Level 1 free
Diagonals
Two squares are named. Answer yes or no, then name the connecting diagonal. Essential for seeing bishop and queen lines.
- L1 · With board
- L2 · No board
- L3 · Timed
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About this drill
Bishops and queens live on diagonals, and the diagonal is the line players misjudge most. A bishop on b2 aiming at g7 crosses the board at an angle the eye does not trace on its own. Two squares are named. Do they share a diagonal, and if so, which squares lie between them.
What you will learn
- Two squares share a diagonal when file distance equals rank distance: b2 to g7 is five files and five ranks.
- Squares of different colour never share a diagonal; the same colour is necessary but not enough.
- The long diagonals, a1 to h8 and h1 to a8, and shorter ones that decide games, such as b1 to h7 and c1 to h6.
- To see a bishop's reach from any square in one glance.
How the levels build
Level 1 highlights both squares on the board. You answer yes or no, and when they share a diagonal you pick a square between them. The board lets you check your count.
Level 2 names the squares and shows no board, so the count is the method: b2 to g7 is five and five, yes; c1 to f5 is three files and four ranks, no. About half the pairs share a diagonal, so guessing gets you nowhere.
Level 3 hides the board and gives six seconds per pair, enough to count once, not twice. Level 1 is free, levels 2 and 3 are in Pro.
How to practise it
Answer by voice with "yes" or "no". On level 1 decide first and use the highlighted squares only to check. On level 2 say the difference aloud before you answer: "three and three, yes". Pass is 80 percent. When the no answers come easily and the yes answers still take time, replay level 2 before trying the clock.
Play level 1 nowQuestions people ask
- How do you tell if two chess squares are on the same diagonal?
- Count the files and ranks between them. Equal counts mean a shared diagonal. c1 to h6 is five and five, yes; c1 to h5 is five and four, no.
- What are the long diagonals in chess?
- a1 to h8, which is dark, and h1 to a8, which is light. A fianchettoed bishop on g2 or b2 sits on one.
- Is the Diagonals drill free?
- Level 1, with the squares highlighted, is free. Levels 2 and 3 are in Pro, $6.99 a month or $49 a year, or during an earned 72 hour trial.
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