King, check, checkmate, stalemate
Ready when: One piece at a time (b2) done.
What you are learning
What check, checkmate and stalemate are, and the three ways out of check: move the king, block the attack, or capture the attacker. These rules decide how every game ends.
Words on this card Board, King, Rook, Capture, Check, Stalemate, Draw
- Board
- The board has 64 squares, light and dark in turn.
- King
- Moves one square in any direction. Losing it to checkmate loses the game.
- Rook
- Moves any number of squares along a file or rank.
- Capture
- Taking an enemy piece by moving onto its square.
- Check
- Check is an attack on the king; checkmate is check with no way out.
- Stalemate
- The player to move has no legal move and is not in check; the game is a draw.
- Draw
- A game that nobody wins.
Show it first for the one teaching
- Put a king in check from a rook and show the three ways out: move the king, block, capture.
- Set a position where none of the three works: checkmate.
- Set a position where the king is not in check but has no safe move, and no other piece can move: stalemate, a draw.
Your part while they practise
Set up positions and ask "check, checkmate or stalemate?"
Step by step
- Look at each position.
- Say "check", "checkmate" or "stalemate".
- For check, find the way out: move, block or capture.
How much: 10 positions 12 min a session 3 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Call it
You set 10 positions; the child calls each one and, for check, shows the way out.
Who plays: the child against you; swap so the child sets positions for you.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Set a position with a few pieces
- The child says "check", "checkmate", "stalemate" or "none"
- For check, they show a way out
- 10 positions, then swap
- Fair play
- A grown-up must solve each in under 10 seconds.
- Points
- 1 point for the right call; 1 point for a correct way out of check.
- Fouls
- No points
- Moving the king into another attacked square
- Calling stalemate a win
- Winning
- More points after 10 positions each.
- 6 points for 1 star
- 10 points for 2 stars
- 14 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
One-move positions.
Positions where the king must avoid attacked squares.
What you will see, and what to say
- the king moves into an attacked square
Never move into check
Check every square it goes to. - the child calls stalemate a win
Stalemate is a draw
Nobody wins.
Self-check
8 of 10 positions called correctly.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains rules, king safety.
awiseathlete.com/sports/mind-sports/mind-sports-b3