About Vibe Coding Rookify
Hi, I’m Anthon 👋🏿 and I’m building Rookify — an AI-powered chess coach designed to help players learn and improve in a way that feels personal, intelligent, and emotionally aware.
Most chess tools today either bombard you with engine lines or give you cookie-cutter lessons. Rookify’s vision is different: it will remember who you are as a player, track your style and weaknesses, adapt its feedback to your preferences, and guide you through a clear, motivating path of improvement. Think of it less as “a chess app” and more as a coach who actually knows you.
Why This Substack Exists
I’m building Rookify almost entirely through vibe coding — using AI tools like ChatGPT and Cursor to write, refactor, and debug the app in real time. It’s a new way of building software, and I want to share the journey as openly as possible.
Here on this Substack, you’ll find:
📝 Weekly build updates – honest reflections on what I shipped, what broke, and what I learned.
🧠 Behind-the-scenes insights – how features like personalised memory, emotional AI, or opening recognition are being implemented.
♟️ Chess meets AI experiments – exploring how cutting-edge tools can make learning chess more fun and effective.
I publish one new post every week. Some weeks it’s flashy new features, other weeks it’s quiet foundational work—but every post captures the reality of building a startup from scratch with AI as my coding partner.
Why Subscribe
If you’re curious about:
Building in public and the future of AI-assisted coding
How AI can make learning chess more human and fun
Or just want to follow along with the scrappy journey of turning an idea into a product…
👉 Subscribe (for free!) and get each new post straight to your inbox.
Your support not only helps me stay consistent, but also plays a role in shaping Rookify itself—through feedback, ideas, and inspiration from readers like you.
Let’s vibe. 🚀♟️
– Anthon
Chief Vibes Officer @ Rookify
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