ChessKid is a very child friendly and safe platform offering:

• training videos tailored to younger juniors, with cartoon characters led by Funmaster Mike
• puzzles
• online play.

The basic level of access is free but there is a membership fee for greater levels of access. Options are available to play against other Chesskids or against friends who are also logged into Chesskid or against a Bot.

This is our favourite site for… instruction for younger juniors.

lichess is a completely free (and advert free) website that offers:

• online play
• online puzzles
• a limited amount of study materials.

This our favourite site for… playing and puzzling for free.

Chess24.com is one of the most complete chess sites as it offers:

• online play
• online puzzles
• video and e-book training, from beginner courses to advanced works written by top grandmasters
• the most comprehensive coverage of live games from grandmaster events
• live commentary on online grandmaster tournaments which can be very instructive.

Basic membership is free which allows you to play, do 5 puzzles a day, purchase videos and e-books, watch the commentary on nearly all the live events.  Premium membership allows you unlimited puzzles, access to all the video and e-book materials and all the live commentary.

For online play, a powerful PC is recommended or the site can be a bit slow.

This is our favourite site for… watching live grandmaster chess and is a great all-rounder.

Chess.com is the bigger brother / sister of ChessKid and is aimed at older juniors and adults.

It offers:

• chess news
• online play
• online puzzles
• video training
• some live commentary on online grandmaster tournaments which can be very instructive.

Basic membership is free.  Beyond that there are three more levels of membership that unlock progressively more features.

Be prepared for a few adverts with the free membership level.

This is our favourite site for… being a great all-rounder.