Checks, captures, threats
Ready when: Attack and defence (i1) done.
What you are learning
The blunder check, a habit before every move: say what the opponent's last move changed, list checks, captures and threats for both sides, choose a move, picture it, and look once more. Players who do this stop losing pieces to one-move threats.
Words on this card Board, Bishop, Capture, Check, Blunder
- Board
- The board has 64 squares, light and dark in turn.
- Bishop
- Moves any number of squares along a diagonal, so it stays on one colour.
- 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.
- Blunder
- A bad mistake that loses a piece or the game.
Show it first for the one teaching
- After your partner moves, say aloud: "That move attacks my bishop".
- List every check, capture and threat for both sides.
- Choose a move, picture the board after it, and ask: "Is everything still guarded?"
Your part while they practise
Before each of the child's moves, ask "What did my move do?"
Step by step
- Say what the opponent's last move changed.
- List checks, captures and threats, for both sides, in that order.
- Choose a move and picture it on the board.
- Look again at the opponent's checks, captures and threats after it.
- Is the moved piece safe? Any piece left loose?
How much: 1 slow game 30 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Caught it
If you catch a blunder before playing it, say "caught it" and score a point.
Who plays: the child against you, in a slow game.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Play a slow game with no clock
- Before each move, do the blunder check aloud
- When the check stops you playing a bad move, say "caught it" and show what would have happened
- Fair play
- A grown-up's caught blunders score nothing.
- Points
- 1 point for each blunder caught; lose 1 point for each piece lost to a one-move threat.
- Fouls
- Lose 1 point
- Moving without doing the check
- A piece left loose that the opponent takes next move
- Winning
- More points at the end of the game, whoever wins the game.
- 1 points for 1 star
- 3 points for 2 stars
- 5 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
Checks and captures only.
Do it silently, with no prompts from you.
What you will see, and what to say
- moves fast after your move
What did that move do?
Look at the change first. - checks only their own ideas
Their checks, captures, threats too
Both sides. - leaves a piece loose
Is every piece guarded?
Count them.
Self-check
A whole slow game with 0 pieces lost to a one-move threat.
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 looking at threats, blunder check.
Intermediate is done when the child solves most puzzles of each type and records a game.
awiseathlete.com/sports/mind-sports/mind-sports-i6