Chess Starter Guide 2022
Chess Starter Guide 2022
Chess Starter Guide 2022
A guide for parents & teachers to begin learning chess with students
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Pawn 1 Point P
Knight 3 Points N
Bishop 3 Points B
Rook 5 Points R
Queen 9 Points Q
King The Game K
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Passport to Chess
Track progress through exciting explorations into the world of chess!
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Chess is a game for two players. One player controls the light
pieces and the other player controls the dark pieces.
The goal of the game is to checkmate an opponent's King (as explained in Topic 11).
We also hope you have fun each game & practice a Win, Draw, Learn ® attitude as we
learn from every game we play!
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Topic 2 : The Board
Learn how the chess board is structured & reference each square!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LBoard
Chess Activity:
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Name that 7
Square! 6
Play to 10 points. 1
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no direct impact on the result of a game. See Fig. 3.1 (above): Above & virtual view of all light &
Topic 11 (pg. 14) for how to win a chess game. dark pieces in their starting positions.
Chess Activity:
Ready, SETUP, Go! : Start with all pieces piled in the middle of your chess
board. Time yourself to see how quickly you can correctly setup all the
pieces in their starting positions! Can you do it in less than 30 seconds?
Bonus: The Chess4Life team was able to setup the board in less than
14 seconds. Can you beat our time?
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Topic 4 : The King
Learn how the King moves & the special rules for this important piece!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LKing
Since the goal of the game of chess is to checkmate the King, this piece is the most important
piece in the game of chess! The King moves one square in any direction. The King captures in
the same way that it moves (by moving one square onto the square of the opponent's piece to
capture). (Figures 4.1 & 4.2)
The King may never move into or through danger and the King may never be removed from
the board. If a player makes a move that puts their King in danger, this is called an illegal move.
It must be taken back and a legal move must be played. Each player has one King. The white
King begins the game on e1 and the black King begins the game on e8.
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Fig. 4.1: The light King can move 1 square in Fig. 4.2: The light King captures the dark pawn
any direction each turn. on d3 by moving 1 square forward to d3.
Chess Activity: 8
7
Capture the Pawns - King: Set up your chess board
as shown to the right to see if you can use the King 6
a b c d e f g h
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The Rook (sometimes called a castle based on its shape) begins on the corner of the chess
board. Rooks can move up, down, left, or right, 1 - 7 squares in any direction until the Rook
reaches an obstruction or captures a piece.
The Rook cannot jump over pieces and can only capture one piece per turn (Fig. 5.1 & 5.2).
Each player has two Rooks. The white Rooks begin the game in the corners, a1 & h1. The black
Rooks begin in the corners, a8 & h8. The Rook is worth 5 points.
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Fig. 5.1: The light Rook can move 1-7 squares Fig. 5.2: The light Rook captures the dark Knight
up, down, or across each turn. on h5 by moving right 4 squares to h5.
Chess Activity: 8
7
Capture the Pawns - Rook: Set up your chess
board as shown to the right to see if you can use 6
a b c d e f g h
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Topic 6 : The Bishop
Learn about the Bishops that move diagonally on one color!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LBishop
The Bishop only moves diagonally. The Bishop may move 1-7 squares in any diagonal direction
(Fig. 6.1). Since the Bishop moves diagonally, it may never move to a different color other than
the one it started on.
The Bishop cannot jump over pieces and can only capture one piece per turn (Fig. 2). Each
player has a light-squared Bishop and a dark-squared Bishop. The white Bishops begin on
c1 & f1. The black Bishops begin on c8 & f8. The Bishop has a piece value of 3 points.
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Fig. 6.1: This light Bishop can move diagonally Fig. 6.2: The dark Bishop captures the light pawn
on dark squares only. This dark Bishop can on h3 by moving diagonally 4 squares to h3.
move diagonally on light squares only.
Chess Activity: 8
7
Capture the Pawns - Bishop: Set up your chess
board as shown to the right to see if you can use 6
a b c d e f g h
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The Queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess. The Queen can move 1 - 7
squares in any direction -- up, down, left, right, or diagonal -- until the Queen reaches an
obstruction or captures a piece.
The Queen cannot jump over pieces and can only capture one piece per turn (Fig. 7.1 & 7.2).
Each player has one Queen. The white Queen begins the game on d1 and the black Queen on
d8. The Queen has a piece value of 9 points.
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Fig. 7.1: The dark Queen can move 1-7 squares Fig. 7.2: The dark Queen captures the light
in any direction each turn. Knight on g5 by moving 3 squares right to g5.
Chess Activity: 8
7
Capture the Pawns - Queen: Set up your chess
board as shown to the right to see if you can use 6
a b c d e f g h
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Topic 8 : The Knight
Learn about the Knights that can move in a unqiue shape!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LKnight
The Knight moves in an “L” shape. From a starting square, the Knight moves 2 squares -- up,
down, left, or right -- then one square at a right angle, forming an “L” (Fig. 8.1 & 8.2).
The Knight is the only piece that may jump over other pieces, however it only captures the
piece of the square that it lands on (not any pieces it jumped over). Each player has 2 Knights.
The white Knights begin the game on b1 & g1. The black Knights begin on b8 & g8. The Knight
has a piece value of 3 points (equal to the Bishop).
Every move the Knight makes always changes the color of the square the Knight is on.
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Fig. 8.1: The dark & light Knights can move in Fig. 8.2: The dark Knight moves 2 squares down
an L-Shape to any highlighted square. & 1 square right to d4. The light Knight moves up 2
squares (over the pawn) & left 1 square to f3.
Chess Activity: 8
7
Capture the Pawns - Knight: Set up your chess
board as shown to the right to see if you can use 6
a b c d e f g h
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The Pawn moves directly forward (Fig. 1) and never backward or to the side. Pawns move
exactly one square forward. However, a unique rule allows each Pawn to advance two squares
forward on each Pawn's first move.
Pawns can capture a piece that is one square diagonally forward (Fig. 2). Pawns do not normally
move diagonally, however this is the only way they capture other pieces. Pawns are the only
piece that capture differently than they move.
Each player has 8 Pawns. The white Pawns begin on the 2nd rank & the black Pawns begin on
the 7th rank. The Pawn has a piece value of 1 point.
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Fig. 9.1: The light pawns can move 1 square Fig. 9.2: Pawns capture diagonally. The light
forward each turn. The c2 pawn is moving for pawn on e5 captured the dark pawn on f6.
the first time, so can move 2 squares forward.
Chess Activity:
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Topic 10 : Pawn Promotion
Learn a special rule about how Pawns can transform into other pieces!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LPawnP
Pawns are the only piece in chess that may promote, which is essentially transforming into a
different piece! Promotion occurs when the Pawn reaches the opposite side of the board
(1ST rank for black, 8TH rank for white). In the same turn, the Pawn is removed from the board
and is replaced with an extra piece of the promoting player’s choice (Fig 10.1 & 10.2).
Players can choose to promote a Pawn to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight even if these
pieces are already on the board. Once the Pawn is promoted, this concludes the player’s turn.
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Fig. 10.1: The light pawn on h7 can move Fig. 10.2: The light pawn promotes to a Queen
forward 1 square to h8 to promote. when it reaches the other side of the board.
Chess Activity: 7
a b c d e f g h
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Checkmate is when one player puts their opponent’s King in danger (called “check”) and the
opponent can do nothing with their King or any other pieces to stop the King from being in
danger (Fig. 11.1 & 11.2). The position is check (rather than checkmate) if the opponent's King can
run away, they can capture the attacking piece, or they can use another piece to block (Fig 11.3).
Checkmate is the goal of the game of chess. Checkmate immediately ends the chess game
(although the King is never removed from the board) and players shake hands to agree. When
online, a computer will automatically recognize checkmate and players can chat "good game" to
each other as a virtual handshake!
When a chess game is over, we can practice our Win, Draw, Learn ® mindset! Whether our
game ended in a win, a draw, or a loss -- We can learn something valuable and be grateful to our
opponent joining us for a fun game of chess!
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Fig. 11.1: The dark King does not have a Fig. 11.2: The dark King cannot capture Fig. 11.3: The light King is in check from the dark
safe square to move away from the light the light Queen due to the light Bishop Queen. The King can run away to h1, capture with
Rook & Queen. White checkmates black. protecting b7. White checkmates black. the light Bishop, or block with the light Knight.
Chess Activity:
Make-a-Mate: Using the pieces designated as “You have,” set the pieces
anywhere on the board so that the King listed as “Defending” is in Checkmate.
1 2 3 4
You Have
Defender
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Topic 12 : En Passant
Learn about a special move where Pawns pass to capture!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LEnPass
En Passant is a very special Pawn move that rarely appears in chess games. On a Pawn's first
move (when it steps forward two squares), if it lands adjacent to an opponent’s Pawn, the
opponent’s Pawn may capture as if it had moved only one square. The En Passant capture may
only take place after a Pawn moves two squares and only on the move immediately following.
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Fig. 12.1: On the dark pawn's first move, it Fig. 12.2: The light pawn captures the dark
moves forward 2 squares to f5. There is a light pawn by moving diagonally to f6. En passant
pawn on g5 that can now use en passant. is the only time pawns can capture this way.
Chess Activity: 7
a b c d e f g h
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Castling is a special move players can use to make the King safer. In one turn, the King moves
two squares towards one Rook and that same Rook jumps over the King, landing next to the
King (Fig. 13.1 & 13.2). This puts the player's King in a protected corner. This special move is
played by a majority of skilled chess players because it places the player's King in a protected
corner out of harm's way from all the action usually occurring in the middle of the board!
Rules for Castling:
1. The King cannot castle if either the King or Rook involved have already moved this game.
2. There can be no pieces in-between the King and the Rook.
3. The King cannot castle while in check. (Fig. 13.3)
4. The King cannot castle into or through check. (Fig. 13.4)
5. The King & Rook can never “un-castle”.
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Fig. 13.1: The dark and light Kings can castle, Fig. 13.2: The dark and light Kings and
landing on the other side of either Rook. Rooks in their positions after castling.
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Cannot Castle
Cannot Castle
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Fig. 13.3: The dark King cannot castle, as it Fig. 13.4: The light King cannot castle through
is currently in check from the light Queen. the threats from the dark Bishops & Queen.
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Topic 14 : Draws
Learn about the other ways a chess game can end!
Video Series Link: bit.ly/C4LDraws
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Stalemate 4
Stalemate occurs when a player has no possible legal moves
on their turn and their King is not in check (Fig. 14.1 & 14.2). 3
Insufficient Material 1
pieces left to achieve a checkmate (Fig. 14.3 & 14.4) Fig. 14.1: Stalemate -- Neither player can
make legal moves but a King is not in check.
Offered Draw 8
A draw can be achieved by one player offering a draw to their
opponent. Their opponent can then choose to either accept or 7
Threefold Repetition 5
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Each player earns 0.5 tournament points for a draw
(compared to 1 point for a win & 0 points for a loss). 1
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point points
Bishop Rook
points points
Queen King
points points
The Whole Game!
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Why Life Skills Through Chess?
Learning chess the right way to improve skills on & off the board.
We're excited you and your child or student are here to learn the game of chess,
along with the many life skills that will help in everyday decision making!
"The teacher was one of the best we have had including the other online or the in-person clubs we
have attended. He made it fun & met the kids at their eye level. He called on everybody, made it very
inclusive, explained things very easily for the children, & most importantly made chess fun for the kids."
Contact us:
Kids@Chess4Life.com
@Chess4Life 425 - 283 - 0549
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