Teach Chess

The game of chess is often perceived as complicated and involved. This perception can lead to potential players feeling that they don't have the necessary ability to learn the game. Yet, the reality is that chess can be taught to anybody. A reliable, easy way to teach the game of chess is explained in this article.

Steps

  1. Smile and show enthusiasm. Students will be intimidated by a serious atmosphere.
  2. Tell the student the chess lesson will take place in three parts. Explain that after each part, they will be asked to show what they have learned.
    • Teaching chess under this method is to be taught in three parts. After each part, the student is required to show every concept that was learned. If they incorrectly show a concept, correct them and ask them to show you all the concepts all over again. The repetition will help them to learn quickly.

Lesson One

  1. Use the first lesson to explain all the of the chess pieces and how they move. Start with the Play Pawn Tactics, excluding the rules for en passant, then explain each of the pieces on the back row, starting with the king, rooks, bishops, queens, and finally the knights. Ignore explaining castling for the time being. Tell them there are only two pieces that move oddly, the pawns and the knights.
  2. After explaining the movement of all the pieces, point to each piece and have the student explain how each piece moves. The student can do so either verbally or by moving the pieces. If they do so incorrectly, correct them, then start the test over.
  3. Ask the student to place the king and the queen on the chess board. The students will pass the first lesson if they place the queen on the same color square. If they have correctly shown the movement of all pieces move onto lesson two, advanced movement.
  4. Play "pawn games" against your student. A pawn game is a chess game with the pawns only on the 2nd and 7th ranks. The object of the game is to promote a pawn, i.e. reach the first/last rank. These games are very helpful in learning how pawns move, developing the idea of a pawn structure, and understanding how pawns would interact in a real game.
  5. Set up pawn mower puzzles. The object of a pawn mower is to have a single piece (the easiest is rook, then bishop, queen, and finally knight) capture all the pawns. The number of moves allowed is the number of pawns that are set. This will help the student learn how the pieces move, and learn basic tactics in the process.

Lesson Two

  1. Show them the more advanced moves. Show them: en passant, a queen side castle, a king side castle, promotion and under promotion.
  2. Explain that:
    • In chess, pieces are moved to put the opposing king in danger or check.
    • If the king cannot move out of danger, it is checkmate (usually shortened to mate).
    • If the king cannot make a legal move due to the threat of capture, it is a draw or stalemate. Or if a player cannot move a piece at all it is a draw or stalemate. For example, even if your king has no legal moves, if you have a passed pawn, the game is not stalemate.
  3. Have them correctly explain all of the concepts listed above, including regular movement. Then move onto the final lesson on tactics.

Lesson Three

  1. Place your student's king on the board and their rook four spaces horizontally or vertically away. Place your knight directly between the two pieces on the closest file to either side of the king or rook line. Say something like: "wouldn't this suck, this is called a fork. I've put two pieces in danger and I can take your rook free of charge." To accentuate this fact, do the same, replacing your student's rook with their queen.
  2. Place your student's queen in a corner of the board, place their king one diagonal space towards the center of the board. Place one of your bishops at the opposite corner. Explain that they have to get their king out of danger but will lose their queen because of it. Explain that this is a pin and because the king has to move, it is also a discovered attack.
  3. Keep your student's king and queen on the same spot, but place a rook on the same colored tile a few spaces away. Place your bishop so that it attacks the rook and the king. Tell them that this is a pin, fork, and a discovered attack all in one.
  4. Teach them algebraic notation, the widely used chess notation. Many chess tournaments require you to take notation while playing to let you analyze it after playing and improve your game. Many chess boards should have the alphanumeric system already on it.
    • The length of the board runs from a to h (from white's perspective; if black, it is reversed. The width of the board runs from 1 to 8 (from white's side to black's side; again, reversed if from black's perspective).
    • If white, the bottom right corner should always be white. This square is called h1.
    • Rows are called "ranks"; columns are called "files." If there are no pawns in a file, it is said to be "open." If only one pawn of one color is on a file, it is "semi-open." If pawns of different colors, then it is a closed file.
  5. Have your student explain movement, advanced movement and basic tactics by moving the pieces. If they demonstrate correctly, then play them in a game.
    • Teach them simple openings. Openings should not be analyzed into much detail unless they are highly advanced players. Basic opening principles should be taught, however, including the three objectives of the opening:
      • Open up your diagonals to let the pieces develop. Pawn to e4 is the best move for white for beginners because it opens up the bishop and queen diagonals simultaneously. Teach them to develop their knights before their bishops, to castle early, get their rooks on the center (d and e) files, and attack the king using tactics.
      • Take control of the center, which constitute the middle four squares of the board. In other words, put your pawns on e4 (and d4 if possible) and develop your knights so that they can easily move into the center.
      • Get your king into safety. This is perhaps the most important goal, for beginner players. Often they will fall into early mating traps, such as the Scholar's Mate. Be sure to help your student avoid falling into them, as the player who tries them will usually fall behind in development.
    • The openings you should teach are the Ruy Lopez, Italian Game, Four Knights, and other common king-pawn openings. For black, it is best to stick with the response 1...e5 for a while until teaching them other responses, such as the Sicilian Defense, French Defense, etc.



Tips

  • Be patient; it can take some people longer than others to grasp the moves and rationales behind playing chess but with good, patient, and thorough explanation, most people will get the point.
  • Explain that chess is a game played all around the world, making it an ideal skill to have to connect with others when traveling.
  • Consider using suitable online chess training to help your student learn at their own pace, especially when learning more complicated moves.

Things You'll Need

  • Chess set

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