1. Every chess master was once a beginner. Irving Chernev
Chess for Beginners
Every chess master was once a beginner.
Irving Chernev
Chernev was an American-Russian chess player who wrote 20 chess books.
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2. How to Set Up the Board and Pieces
Basic rules of chess:
White always starts
One square – one piece
Players shake hands before and after games.
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3. Respect! Players shake hands before and after games.
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4. The Board – the battleground
Letters close to you
White on the right
White on the right!
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5. The Pieces
It is useful to remember that each piece has 3 main operations:
Starting position
Moving rules
Capture moves
If you can recall these 3 rules for each piece you’re on the right track!
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6. The Pawn – the foot soldier
Pawns can move only one space forward at any time except for their first move when each pawn has the choice of moving one or two spaces forward. Pawns can capture other pieces by moving one space diagonally to the left or right. “The V shape”
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7. The Pawn White pawns start on rank 2, black pawns on rank 7.
Pawns can move only one space forward at any time except for their first move when each pawn has the choice of moving one or two spaces forward.
Pawns can capture other pieces by moving one space diagonally forward to the left or right.
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8. *Chess Toss* To decide colours of each player
Place a black and white piece behind your back
Mix pieces up
Keeping the pieces covered by your fists, show to opponent (opponent cannot see pieces)
Opponent chooses a fist and plays with revealed colour
When colours are decided, white always moves first.
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9. The Pawn Game First player to get ONE pawn to the other side wins.
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10. The Pawn Game You win the game: a) if your opponent gives up; or
b) if you are the first to capture all your opponent's pawns; or
c) if you are the first to reach the last rank (i.e. your opponent's first rank) with one of your pawns; or
d) if it is your opponent's turn to move but all her pawns are blocked and do not have any moves, while you yourself can make at least one move.
The game is a draw:
a) if the two players agree to call it a draw; or
b) if both sides pawns are blocked up so that neither side can make any moves.
Other rules:
a) If you touch one of your own men when it is your turn to move, you must move it.
b) If you touch one of your opponent's men, you must capture it if you can.
c) Once you make a move, you cannot change it so think carefully.
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11. *Touch Move Rule*
If a player touches one of their own pieces they must move that piece as long as it is a legal move.
If a player touches an opponent’s piece, they must capture that piece.
A player who wishes to touch a piece only to adjust it on the board must first announce the intention, usually by saying “adjust”.
Standard tournament rule
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12. The Rook – the catapult
Show starting position of rooks on board – extreme corners.
The rook moves horizontally and vertically any number of squares, forwards or backwards.
*Display rook’s movement from centre. Next display movement when similar colour pieces block its path. Next display capturing by rook.*
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13. The Rook The Rooks begin on the extreme corners of the board.
The rook moves horizontally and vertically any number of squares, forwards or backwards.
A Rook cannot move through or jump pieces but can capture opposition pieces in its way (but only one at a time!).
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14. Rook Challenge First player to get ONE pawn to the other side wins.
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15. Rook Challenge 8 white pawns v’s one black rook Chess toss for colour
White moves first as always
White or black wins if it gets one of its pawns to the other side of the board
Switch sides after first game
Incorporate time or remove pawns to differentiate
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16. The Knight – the horseman
The knights start next to the rooks. The knight moves in an L shape in any direction. So it can move 2 squares sideways and one square up or down or one square sideways and 2 squares up or down. Just like a real horse, the knight can jump other pieces to get where it wants to go. Ask students to place piece in an assigned square and discuss with their partner where the piece can go from there.
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17. The Knight The knights start next to the rooks.
The knight moves using “hippoty, hippoty, hop”
The knight moves in an L shape in any direction. So it can move 2 squares sideways (2 hippoties) and one square up or down (1 hop) or one square sideways and 2 squares up or down.
Just like a real horse, the knight can jump other pieces to get where it wants to go.
The knight only captures on it’s finishing square (hop square)
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18. The Knight
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19. O Lonely Knight Game White wins if one pawn reaches the other side.
Black wins if it captures all white pieces or stops it reaching the other side.
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20. Mary’s Game White wins if one pawn reaches the other side.
Black wins if it captures all white pieces or stops it reaching the other side.
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21. The Knight’s Tour (requires counters)
This is a puzzle!
The knight must try to go to every square on the board only once.
Use counters to mark the squares already visited.
It is possible!!!
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22. Interesting Knight Fact
If a knight starts on a light coloured square it will always finish on a dark coloured square (after completing it’s L shape move). Similarly if it starts on a dark coloured square it will finish on a light coloured square.
Try it out!
Pair work: use board and knight piece. Assign the knight to a square and pairs must discuss which squares it can and cannot move to. Firstly pairs are allowed to move the knight but they will then be restricted by not being allowed to touch the piece – students must imagine/picture where it can and cannot move to. Next introduce other pieces which interrupt where the knight can and cannot move to.
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23. Radioactive Horse Poo!!! (requires counters)
Every time the knight moves it leaves it’s radioactive horse poo behind!
A knight cannot go to any square with radioactive poo in it!
Don’t get trapped by the radioactive poo (use other pieces or counters to make the squares with poo in it).
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24. The Knight Swap 2 knights v’s 2 knights.
First player to get both their knights to the opposite squares will win.
Eg. White knights must get from b1 and g1 to b8 and g8 respectively.
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25. Stuck in the Mud Pawns
None of the pawns can move but they can be captured.
First player to capture the opponent’s pawns will win.
Be careful not to lose your knights!
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26. Dark Knight Game First player to get ONE pawn to the other side wins.
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27. The Bishop – the sniper
The bishop begins next to the knight. The bishop moves diagonally any number of spaces, forwards or backwards (make link to rook – like a diagonal rook). Bishops will only ever move on their starting colour. The bishop can be blocked by other pieces. *Demonstrate how a bishop captures other pieces*
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28. The Bishop The bishop begins next to the knight
The bishop moves diagonally any number of spaces, forwards or backwards
Bishops will only ever move on their starting colour
The bishop can be blocked by other pieces – the bishop cannot jump over other pieces
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29. Bishops Rule!
White wins if it gets one pawn to the other side of the board
Black wins if it captures all white pieces or stops it reaching the other side.
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30. Bishops Swap 2 bishops v’s 2 bishops.
First player to get both their bishops to the opposite squares will win.
Eg. White bishops must get from c1 and f1 to c8 and f8 respectively.
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31. Chess Without Royalty
First player to capture one opposition bishop wins.
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32. The Queen – the all powerful!
The queen starts next on its own colour (white – D1, black – D8)The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. It can move straight or diagonally any number of squares. The queen can be blocked however by other pieces.
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33. The Queen
The queen starts next on its own colour (white – D1, black – D8)
The queen is the most powerful piece on the board.
She can move straight or diagonally any number of squares.
The queen cannot jump over other pieces (only the knight can jump other pieces).
The queen is like two other pieces combined. What are these two pieces?
The queen could be said to be the rook and bishop combined!
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34. Team v’s Queen
White wins if it gets one pawn to the other side of the board
Black wins if it captures all white pieces or stops it reaching the other side.
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35. The 8 Queen Conundrum This is a puzzle to be solved.
Imagine you have 8 queens of the same colour and a blank board.
Your challenge is to place the 8 queens on the board in such a way that no two queens intersect each other
Remember a queen moves horizontally, vertically and diagonally.
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36. The King – the lazy leader
The king starts next to the queen. It is the most important piece on the chessboard. If the king is captured the game is over. The king can move one space in any direction. The king can never move onto a square that is being attacked. The king can capture other pieces.
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37. The King The king starts next to the queen.
It is the most important piece on the chessboard!
The king can move one space in any direction.
The king can never move onto a square that is being attacked (the king can never move into check).
The king can capture other pieces.
The kings don’t like each other and can never stand next to one another.
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38. The Fat Egocentric King
Kings long ago were very wealthy! However they had loads of feasts and parties and got very fat. They are always out of breath and very lazy so the only move one space at a time.
Kings have massive egos and so cannot bear to be next to another King so they always stay one square distance away from each other.
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39. The Hungry (Egocentric) Kings
A 2 player game.
Place two different sets of counters in the middle two rows as shown. Each king is assigned a colour counter to collect.
First to collect their 8 counters is the winner.
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40. A Knight’s Kingdom
A 2 or 4 player game (black v white or 1 piece per player).
Set up pieces as shown.
The kings must trap the knight in as few moves as possible. If the knight lasts 30 moves then the knight wins.
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41. Game of Thrones A 2 player game.
Get your king to your opponent’s King starting place.
Example: black must get King from e8 to e1
Discuss: is it a fair game? Why not?
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42. King’s Escort
White wins if it gets one pawn to the other side of the board
Black wins if it gets the King to the other side safely.
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43. Indoor Football Pawns as players, Kings as goalkeepers.
If you get a pawn past the king it’s a goal.
Count the score.
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44. Remember the 5 Steps
The board – letters close to you, white on the right
Pawns – ranks 2 and 7
Rooks, knights and bishops
Queen – on its own colour (light or dark)
King – next to queen
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45. Early Chess First player to capture the opposition King wins.
This is NOT proper chess!!!
This was how chess was initially played. I was played for a number of years and came to different countries before being developed with the idea of checkmate.
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46. Safe or Unsafe? Can you spot any safe moves to make?
Is black queen to e1 a safe move?
Can you spot any unsafe moves?
Is black pawn to c5 a safe move?
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47. Safe or Unsafe? A king can never move to an unsafe square.
2. Check & Checkmate
Safe or Unsafe?
A king can never move to an unsafe square.
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48. Football Chess
Arrangement Phase – first 7 moves for black and white – no captures.
To take control of the ball one must occupy the square with the ball. The ball then travels with this piece.
If the piece with the ball is captured the ball is transferred to the new piece.
First player to deliver the ball to the goal area wins.
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