Credit: Duolingo
Great news for anyone who’s always wanted to learn chess! Duolingo, the app you probably know for its fun language lessons, is adding chess lessons to its iPhone app later this month. You’ll start by learning how each piece moves and then work your way up to cool tactics, all within the familiar Duolingo setup that makes learning feel like a game.
Starting today, April 22, a small group of iPhone users will get access to the chess feature. It’ll roll out to more English-speaking iPhone users in the coming weeks. If you’re on a different device or don’t speak English, don’t worry—Duolingo plans to bring it to other systems and languages in the months ahead.
This isn’t the first time Duolingo has stepped beyond languages. Since 2023, they’ve had math and music lessons, which I’ve tried myself. The math lessons are awesome for brushing up on things like multiplication, while the music lessons teach you the basics of music theory and even let you play along to pop songs in a rhythm-game style.
Chess lessons are a bit different since they’re teaching you how to play a game instead of a subject like language or math. “Chess is a perfect match for Duolingo,” said Luis von Ahn, the app’s co-founder and CEO, in a press release. “It sharpens your mind, involves lots of strategy, and, like learning a language, gets better the more you practice.” The lessons are designed for beginners, starting with the basics of how pieces move and then moving into tactics and strategy. You’ll tackle short puzzles—like checkmating your opponent in one move—plus mini-matches and full games against Oscar, the cartoon character with a mustache and deep voice you might recognize from Duolingo’s language courses.
