Acorn Chess

Mini-games are a valuable part of a chess tutor's resources.

They are ideal for teaching chess methodically, as they use a small number of pieces each time to build up knowledge and skill.

They are used extensively by Chess in Schools and Communities in over 300 UK schools.

One problem - particularly now online teaching has become a necessity - is that most computer programmes cannot be used to set up the mini-games, as they class them as illegal positions (because there are no kings on the board.)

Acorn Chess is a brand new venture, which allows mini-games to be set up easily and offers various levels of engine strength to test a player's skill.

I have tested Acorn Chess and I believe it offers an excellent set of resources for chess tutors to use in group or individual settings.

There are lots of other games and features and the project is developing all of the time. Head to the Acorn Chess website to investigate the new resources and follow Acorn Chess on Twitter to keep up to date with all of the new developments.