✕ Close Setup
Before you start
  • Check the space and the kit.
  • Get your child's attention first.
  • Show it from two sides.
  • Say one thing only.
  • End on one that works.

Put the phone down where you can see it. Tap Next with your thumb, or use the arrow keys.

Setup · 1 minute

Is the space marked?

  • Set the board with a white square at the bottom right of each player
  • Queen on her own colour

A board with only pawns (eight each).

Warm up · 3 minutes

Three minutes to get warm.

Easy jogging on the spot, then arms and legs. How to warm up well is explained at workonfitness.com.

3:00
Show it · 1 minute
  1. Put eight white pawns on the second row and eight black pawns on the seventh.
  2. Move a pawn forward one square; from its starting square it may move two.
  3. Show a capture: a pawn takes an enemy pawn one square diagonally forward.
  4. Show a blocked pawn: two pawns face each other and neither can move.

Show it once from the front and once from the side, slowly. Then let your child try.

The skill · 15 minutes
  1. A pawn moves forward one square, or two from the start.
  2. It captures diagonally forward.
  3. Take turns, White first.
  4. Win by reaching the far end, taking all the pawns or leaving the other player with no move.

How much: 3 games

Pawns take sideways, diagonally

15:00
The game · 5 minutes

Capture the flag

The rules

The pawn game, best of 5.

  1. Set up the pawns; White moves first
  2. Take turns moving one pawn
  3. The first pawn to reach the far row wins the game; so does taking every enemy pawn, or leaving the other player with no legal move
  4. Swap colours each game; play 5 games

Fair play: A grown-up plays with two pawns fewer.

Points
2 points for each game won.
Fouls
Your opponent scores 1 point: a pawn moved backward; a pawn capturing straight ahead; two moves in a row
Win
More points after 5 games.
Child
0
Grown-up
0
  1. 2
  2. 4
  3. 6

5:00
Finish · 2 minutes

The child plays a whole pawn game with 0 wrong moves.

0/0

End on one that works. If it was hard today, finish with the easier version.

Finished

Well played.

Saved in this browser only. Next time, "What should we practise today?" picks up from here.