Poussée
/poo-SAY/
From the French la poussée du pion — the pawn push.
In chess, a single pushed pawn can decide the game. In learning, a single push — the right explanation at the right moment — can change how you see the board forever.
That's what the AI coach does. Not just "bad move." But why it was bad, what you missed, and how to see it next time.
Chess learning that respects your time, your data, and your intelligence.
AI Coach that talks
Every move gets a plain-English explanation. Not cryptic symbols. Not "??". The coach tells you why your move was wrong and what was better — in words you understand.
Your mistakes become puzzles
Poussée mines your blunders and turns them into personal training. Fix the holes in your game, not someone else's.
Ghost Mode
Replay a game you played 90+ days ago. Did you actually improve? Prove it, move by move, against your past self.
Bots with stories
12 bots with distinct styles, dialogue, and personality arcs. Beat Blames James to unlock Rookie Regina. Chess with stakes.
Why not chess.com? Why not Lichess?
chess.com
Charges $99/year to explain why your move was bad. Limits you to 10 puzzles a day. Runs ads on the free tier. Forces account creation to play a bot.
Lichess
Free and open source — we respect that enormously. But no AI coaching. No personalized training. No bot personalities. Functional, but clinical.
Poussée
Free AI coaching. Free puzzles, no daily limit. No ads, ever. No account needed. 10 bots with personalities. Your mistakes become your curriculum. Works offline.
iOS · macOS · Windows · Linux · Web · Apple Watch · Steam
Standing on the shoulders of giants
- Stockfish — the world's strongest open-source chess engine (GPL). Poussée uses Stockfish 17 for analysis and bot play.
- Lichess puzzle database — millions of crowd-sourced chess puzzles used under Creative Commons.
- The open-source chess community — for decades of shared knowledge, tools, and passion.