Skills is currently rolling out on the web and is not yet available on the mobile apps. If you don't see it yet, don't worry. It's on its way to your account soon.
Skills on Chess.com
Skills is a feature in Game Review that rewards you for making moves that show good chess habits, like developing your pieces early, spotting a fork, or castling at the right time. Every time you make one of these moves, you earn a Skill point.
Collect enough points and you'll master that Skill and unlock a new one to work toward!
How do Skills work?
When you open Game Review for a finished game, any moves that demonstrate a Skill are marked in the move list. As you step through the game and reach one of those moves, you'll see a short animation play and your point get added.
The Highlights screen also shows how many Skill points are up for grabs in that game (for example, "+2") before you've even started reviewing.
This number updates as you go. Continuing with the example above, if you've already claimed one of the two points and reopen Game Review, it'll show "+1" instead.
Accessing the Skills menu
While reviewing a game, click 'Skills' next to 'Share' at the bottom of the right panel to open the Skills menu. The menu is organized by category.
Within each category, Skills you've unlocked but haven't mastered are shown first, followed by mastered Skills, then locked ones.
Learning about a Skill
Tap or click any Skill in the Skills menu to open its info card, which includes:
The Skill's name.
A board diagram showing an example of the move in action.
A short description of the Skill and why it matters.
Tap 'Got it!' to close the card. You can also view locked Skills, so you'll always know what you're working toward.
Mastering a Skill
When you collect enough points to master a Skill, you'll see a celebration animation and your Coach will congratulate you. If mastering that Skill unlocks one or more new Skills, you'll be shown the new Skill or Skills immediately afterward.
Skills you've mastered are labeled 'Mastered' in the Skills menu.
Skill categories
Skills are divided into five categories:
Category
|
Focus |
Fundamentals | Core habits every player should develop first |
Openings | Strong decision-making during the opening phase |
Tactics | Recognizing tactical opportunities during a game |
Strategy | Long-term planning and positional play |
Endgame | Techniques for converting or defending endgames |
Each Skill within a category has its own name, icon, and number of points needed to master it. Mastering a Skill unlocks the next one in that category.
Turning Skills on or off
Skills is turned on by default. If you'd rather not see it, you can turn it off. Your existing progress is saved and nothing is deleted, so you can turn it back on at any time.
Click the cogwheel icon in the bottom-left corner of any Chess.com page and select 'All Settings.'
Select 'Coach' from the left sidebar, then scroll down to 'General.'
Find the Skills toggle and turn it off to hide the Skills button and Skills section. You can turn it back on at any time.
Turning Skills off stops new points from being awarded, but any Skills you've already mastered remain mastered.