I kept meaning to practice. So I put it where I couldn’t miss it.

SkillUnlock is built by Yassine Chahdi.

I was stuck around 1100 on chess.com for too long. Win 1, lose 1, repeat. I knew the fix: daily tactics, to build pattern recognition and climb out of beginner territory. I never actually did them. I'd open Lichess with good intentions, get distracted, close the tab. Same loop for months.

So I built a Mac app that puts a chess puzzle fullscreen every time I wake my Mac, and I have to solve it to reach my desktop. Five days in, I'd done 34 puzzles without ever opening a chess app. It just folded into the day: open laptop, solve, get to work.

The trick worked too well to keep it to chess. SkillUnlock is that same idea for any skill: mental math (free, forever), chess tactics, and typing, with languages and coding on the way.

Connect

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yassinechahdi

Twitter: @yassinewastook

Contact: [email protected]