Ask the move why.
AskTheMove is a chess coach that shows you why a move was a mistake, in plain words and arrows on the board.
You’re on the list.
We’ll email you when your beta invite is ready.
A classic trap, move by move
Légal’s trap, played from Black’s side. Step through it, or let the coach mark it up. Then try another line.
You are Black.
| No. | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | d6 |
| 3 | Bc4 | Bg4 |
| 4 | Nc3 | g6 |
| 5 | ||
| (5…dxe5 6.Qxg4) | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
Result 1–0
1 / 5 Move 5 · Black to play
White just took on e5.
The knight left f3, so your bishop on g4 now attacks White’s queen. Winning a queen for a bishop looks like an easy decision.
Rules check: Bg4 attacks the queen on d1
A scripted walkthrough of the idea, not the live tutor. Every move and claim in it was checked with a chess rules library and Stockfish 19.
The engine says Nf5. You still don’t know why.
A game review gives you a score, a best move and a line of moves six deep. All of it is correct, and all of it is written for an engine.
What you wanted to know is smaller and harder. What did I miss? What should I look at next time? What happens if I try my own idea?
Without those answers, the same mistake turns up again next week, in a different game.
AskTheMove is built to answer three questions:
-
What did I miss?
The threat, the loose piece or the square you didn’t check, pointed out on the board.
-
Why is the engine’s move better?
The reason in a few sentences, taken from lines that were actually calculated.
-
What if I play my move instead?
Play it out as a branch, see the strongest reply, then come back to the game.
Evidence first. Then the explanation. Then your own question.
The figures below are drawn for this page, using the trap from the lesson above. The positions, lines and engine figures in them are real.
-
Evidence
Stockfish searches the position and a rules library replays every line. Material, checks and threats are settled as facts before anything is said about them, and each score shows how deep it was searched.
Works today
??Evidence · 5…
xd1??- Engine
- Mate in 2 for WhiteStockfish 19, depth 20
- Line
- 6.xf7+ e7 7.d5#Each move replayed by the rules library
- f7
- 2 attackers, 1 defenderBishop c4 and knight e5, against the king
- Material
- Black is 8 points upA queen for a pawn, for one move
The facts behind one move: the engine’s verdict, the forced line, and the square it all happens on. -
Explanation
The tutor turns that evidence into a few plain sentences, tied to arrows on the board. It is given only checked moves and facts, so it explains what happened instead of guessing.
In development
Sample text · 5…
xd1??The queen was bait.
Taking the queen looked like winning, but f7 was already attacked twice, by the bishop on c4 and the knight on e5. Only your king defended it.
White checks with 6.Bxf7+. Your king has one square, e7, and 7.Nd5 is mate.
Next time When a piece is offered for free, look first at what your opponent’s last move attacks.
From the evidence for this move: Stockfish 19 at depth 20, and the rules check on f7.
Sample text written for this page. The tutor that will write these is still in development. -
Branch
Ask “what if?” and play it. Your line is saved as a branch of the game, a branch can have branches of its own, and each note stays on the position where you wrote it.
Works today
Game5.
xe5 xd1?? 6.xf7+ e7 7.d5#Your line5…dxe5 6.
xg4+2.3 for White
Stockfish 19, depth 20. An estimate.
Your noteTake the knight. It was the piece attacking f7. A pawn down, but still a game.
Your line sits next to the game, with your note on the position where you wrote it. -
Return
Go back to the actual game whenever you like. The game report keeps your key moves in order, so you can move on to the next moment that mattered.
Works today
Your game
1.e4 e5 2.
f3 d6 3.c4 g4 4.c3 g6 5.xe5 xd1?? 6.xf7+ e7 7.d5#Key moment
5…
xd1?? Missed the mate threat on f7Back to the game, on move 5.
Back in the game, with the key moment marked and your line saved under it.
Adults rated about 800 to 1600 who already review their games.
It’s probably for you if
- You open the engine after a loss and the best move still doesn’t make sense.
- You would rather understand one mistake properly than skim through ten.
- You play online or over the board and train on your own time.
It isn’t built for
- Help during a live game. It analyses finished games, positions you set up, and practice games against its own computer opponents.
- Memorising opening theory. Other tools do that well.
What works today, and what doesn’t yet.
AskTheMove runs today as a private build in the browser. The beta opens when the tutor is ready for real games.
- Play computer opponents at a strength you chooseWorks today
- Full game review with Stockfish evidence and key movesWorks today
- Saved variations and notes, branching from any moveWorks today
- Import a game as PGN, or set up any positionWorks today
- The Claude tutor that explains the evidence in plain languageIn development
- Beta invites, in small groups, starting with this waitlistNext
Questions
Something else? Email [email protected].
How much does it cost?
Nothing during the beta. Pricing after the beta isn’t decided yet. You’ll hear about it well before anything costs money, and nothing is charged unless you choose to pay.
When does the beta start?
Invites go out in small groups once the tutor is ready for real games. There’s no fixed date yet. The waitlist is how you’ll hear first.
What devices does it work on?
It runs in a web browser on a desktop, laptop or phone. There’s nothing to install.
Where do the explanations come from?
Stockfish, a free and open-source chess engine, searches the position. A chess rules library checks legality, material and every line that is shown. In the beta, Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, writes the explanation from that evidence. Before you see it, the moves it cites, its numbers and any claim to win material or deliver mate are checked against that evidence. The tutor is built to explain only what the evidence supports.
Can I use it with games from other sites?
Yes. Paste the PGN of any finished game. Most chess sites can export one.
Can I use it during a game?
No. It analyses finished games, positions you set up, and practice games against its own computer opponents. It won’t help you in a live game against another person.
What happens to my email?
It’s stored in a Cloudflare D1 database and used only to send beta news. It isn’t sold or shared. Ask for it to be deleted at any time. The privacy notice has the details.
Who is building it?
Prax, an independent developer in India. Questions and ideas go straight to [email protected].
Homework: bring the game you still don’t understand.
Join the waitlist and you’ll get an email when your beta invite is ready. Free during the beta.