Step 1
Guided
The starting square lights up, an arrow shows the move. You grab the piece and place it. You can't go wrong — you learn the motion.
Coming soon on iPhone Discover openings,
Discover openings,
the easy way.
Learn them by playing them.
Prologue Chess teaches you every opening by making you replay it, move by move, until it sticks. You play, you understand the why behind each move, and it stays with you.
300+ playable openings
No made-up moves every line is sourced
1.e4 Method
The method
Here, you learn by playing.
You play every move yourself. It sticks, and it stays. Three steps with fading guidance, until you know the opening by heart.
4.Ng5
The knight heads to g5: the source square lights up and the path appears. All you do is play the move yourself.
Step 2
Hint
Less help this time. Just a hint if you get stuck. You replay the line leaning on your fresh memory.
Step 3
Memory
No more guidance. You replay the whole line from memory. When you finish it, you know it by heart — for good.
And every move has its why
"1.e4 — You take the center and open lines for the bishop and queen." You don't memorize moves in a vacuum: you understand the idea behind each one.
The repertoire
Every major family, from White to Black.
From the Italian Game to the Sicilian, 300+ openings sorted by family and tagged by their real-world popularity. You start with the essentials and go as far as you want.
Italian Game White
Essential Sicilian Defense Black
Essential Ruy López White
Essential French Defense Black
Common Caro-Kann Defense Black
Common Queen's Gambit White
Common English Opening White
Common King's Indian Defense Black
Common King's Gambit White
Occasional London System White
Occasional Scandinavian Defense Black
Occasional Pirc Defense Black
Occasional Why Prologue
Built to remember, not to review endlessly.
You learn by playing
No video to watch passively. You replay every move yourself — that's how memory locks in.
No made-up moves
Every line comes from verified chess sources and is engine-checked. You learn real theory, not an approximation.
The openings that matter
Each opening is tagged by its real popularity across 8.2M games. You spend your time on what your opponents actually play.
The why behind each move
A clear sentence explains the idea behind every move. You grasp the plan, you don't recite a string of squares.
Who it's for
Whether you're starting out or coming back.
You're new to chess
You know the rules but get crushed in the first few moves. Start with a solid opening and play it with confidence.
You play at a club or online
You want a real repertoire, as White and as Black, without spending hours in databases. Prologue makes you memorize it.
You're getting back into chess
You used to play and you're picking it up again. Refresh your openings and start clean, at your own pace.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know
How does Prologue teach me an opening?
You replay the line yourself in three passes. First guided (the square lights up, an arrow shows the move), then with just a hint, then entirely from memory. When you finish the third pass, you know the opening by heart.
Do I need to already know how to play chess?
You need to know the rules and how the pieces move. No rating required: Prologue is built for beginners as well as club players who want a real repertoire.
Are the openings reliable?
Yes. No move is made up: every line comes from verified chess sources and is engine-checked. Each opening is also tagged by its real popularity across 8.2 million games.
How many openings are there?
More than 300 openings, across every major family — from the Italian Game to the Sicilian — as White and as Black, from essential lines to rarer variations.
Is it paid?
The entire Italian family is free, no limits. The full repertoire is Premium, with a free trial. The launch price will be announced at release.
Which platforms?
Prologue Chess launches on iPhone first. Download it from the App Store as soon as it's out.
Coming soon on iPhone
Ready to play your openings?
Prologue Chess is coming to the App Store. Start with the Italian Game, for free, and learn every opening by playing it.
Download on the App StoreComing soon. iPhone first.