Getting Started with StudyX Mindsports: Your First Steps into Chess, Shogi, and Go

Classic mind sports like Chess, Shogi, and Go have a reputation for being hard to get into. The rules feel intimidating, and finding a patient opponent is not easy. StudyX Mindsports has step-by-step lessons and a CPU opponent for exactly these two problems. In this post I will walk through your first session, from choosing a game to finishing your first match.

What Is StudyX Mindsports?

StudyX Mindsports is a collection of twelve mind sports for iPhone, iPad and Android. It is made for beginners and families who want to learn these games together, with lessons that explain the rules step by step in 15 languages.

The games play offline and there is no signup. The app is free and shows ads: a banner under the lists, and a full-screen ad only at breaks between games and lessons. A one-time purchase called Unlock All removes the ads and opens every advanced lesson. It is not a subscription.

Step 1: Choose Your First Game

There is no wrong answer here. Pick whichever game appeals to you. The home screen lists the official mind sports of the IMSA first, then the other games. A quick orientation:

• Chess follows the full international rules, including castling, en passant, and promotion.
• Shogi is the Japanese strategy game where captured pieces can be dropped back onto the board, which keeps every game dynamic.
• Go is played as quick 9x9 matches with Japanese rules, a friendly board size for learning the basics of life and death.
• Xiangqi, Checkers and International Draughts are the other classic board games in the collection.
• Bridge and Mahjong (Chinese Official rules) are played at a table with three CPU players.
• Backgammon and the card game Daifugo add some luck to the mix.
• Disk Flip has you flip your opponent’s discs by trapping them between yours.
• Block Place is about placing polyomino shapes on the board, touching your own pieces only at the corners.

If you are undecided, Disk Flip and Block Place are quick to grasp, while Chess, Shogi, and Go offer more depth to grow into.

Step 2: Learn the Rules with the Beginner Lessons

Eleven of the twelve games have beginner lessons, everything except International Draughts. Rather than handing you a wall of text, the lessons ask small questions you answer with a tap, one rule at a time, and then let you practice in real positions. You can start from zero even if you have never touched a board before. When you want more, there are advanced lessons too. The first advanced lesson of each game is free, and the rest come with Unlock All.

I think working through a lesson before your first match is worth the few minutes it takes. You will sit down at the board already knowing what the pieces do, and the first game feels like play instead of a test.

Step 3: Play Your First Match Against the CPU

When you feel ready, start a match against the CPU. Two things make it a good first opponent:

• It moves with you. The CPU goes from Lv.1 to Lv.50. Win and it moves up a level, lose and it moves down one, and the end of game dialog shows the change. After a win, most of the board games offer the next level right away.
• It works offline. No connection, and no waiting for a human opponent. You can practice on a train or anywhere else.

Do not worry about mistakes. The app supports undo, so you can take a move back and try a different idea. Afterward, Review lets you step through the game one move at a time and see where things went well or wrong. If you want a calmer first game, the clock can be set from 1 to 60 minutes per player, or turned off, so you can give yourself as long as you like. If you have to stop in the middle of a CPU game of Go, Shogi, Chess or Xiangqi, a Continue card on the home screen takes you back to it.

Step 4: Share the Board

Once you know the basics, hand the device over. Nine of the board games can be played by two people on a single device, so you can play face to face with family or friends. Daifugo and Mahjong also support Nearby Play, where each person joins from their own device. We collected more ideas like this in our practical tips for StudyX Mindsports.

Is It Right for You?

The app suits beginners, parents who want to learn alongside their kids, and anyone who simply wants offline practice. We go deeper on this in Who Is StudyX Mindsports For?, and you can see how it compares with other ways to learn these games. For all posts about the app, see the mindsports tag.

If you want to try it, download StudyX Mindsports, open a beginner lesson, and start against the CPU at Lv.1.