The problem most chess academies have

Most chess academies, even successful ones, are running on a patchwork of tools: a Zoom link for classes, a Lichess study for positions, a WhatsApp group for announcements, a Google Sheet for tracking who paid, and an email draft for homework reminders.

This works at 5 students. It breaks at 20. And it never looked professional to the parents who are paying for classes.

What chess academy management software should actually do

Live classroom with synchronized boards

The most important feature by far. Your online classroom should give every student a synchronized board that mirrors yours in real time. When you move a piece, they see it immediately. When you draw an arrow, they see it. No screen shares, no refreshes, no "wait, where did you move?"

Assignment and homework system

You should be able to set puzzles or tasks for students and instantly see how each of them got on. Not a form they fill in, and not a chase on WhatsApp — real progress, visible inside the platform.

Student progress dashboard

At a glance, you should be able to see how each student is really progressing — in class, in homework and in their online games. This is the picture that makes coaching conversations productive instead of vague.

In-session engagement tools

Live chess classes come alive with mid-session activities: friendly puzzle races, guided practice games and quick quizzes. These turn passive watching into active learning.

Communication and marketing

A chess academy needs to communicate with parents about upcoming sessions, share student progress, and promote enrollment. Doing this from the same place you teach saves hours every week.

What to watch out for

Generic LMS platforms (Teachable, Thinkific, etc.) — not built for live interactive chess. You'll bolt on ten other tools.
Chess platforms without coaching tools — Lichess and Chess.com are great for playing, not great for managing a class of 15 students.
Tools that require students to install software — parents of young students won't do it. Browser-first is essential.

How Chessido stacks up

Chessido was built from the ground up for chess academy management. It brings together live interactive classes, engaging in-class activities, homework with instant insight, a clear picture of every student's progress, and the tools to keep parents informed and your academy growing.

It is free to start, requires no installation, and was designed to replace the five tools most coaches are juggling today. If you've been looking at ChessLang or trying to make Zoom + Lichess work, Chessido is the purpose-built ChessLang alternative.

Beyond teaching, it covers the running of the academy too: fee tracking with branded receipts, Swiss tournament pairings that publish to Chess-Results, and a certificate maker with 16 designs. For a side-by-side look at the options, see our 2026 guide to chess coaching software.

Questions to ask before choosing a platform

Can I run a live class with a synchronized board without asking students to install anything?
Can I assign puzzles and automatically see who completed them?
Can I see each student's rating and progress on one screen?
Is there a way to communicate with parents and students without using a separate tool?
Can I run it free when I'm starting out?

If the platform can answer yes to all five, it's worth trying seriously.