Chess on Duolingo: How to Get Started and What You Can Learn
How to add the free chess course in the Duolingo app, choose your level, and combine lessons, practice, and game review.
Summarize with AI
The Duolingo chess course is free and allows you to start from the basic piece movements, with short lessons, puzzles, and guided practice by Óscar. It is available on iOS, Android, and the web, in most languages. If you want to add it from the app, the starting point is the flag of the course you are following.
How to Add the Chess Course in the App
- From your current course path, tap its flag.
- Open the rectangle with the plus sign to explore the list of courses and select chess.
- Choose your level. You can start from scratch or play a practice game with Óscar to find a suitable starting point.
- Once you've chosen the start, access your first lesson.
These steps correspond to the app. The fact that the course is also available on the web does not mean you should look for exactly the same controls there.
If you haven't played before, we suggest starting from the beginning. If you already know how the pieces move, the practice game can help you choose where to start without deciding the level blindly.
What You Can Learn and How to Practice
The course starts with the movements of the pieces and works on rules and tactics with interactive exercises. Óscar guides the practice, and the lessons present challenges of increasing difficulty.
The course combines puzzles, mini-games, and full games against Óscar. You can also play with other people: on iOS, you can directly invite a friend from the Matches tab, and you can also play against other players. These are different ways to practice: solving a specific position is not the same as making decisions during a game.
As an initial routine, try completing a lesson and focusing on one idea you want to apply. Then, look for that situation while playing. You don't need to turn every session into a list of new topics: you can also dedicate it to understanding something that still challenges you.
Is Duolingo Chess Free or Do You Need Super?
The chess course is free: you don't need to subscribe to Super Duolingo to start learning. If later you want to learn about sharing the subscription in a group, you can check how to share Super Duolingo; it's not necessary to access the chess course.
It's advisable to separate both decisions: one is to start learning chess; the other is to consider a subscription. You can begin with the free course without making the second decision.
How to Review Your Games
On iOS and Android, game review is available from the history. It allows you to go through the moves and review important moments with Óscar's help, both in games against him and against friends or other players.
The review distinguishes good moves, missed opportunities, and mistakes. Some missed opportunities become interactive exercises to retry the move. Additionally, reviewing games allows you to earn XP.
We suggest choosing a decision you didn't understand and thinking about what you would have done before following the explanation. The goal of this suggestion is to give a purpose to the review, not to go through everything in one sitting.
How to Decide Which Platform Suits You
Before switching tools, ask yourself what you want to do in your next session: follow a lesson, practice, or analyze a game. To consider other approaches without turning this start guide into a comparison, check Duolingo vs Chess.com: cómo elegir para aprender ajedrez.
Frequently Asked Questions Before Starting
Do I Need to Know How to Play Chess?
You don't need prior knowledge to start from scratch: the course begins by explaining how the pieces move. If you already know how to play, you can opt for the practice game with Óscar when choosing the level.
Do Chess Lessons Count Towards the Streak?
Yes. Completed lessons in any subject count towards the Duolingo streak, including chess lessons.
Can I Learn from the Computer?
Yes, the course is also available on the web. The steps to add it described in this guide are for the app. The direct invitation to friends described here corresponds to iOS, and the game review is documented for iOS and Android; don't assume the web offers those same functions or controls.
Do I Have to Play Against Another Person to Practice?
No. In addition to games with other people, the course includes puzzles, mini-games, and full games against Óscar. You can start with that practice and then decide if you want to challenge someone.
