MetroChess Open the app

A free opening trainer · metrochess.com

Every opening is a line.
Every move is a station.

MetroChess teaches chess openings the way you learned your commute: ride a line until you know every stop. Understand the why behind each move, keep it fresh with spaced-repetition drills, then play it out against Stockfish.

25 openings · 1,138 verified moves · offline-first

d4 Nf6 c4 c5 d5 b5 Benko Gambit A57 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Italian Game C50 c6 d4 d5 Caro-Kann B12 c5 d6 a6 Najdorf Sicilian B90 e4 THE STARTING POSITION

What it does

Four parts of the app, one loop: learn a line, drill it, play it, get nudged tomorrow.

Learn

Guided lines on a real board, with the idea behind every single move — plans, traps, and what to do when your opponent leaves book.

Drill

Spaced-repetition cards built from the lines you finish. Grading is automatic — answer from memory and the schedule does the rest.

Play

Stockfish runs in your browser and stays in book for your opening, so games start in the exact positions you studied.

Remind

A daily notification that knows what's due — "14 drills due · 6-day streak" — never a hollow ping.

How to use it

Five stops from first visit to knowing a line cold.

  1. Enter an email

    Any address works — it's only the key that syncs progress across your devices. No password, no verification. Or skip it and stay on this device.

  2. Add it to your home screen

    iPhone: ShareAdd to Home Screen. Android and desktop Chrome: accept the install prompt. Installed, it's a real app — full screen, offline, and able to remind you (required for reminders on iOS).

  3. Pick a line and ride it

    Choose one of 25 openings and step through a line move by move, each with the idea behind it. Finish the line and its moves join your drill deck.

  4. Drill what's due

    A few minutes a day. Play the right move from memory; the schedule adapts so each move comes back just before you'd forget it.

  5. Play it out

    Test the line in a real game against Stockfish, then keep playing to learn the middlegames it leads to.

Good to know

The small print, minus the small print.

Free and private

A personal project. No ads, no trackers, nothing to buy. Your email is used only as a sync key.

Works offline

Board, theory, and engine are cached on your device. Drill on the subway; it syncs when you're back.

No app store

Runs on iPhone, Android, and desktop straight from the browser. Nothing to download or update.