so you can see how the whole loop works before deciding anything.

Are these complete opening theory?

They are curated lines with the idea behind them explained - not an attempt to reproduce an entire engine tree. Broad, perfect, and unused loses to narrow, understood, and rehearsed.

Do new courses cost extra?

No. New official courses are included in Plus and Unlimited as they ship, so the library you paid for keeps growing.

Browse the library Compare the plans

Release notes

What's new

Shipping history for ChessTropic, newest first. Open this anytime from the rail.

  1. v1.3 Latest

    Sparring bots, Puzzle Rush, and Coach Credits โ€” train against style, then race the clock.

    • added Sparring: Free training games against styled bots for every signed-in member โ€” no coaching lecture.
    • added Puzzle Rush: Solve against the clock โ€” 3:00 and 3 lives โ€” with its own all-time leaderboard.
    • added Coach Credits: Free members get a monthly allotment; Unlimited gets 100. Buy a one-time pack of 100 anytime.
    • improved Leaderboards: Daily, weekly, and all-time Practice boards now sit beside puzzle rating and Puzzle Rush.
    • improved Homepage: Clearer feature tour for Game Review, Blunder Override, Puzzles, AI Coach, and Sparring.
  2. v1.2

    AI Coach arrives, alongside Member Directory, Achievements, and a sharper ChessTropic shell.

    • added AI Coach: Play the Cyber Chameleon with live move notes, post-game debriefs, and follow-up chat.
    • added Member Directory: Browse public profiles and see who else is training.
    • added Achievements: Earn badges for practice streaks, puzzles, and milestones.
    • added Public profiles: Share a page for your practice stats, puzzle rating, and badges.
    • improved OpeningMatrix handoff: Opening trainer, Endgames Vault, Repertoire, and Community Courses open on OpeningMatrix when you need study tools.
    • fixed Safari: Board and shell layout fixes for Safari on macOS and iOS.
  3. v1.1

    Report, Blunder Override, and Game Review โ€” tools that help you understand your own play.

    • added Report: Track your Chess.com and Lichess ratings, and see which openings you play most.
    • added Blunder Override: Replay past games and walk through the exact moments you threw away a win.
    • added Game Review: Import games from Chess.com, Lichess, or a PGN for a move-by-move engine breakdown.
  4. v1.0

    The first build: opening trainer, Endgames Vault, progress tracking, repertoire builder, community courses, and live puzzles.

    • added Opening Trainer: Drill 100+ official starter courses with Learn, Practice, and Time Trial.
    • added Endgames Vault: King opposition, Lucena, Philidor, king and rook mate, and king and queen mate.
    • added Progress tracking: Personal learning progress, puzzle ratings, and daily practice streaks.
    • added Repertoire Builder: Build and drill your own opening courses as White or Black.
    • added Community Courses: Publish a course to share with other players.
    • added Live Puzzles: An all-time rating leaderboard that updates as you solve.