Drill with the coach
Take the critical decisions of an opening. Every move is graded and explained — the lines you miss come back until they stick.
OPENING OF THE DAY · THE FRENCH DEFENSE
Learn every opening
like a grandmaster.
BirdChess is an AI opening coach that plays the first moves, explains the ideas, then hands you the position — and drills the lines you don't understand until you do.
One free opening to train every day. No card required.
THE FRENCH DEFENSE · YOU PLAY WHITE
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5
ABOUT THIS OPENING
Advance with 3.e5 to claim space — then support d4 and build on the kingside.
OPENING OF THE DAY
Play the opening of the day.
Pick a side and play the French Defense against Pigeon, our gentlest bird — every move assessed, no signup.
Spar the birds
Five opponents, from Pigeon (~650) to Eagle (~2000). Pick the opening they'll play, then beat it in a real game.
Explore every opening
Walk the whole opening tree — mainlines, sidelines, and the plan behind each branch.
HOW IT WORKS
Three moves to understanding
- 1
Bird plays the opening
The coach autoplays the book moves so you start from the position that matters.
- 2
You take the decisions
At every critical branch, you choose the move on a real board — drag or tap.
- 3
Every move is coached
You get a verdict, the idea behind the plan, and a score — with the punishment shown when you go wrong.
COUNTER LAB
Learn an opening by fighting it
Every opening has known slips — the natural-looking moves that quietly lose. Counter Lab teaches you to catch them.
- Learn its tricks. A guided lesson walks the line and stops at every trap: see the slip, play the punishment.
- Then face it live. The opening plays correctly… until it doesn't. Nobody tells you when.
- Spot it. Punish it. Engine-verified refutations, graded move by move — near-misses count.
They played h3?! — your move.
Found it — that loosened the kingside.
Punished: Qg5 g4 Bxg4
NOT ANOTHER MEMORIZATION APP
Understand the plans, don't memorize move orders
Memorization apps
- Drill move orders by rote
- One wrong branch and you're lost
- No idea why a move is good
- Silent when you go off-book
BirdChess
- Learn the plan behind the position
- Handle sidelines you've never seen
- Every move explained by the coach
- Off-book moves get graded, not ignored
PRICING
Start free. Go Pro when you're hooked.
Free
$0
- The daily opening
- Up to 10 opening quiz rounds a day
- 20 AI coach questions to start
- Play vs the bird & the opening tree
Pro Most popular
$7/month
or $49/year
- Any opening, any line
- Unlimited drills
- Advanced coaching, no daily cap
- Everything in Free
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is this an engine or a coach?
Both. The opening course and engine check moves; the AI coach explains the plan in plain language. Explanations can still be mistaken—use the board and analysis to check them.
Is it for beginners?
Yes. In Train, start with a guided lesson: follow the arrows and read each move's explanation, without scoring. Then try the quiz from memory. Play is a separate game against a bird, where you choose your own moves.
What's BirdScore?
A rating built from your chess decisions. The optional placement test sets your starting level; guided lessons let you learn without affecting your score.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — the board, drills, and coach all work on your phone. Drag or tap to move.
What are the free limits?
Free includes the daily opening and up to 10 opening quiz rounds a day. A round is one decision in a quiz, not a whole lesson or game. Guided lessons and warm-up moves don't use this allowance; using a hint in a counted round still uses that round. Coach questions and games have separate allowances. Pro removes the training limit.
Learn the plans — then play the position.
Start FreeBIRDSCORE
Your rating unlocks as you train.
AS WHITE—
AS BLACK—
THEORY—
BirdChess's own ladder — not your Elo rating.
OPTIONAL LEVEL CHECK
Find your rank
One move each, no hints. We'll set your starting BirdScore and pick the track that fits you.
YOUR NEXT SESSION
OPENING OF THE DAY
Opening of the Day
Learn the core idea, then take over the position.
OPENING BRIEF
What matters in this position
GO PRO
Any opening. Unlimited drills. Advanced coaching.
You're on the free plan. Unlock every line, drop the daily cap, and get the coach on every position.
FIND YOUR LEVEL
Ten positions, one move each — we'll set your starting rating and pick your track.
COUNTER LAB
Fight an opening from the other side.
Learn its tricks in a guided lesson, then face it live — it mostly plays correctly, and when it slips, punish it.
TRAP LAB
Spot the trap. Punish it.
Quick-fire puzzles built from the real mistakes your openings invite. They just went wrong — how fast can you spot it?
COURSES
Browse all opening lessons
Off book.
isn't a move.
Book here:
Position 1 of 3Giuoco Piano
LINE COMPLETE
The Italian Game
Nice work. Explore where this opening can go with Coach Bird.
LIBRARY
Openings
See the replies you will actually face, what each one gains, what it gives up, and how to answer.
You're on the
About this opening
History
What it does well
What it concedes
Your practical plan
Famous games
Who plays it
CASTLED KING LAB
Attack with a reason.
Read the king, choose the plan, then prove it on the board.
0/24
positions learned
READ THE KING
COUNTER LAB
Learn an opening by fighting it.
You play the other side. The opening mostly plays correctly — and sometimes slips. Spot the slip and punish it.
Pick an opening to fight:
TRAP LAB
Spot the trap. Punish it.
Every puzzle is a real mistake your opening invites. They just played it — punish it.
Pick an opening to drill:
FIND YOUR LEVEL
Ten positions.
One move each — play what you would play. After every move you'll see whether it was right and what the best move was. By the end you'll have a rating, a track built for how you play, and a clear picture of what to train first.
Tap a piece, then its destination. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter. The label above each board tells you whose move it is.
PLACEMENT COMPLETE
ASK THE COACH · AI-POWERED
Talk through the position.
Starting position
Coach BirdPosition-aware chess coach
Move the pieces or choose a position, then ask about plans, candidate moves, or what each side should try next.
GAME REVIEW
Find the opening lesson in your game.
Replay the line, see where it left familiar territory, and explore a better plan from that position.
Your openings
Across the loaded games — worst scores first, so the top row is what to train.
IMPORTED GAMES0
STOCKFISH 18 · ON DEVICE
Find the turning points
Scan the game for significant White-to-Black or Black-to-White advantage reversals.
Opening not yet identified
- Named line
- Map boundary
- White's plan
- Black's plan
- Course
YOUR ACCOUNT
Settings
Set your training focus and manage the data attached to your account.
B
BirdChess player
YOUR PLAN
BirdChess Free
Practice daily, analyze a game, and ask Coach Bird with the included allowance.
- Training lines today
- —
- Games today
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- Game analyses today
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- Account imports today
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- Coach questions
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TRAINING
Preferences
ACCOUNT DATA
Your BirdChess data
- Training days
- 0
- Completed sessions
- 0
- Positions due
- 0
FEEDBACK
Found a bug? Tell Ben.
Reports land straight in the founder's inbox — what you were doing, what went wrong. Or email ben@birdchess.com.
Delete account
Permanently remove your profile, synced progress, attempts, and coach history.
YOUR TRAINING
Progress
Consistency beats cramming. Each correct move strengthens its opening.
Current streak0 daysBest: 0 days
Lines completed0Across your repertoire
Accuracy—First attempts
MASTERY
Opening families
ATTACK PATTERNS
Castled king mastery
No positions due today.
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