Stockfish lives in the analysis section of the lesson menu. Once enabled, it adds an evaluation bar next to the board and shows the best move for the current position (figure 1). The idea is to give you an instant reference while you walk through your opening.
- 1 The evaluation bar: the higher the white part, the more the position favors White.
- 2 The best-move arrow for the current position.
- 3 Stockfish is on: the engine and its analysis depth appear above the variations.
- 4 Your repertoire line, to compare with the engine’s suggestion.
Use the evaluation as a signal, not an absolute verdict. If the bar swings sharply after a move, the position deserves a pause: you may have missed a tactic, left a piece badly placed or chosen a plan that doesn’t work.
Read the best move
The best move is most useful when you hesitate between two ideas or when a repertoire line doesn’t feel natural. Look at the suggested move, then try to put it into a simple sentence: what threat does it create, what weakness does it defend, which piece does it improve?
- If the move confirms your idea, carry on with the lesson.
- If it contradicts your planned move, take time to understand the difference.
- If it reveals a tactic, go back to that branch in your repertoire afterwards.
Stockfish should help you phrase a clearer idea, not copy a sequence of moves you won’t find again in a game.
Let the engine play the opponent
The “Stockfish plays the opponent” option, in the lesson settings (figure 2), lets the engine choose the other side’s move when it’s their turn. It gets you out of “I already know the answer” mode and checks whether you can keep the plan against a concrete defense.
- 1 Enable Stockfish: evaluation bar and best move.
- 2 “Stockfish plays the opponent”: the engine replies for the other side.
Use this mode on small parts of the repertoire. If you let the engine play everything for too long, you may end up working on a position far from your original goal. The right rhythm: enable, test a few moves, then return to the line you wanted to learn.
Back to the lesson
After a pass with Stockfish, keep a single conclusion: the move to remember, the idea to fix or the branch to simplify. That conclusion is what improves your next training session.