Complete beginner · Balanced

Play chess against Rookie Theo

Just learned castling. Expect some surprises.

touch_appTry the opening against Rookie Theo: it answers with the moves from its own opening book. The full game, with the engine and chat, is in the app.

8
7
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3
2
1a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
You have White. Make your first move.

How Rookie Theo plays

Just learned castling. Expect some surprises. Rookie Theo plays solid, natural chess: develops pieces, castles and takes chances when you leave them.

How strong it is

Rookie Theo is rated about 400. Its strength comes from a model of how players at that rating actually err: how far they look ahead and how often they slip, not from a weakened engine.

1 ply
Looks ahead
5% of moves
Real mistakes
−600 centipawns
Worst normal move
28
Candidate moves weighed

What it plays in the opening

Like a real beginner, Rookie Theo picks opening moves from a human opening book. As White:

1.e470%
1.d418%
1.e35%
1.Nc34%
1.Nf32%
1.c41%

Against 1.e4:

1...e558%
1...d510%
1...Nc610%
1...d66%
1...c55%
1...e64%
1...c63%
1...Nf62%
1...g62%
How often it chooses each move

What Theo says

Rookie Theo reacts to your moves while you play. A few of its lines:

“Hi! I just learned how the knight moves!”
“Nf3, nice move.”
“Ooh, Nf3. Good one.”
“Wait, can I take that? I'm taking it!”
“Well played, you got me.”

How to beat Rookie Theo

  1. 1Develop all your pieces before attacking.
  2. 2Do a blunder check before every move: what can they capture?
  3. 3Trade into an endgame when you're ahead.