Inspired by the woodpecker methodTurn practice into instinct

Repetition is a proven path to chess improvement, and nobody automates it like Disco Chess. Train tactics, openings, and positions from your own games with cycle-based repetition, automatic cycle tracking, and progress analytics.

Tactical puzzles: 170+ sets across 18 themes and 5 difficulty levels
Opening courses: GM-curated repertoires with video lessons and drills
Your games: missed tactics extracted from your online games
100% FREE: solve your first puzzle in under 60 seconds
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The Woodpecker Method is a trademark licensed by Chess.com, LLC and Quality Chess UK LTD, originating from GM Hans Tikkanen. Disco Chess is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Chess.com, Quality Chess, or Chessable.

Disco Chess mobile app showing interactive chess puzzle solving interface with progress tracking and statistics

Tactical Puzzles

170+ curated puzzle sets across 18 tactical themes and 5 difficulty levels. Solve in repeated cycles until patterns become automatic.

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Opening Repertoires

GM-curated opening courses with video lessons and drills. Learn the ideas, then lock in the moves through cycle-based repetition.

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Tactics From Your Games

Connect your Lichess account and we'll find tactics you missed in your real games. They go straight into your review queue for spaced repetition training.

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Mistake Review

Every wrong answer enters an Anki-style review queue. Spaced repetition ensures your weaknesses become strengths.

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Master chess through repetition

Inspired by the woodpecker method - then taken further

The woodpecker method* is the training technique that helped Hans Tikkanen achieve three GM norms in seven weeks. The core idea: solve the same set of positions multiple times in cycles until they become automatic. Disco Chess applies this to tactics, openings, and your own games, with cycle tracking, Anki-style mistake review, and performance analytics built in.

Does it work? Absolutely. Our data from 400,000+ puzzle attempts shows consistent trainers gain an average of +35 Elo, with the top 15% gaining over +100 Elo in under a month. By cycle two, users solve puzzles 16% faster at higher accuracy.

Learn more about the method

*The Woodpecker Method is a trademark licensed by Chess.com, LLC and Quality Chess UK LTD, originating from GM Hans Tikkanen. Disco Chess is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Chess.com, Quality Chess, or Chessable.

Core woodpecker features

Fixed puzzle sets (100, 500, and 1000 puzzles)
Solve the same set in 5-7+ cycles
Track speed and accuracy across cycles
Complete full sets, no skipping

Disco Chess innovations

Mistake Review with Anki-style spaced repetition
18 tactical themes for targeted training
Performance analytics to find weak motifs
Opening repertoire courses with video lessons
Personalized tactics from your online games
iPhone, iPad, Android, and web

Cycle-based chess training, in your pocket

This is where the cycles actually happen, one after another, until the tactics you used to calculate are the ones you simply see.

  • Disco Chess iPhone app dashboard showing a mistake review prompt, a 14 day hot streak, and puzzles solved in the last week

    Puzzles

    Resume the set you are mid-cycle on, or clear the mistakes queued up from the last one.

  • Solving a chess tactics puzzle in the Disco Chess iPhone app, showing the board, solve timer, and current training cycle

    Practice

    One position at a time, with the clock running. Anything you miss goes into an Anki-style review queue.

  • Disco Chess statistics screen showing 95 percent average accuracy and a rising accuracy chart across eleven training cycles

    Grow

    Accuracy and solve time for every cycle, side by side, so improvement is a number instead of a feeling.

  • Disco Chess hot streak calendar showing a 14 day daily chess training streak

    Streak on!

    A full cycle is 100 puzzles or more. Pick a daily goal from 5 minutes to a full hour and keep showing up.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Disco Chess is free. Solve your first puzzle in under a minute.

Training at your desk? Browse the puzzle sets

Solve puzzles, we track everything

Pick a puzzle set, start solving, and Disco Chess handles the rest. Automatic cycle tracking, progress analytics, and instant feedback. No spreadsheets, no manual timers, no complicated setup. You focus on tactics.

Automatic tracking

Watch your pattern recognition grow

Each cycle, you'll solve the same puzzles faster and more accurately. Our efficiency metric shows exactly how much you've improved compared to your first attempt. Real, measurable progress you can see.

Progress tracking

One platform, three ways to train

Solve tactical puzzles, drill opening repertoires, or train positions from your own games. Set daily goals, track your streaks, and watch small sessions compound into real improvement.

Hot streak

Frequently asked questions

Disco Chess is free. All 18 tactical themes, puzzle sets up to 500 puzzles, unlimited cycles, performance analytics, Mistake Review, and personalized tactics from your online games are included at no cost. You get 5 hearts and lose one on each mistake, with a new heart regenerating every 5 hours. Premium adds 1000-puzzle sets and unlimited hearts for players who want to go deeper.

Pick a puzzle set matched to your level, then solve all the puzzles. That's one cycle. Repeat the same set multiple times. Each cycle, you'll solve faster and more accurately as patterns become automatic. Learn more about Training Cycles.

Wrong puzzles are automatically added to your Mistake Review queue. You'll see them again at spaced intervals (1, 3, 7, 14, 30 days) until you master them. This Anki-style approach ensures your weaknesses get the most practice.

Our research shows Elo gains typically appear around weeks 3-5 of consistent training. Users who stuck with it gained an average of +35 Elo in their rated games, with players under 1200 seeing median gains of +70 Elo. By cycle 2, users solve puzzles 24% faster at higher accuracy. Consistency matters more than volume: even 20-30 puzzles a day is enough.

The woodpecker method is a training technique where you solve the same puzzle set multiple times in cycles. Instead of variety, you focus on repetition until patterns become automatic. Learn more.

Tactics training uses curated puzzle sets organised by theme (forks, pins, etc.) and difficulty. Opening training drills GM-curated repertoire lines with video lessons. Game-based training scans your Lichess games, finds tactics you missed, and adds them to your Mistake Review queue for spaced repetition.

Yes. Disco Chess Tactics Puzzles is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and on Google Play for Android. Premium is an optional in-app purchase. You can also train in any browser, and your progress syncs across web and mobile through your account.

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