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Flank openings

Sokolsky Opening

Learn the ideas, practise the moves without help, then time trial. 10 lines ready on the board.

Unlimited 10 lines Learn Practice Time trial

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Starting moves

1. b4

Lines in this course

  • Main line 1...e5
  • 1...d5
  • 1...Nf6
  • 1...c6
  • 1...e5 2.a3
  • Beginner plan
  • 1...d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.b5
  • 1...Nf6 2.Bb2 e6
  • 1...c6 2.Bb2 Qb6
  • 1...c5

Ideas from the course

  • Sokolsky/Polish. White pushes the b-pawn on move one.
  • The critical test. Black can take on b4 after ...e5.
  • White recaptures in the center. The bishop on e5 is a nice piece.

Continue on the board

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Release notes

What's new

Shipping history for ChessTropic, newest first. Open this anytime from the rail.

  1. v1.3 Latest

    Sparring bots, Puzzle Rush, and Coach Credits — train against style, then race the clock.

    • added Sparring: Free training games against styled bots for every signed-in member — no coaching lecture.
    • added Puzzle Rush: Solve against the clock — 3:00 and 3 lives — with its own all-time leaderboard.
    • added Coach Credits: Free members get a monthly allotment; Unlimited gets 100. Buy a one-time pack of 100 anytime.
    • improved Leaderboards: Daily, weekly, and all-time Practice boards now sit beside puzzle rating and Puzzle Rush.
    • improved Homepage: Clearer feature tour for Game Review, Blunder Override, Puzzles, AI Coach, and Sparring.
  2. v1.2

    AI Coach arrives, alongside Member Directory, Achievements, and a sharper ChessTropic shell.

    • added AI Coach: Play the Cyber Chameleon with live move notes, post-game debriefs, and follow-up chat.
    • added Member Directory: Browse public profiles and see who else is training.
    • added Achievements: Earn badges for practice streaks, puzzles, and milestones.
    • added Public profiles: Share a page for your practice stats, puzzle rating, and badges.
    • improved OpeningMatrix handoff: Opening trainer, Endgames Vault, Repertoire, and Community Courses open on OpeningMatrix when you need study tools.
    • fixed Safari: Board and shell layout fixes for Safari on macOS and iOS.
  3. v1.1

    Report, Blunder Override, and Game Review — tools that help you understand your own play.

    • added Report: Track your Chess.com and Lichess ratings, and see which openings you play most.
    • added Blunder Override: Replay past games and walk through the exact moments you threw away a win.
    • added Game Review: Import games from Chess.com, Lichess, or a PGN for a move-by-move engine breakdown.
  4. v1.0

    The first build: opening trainer, Endgames Vault, progress tracking, repertoire builder, community courses, and live puzzles.

    • added Opening Trainer: Drill 100+ official starter courses with Learn, Practice, and Time Trial.
    • added Endgames Vault: King opposition, Lucena, Philidor, king and rook mate, and king and queen mate.
    • added Progress tracking: Personal learning progress, puzzle ratings, and daily practice streaks.
    • added Repertoire Builder: Build and drill your own opening courses as White or Black.
    • added Community Courses: Publish a course to share with other players.
    • added Live Puzzles: An all-time rating leaderboard that updates as you solve.

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