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 assign puzzles or tasks to students and automatically track who completed them, how long it took, and what their accuracy was. Not a form they fill in. Actual tracked completion from within the platform.

Student progress dashboard

At a glance, you should be able to see each student's puzzle accuracy, their Chess.com or Lichess rating trend, how many sessions they attended, and which assignments they're behind on. This is the information that makes coaching calls productive instead of vague.

In-session engagement tools

Live chess classes benefit enormously from mid-session activities: puzzle rush competitions (students race to solve the same position), bot drills (students practice against an engine while you watch), 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 reports, and occasionally promote enrollment. Automated emails for class reminders and re-engagement sequences save 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 has a live classroom with real-time board sync, puzzle rush and bot drills built into every session, a full homework assignment and tracking system, per-student analytics with Chess.com and Lichess rating sync, and automated academy email tools.

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 alternative.

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.