4 hours Ago By Theunis Jansen van Rensburg
Duolingo, the popular language learning platform, is set to expand its educational offerings with the upcoming launch of a new chess course. This addition marks a further diversification for the app, moving beyond language instruction into the realm of strategic games. Read: What we expect from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 The forthcoming chess course will employ a gamified approach familiar to Duolingo users, utilizing short, interactive puzzles to teach the fundamentals of the game.
Examples include exercises focused on the knight’s unique L-shaped movement and practicing checkmates against a cornered king. Learners will also have the opportunity to test their skills by playing “mini-matches” or full games against Duolingo’s character Oscar, who will serve as a virtual coach throughout the lessons. During a recent video demonstration provided to The Verge, the chess course appeared engaging and user-friendly.
Edwin Bodge, group product manager at Duolingo, explained that the team’s primary goal was to “make chess as accessible as possible.” The course will cater to a wide spectrum of skill levels, allowing individuals with varying degrees of familiarity with chess to jump in at a comfortable starting point. Chess joins other non-language subjects already available on Duolingo, such as music and math, indicating the platform’s broader ambition in the education space.
When questioned about potential future courses centred around other games, staff software engineer Sammi Siegel stated that while there are no immediate plans to share, the company will assess the success of the chess course launch before making further decisions. According to Monica Earle, Duolingo’s PR director, the chess course will initially launch in beta testing on iOS devices, exclusively in English. Earle anticipates that within four to six weeks, the beta program will expand to include more iOS users.
Following this initial testing phase, the chess course is expected to be rolled out to Android devices and made available in additional languages at a later date..
