Chessable
Spaced-repetition chess courses from elite authors, built on a MoveTrainer that remembers what you've forgotten.
No affiliate relationship with this tool. The link below goes directly to the product site.
Our take
Chessable is what got me to actually retain an opening repertoire rather than re-learning it every tournament. The SRS is the moat — no other opening trainer I've tried matches the long-term retention. My complaint is the pricing model: individual courses stack up and a Pro subscription still doesn't unlock them. If you're going to commit, wait for a Black Friday sale and buy a repertoire bundle.
Chessable turns chess courses into interactive flashcards. Authors publish a repertoire as a tree of positions with commentary; Chessable then drills you through the variations using spaced repetition, surfacing the lines you’re forgetting and retiring ones you’ve mastered.
The site was acquired by Play Magnus (now Chess.com) in 2021, which accelerated the catalogue but also tightened the monetisation screws. The free tier is usable; the value comes from paid courses.
Pros
- The MoveTrainer spaced-repetition algorithm genuinely works for opening memorisation
- Course catalogue by GMs including Caruana, Giri, Anish Gupta and Naroditsky
- Free "Short & Sweet" versions of most courses to sample before buying
Cons
- Courses are sold individually and add up fast; a serious repertoire can cost hundreds
- The mobile app still lags the web app on newer features
- A "Pro" subscription is required for some quality-of-life features that arguably should be free
Related tools
Aimchess
Personalised AI coach that analyses your online games and builds a weekly training plan around your weaknesses.
ChessBase
The professional desktop software for database work, deep analysis, and tournament preparation. Includes the Fritz engine.
Chess Tempo
The tactics workhorse. Millions of rated puzzles, endgame trainer, openings trainer, and a serious game database.