Just say, “Alexa, open Chess Maven!”

Chess has been on my mind lately since I’ve been binge watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. (It’s so good!) I’ve always wanted to learn to play, and now I finally have a teacher (Alexa!).

How to start playing chess right now (even if you’ve never played)!

First, you’re going to need an Echo Show (or a Fire TV with an Alexa-enabled device) to play Chess Maven.

If you’ve never played before… 

Say “Alexa, open Chess Maven” to start up the skill then tap the “Tutorial” button on your Echo Show. Learn about any piece and how it can move by tapping on it. (You’ll get a supercute animation to watch!)

If you’re ready to play… 

Say “Alexa, open Chess Maven” to start up a game and follow the prompts on your Echo Show to play!

Pro Tip #1 

There are 3 different ways you can make your move: with your voice (“Move pawn to H8”), tapping buttons showing available moves to the right of the board, or tapping on individual pieces—Alexa will display dots to indicate the ways you can move each piece.

Pro Tip #2

Alexa will play chess with you just like a chess master, where you get 10 minutes to make your move.