♘ Become a Chess Hero!
Chess Hero is the chess app that allows children aged 4 to 12 to learn chess through play. No dry theory, but puzzles, mini-games, and a Dutch-language Academy where every explanation is spoken aloud, so that even children who cannot yet read fluently can get started independently.
★ Why children (and parents) like Chess Hero:
• Fully in Dutch, all explanations with speech.
• Specially designed for children aged 4 to 12.
• No chat, no ads, no hidden costs.
• Completely free to use through July 2026.
• Parents track progress via the family screen.
♞ The Academy: from zero to chess hero
Your child doesn't need to know anything about chess yet. The Academy teaches everything needed step by step:
1. What is chess? The board, the goal, how turns work.
2. How do the pieces move? Each piece separately, with explanation and practice.
3. Special moves: castling, en passant, pawn promotion, stalemate, and draw.
4. Piece values: pawn=1, knight/bishop=3, rook=5, queen=9.
5. Phases of a game: opening, middlegame, and endgame.
6. Coordinates: learn to name the board (a1 to h8).
7. Chess notation: write down and review games.
8. Openings: learn well-known openings interactively.
9. Checkmate patterns: recognize common checkmate patterns.
🎮 Mini-games: learning by doing
For each chess piece, there are 4 unique mini-games at 3 levels, totaling 180 levels:
• Collect coins: collect all gold coins using real chess moves.
• Maze: navigate through obstacles to the exit. • Capture: Capture all enemy pieces with as few moves as possible.
• Safe Squares: Find all squares where your piece can stand safely.
🧩 Tactical Puzzles
Hundreds of chess puzzles divided across 12 tactical themes (from pin to sacrifice) at 3 difficulty levels. Perfect for training forward thinking and pattern recognition.
🏆 Progression and Rewards
Rise from Pawn to Master of Logic via 15 ranks. Earn coins with every puzzle, buy avatars, trophies, and coloring pages in the shop, and watch yourself grow.
👥 Play against friends and the computer
Challenge chess friends to a real game or practice against the computer (Stockfish) at your own level. No chat: just safe chess together.
🎨 Extras
• 10 printable chess-themed coloring pages.
• Skill test to discover your level. • Play freely against the computer.
👨👩👧 Who is this for?
• Children who want to learn chess through play.
• Gifted children seeking a challenge.
• Schools and after-school care centers using chess as an enrichment activity.
• Chess trainers who want a digital work environment.
🔒 Safe for children
Schaakheld is deliberately designed for children. There is no chat function. All content is in Dutch and child-friendly. No third-party advertisements.