Learn Chess With an AI Coach
That Plays Real Games With You
Guided Play puts IM John Bartholomew's coach at your side while you play real games against 1,100+ human-like bots. Every move is color-graded by an engine — from best (green) to blunder (red) — with hints when you want them and a blunder guard when you need it.
Three Levels of Help — You Choose
Guided Play meets you where you are. Start with full assistance, then dial it down as the patterns stick. The goal is always the same: playing strong moves on your own.
Full Help
Every legal move is color-graded on the board, all the time, with an eval bar tracking who's better. See instantly which moves are strong, which are shaky, and which lose material — and learn why before you commit.
Peek
The colors are hidden while you think. Not sure about a move? Hold a piece for half a second and its grades reveal themselves. The eval bar stays on, so you check your instincts without leaning on the coach for every move.
Hint Only
No colors, no eval bar — you play on your own, and ask for a hint only when you're stuck. This is the level where you prove you're ready for rated games.
A Coach in the Corner, Not a Backseat Driver
The coach is built from IM John Bartholomew's teaching style: make you think first, and only give away as much as you need.
The 4-Step Hint Ladder
Hints escalate one step at a time: a threat check, then a nudge in the right direction, then which piece to look at, and only then the move itself. You stop at the step that unlocks the position for you.
Blunder Guard
About to hang your queen? The coach steps in before the blunder lands, points out what you missed, and hands the move back to you. You learn from the mistake without losing the game to it.
Eval Bar & Move Grading
An engine watches every position. On Full help and Peek an eval bar shows who's better, and every move you play is graded from best (green) to blunder (red) — so the feedback loop is instant, not post-game. On Hint only the board stays clean until you ask.
Savable Lessons
Hit a position worth remembering? Save it as a lesson — a bookmark with John's comment attached. Your collection becomes a personal course built from your own games.
Graduate to Rated Play
Guided Play isn't meant to be forever — it's a ramp. The coach tracks your progress toward being rated-ready. The bar:
- 3× Three Hint-only games in a row
- 0 Blunder-free — guard saves count too
- 80% At least 80% strong moves per game
- ≤2 At most 2 hints per game
Clear it, and you've shown you can play clean chess without help — time to put a rating on the line.
Turn Opening Theory Into Opening Practice
Our library of 500+ opening guides pairs directly with Guided Play. Read the guide, then start a coached game in that exact opening — John follows the line with you and grades every move, so the theory turns into moves you actually play.
Browse All Opening Guides
500+ openings organized by ECO code — main lines, plans, stats by rating, and the bots that play each line.
Italian Game
The classical starting point. A perfect first opening to practice with the coach.
Sicilian Defence
Sharp and counter-attacking — exactly the kind of opening where a blunder guard earns its keep.
Queen's Gambit
Classical, positional chess. Learn the plans, then let John grade how well you execute them.
Ready for Your First Coached Game?
Guided games are always unrated and casual — no rating anxiety, no pressure, just you, an opponent that plays like a human, and a coach who wants you to find the move yourself.
Start Guided PlayQuestions first? See the Guided Play FAQ.