Stepsies

Chess for kids

One rule at a time, at the kitchen table. Each lesson answers the rule in a few lines for you, then hands the screen to your child with a board to try and three quick questions.

Start lesson 1 Read the parent guide

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In the middle of a game

Look up a rule

Starting out

Teach my child

  1. Read the 5-minute parent guide
  2. Pick the age: the course map shows one for each stage
  3. Start lesson 1: set up the board
No screens

Print

For your child

Try it: hop the knight to the star

Hop the knight to the star. Tap the knight, then tap a dot.

The lessons

The order is the order to teach. Each lesson takes 10 to 15 minutes. The ages are a guide only.

Meet the board Age 4+

  1. 1Set up the boardLight square on the right. Rooks, knights, bishops from the corners; the queen on her own color; white moves first.
  2. 2The chess piecesKing, queen, rook, bishop, knight, pawn: 16 pieces each.

How each piece moves Age 5+

  1. 3The pawnOne square forward (two on its first move). Captures one square diagonally forward. Never backward.
  2. 4The rookAny distance in a straight line: forward, backward, left or right.
  3. 5The bishopAny distance on a diagonal. It stays on its own color.
  4. 6The queenAny distance in a straight line or on a diagonal: a rook and a bishop together.
  5. 7The kingOne square in any direction. He may never move into check.
  6. 8The knightAn L: two squares one way, one to the side. It jumps over pieces.
  7. 9What each piece is worthPawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9.

How a game ends Age 6+

  1. 10Check and checkmateCheck: the king is attacked. Checkmate: he can't escape, and the game ends.
  2. 11Stalemate and drawsNo legal move and not in check: stalemate, a draw.

Special moves Age 7+

  1. 12CastlingThe king moves two squares toward a rook; the rook jumps to his other side.
  2. 13Pawn promotionA pawn on the last row becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight.
  3. 14En passantA pawn may capture an enemy pawn that just moved two squares beside it, as if it moved one.

First wins Age 7+

  1. 15Fool's mate1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4 is checkmate: don't push the f and g pawns early.
  2. 16Scholar's mateQueen and bishop attack f7: 4. Qxf7 mate. Stop it with g6, Qe7 or Qf6.
  3. 17Checkmate patternsBack rank, smothered mate, queen kiss, rook ladder.

Play better Age 8+

  1. 18Opening rulesCenter pawn, knights and bishops out, castle early.
  2. 19Forks and tacticsA fork attacks two pieces at once.
  3. 20PuzzlesFind checkmate in one move.

Next door: how to play checkers, in the same short format.

Questions parents ask

What age can a child learn chess?

Many children learn the names of the pieces at 4 and the moves at 5 or 6. Most play full games at 6 or 7. Go by your child's interest, not the age: short, happy sessions matter more than an early start.

How long does it take a child to learn chess?

The moves of the pieces take about one or two weeks of 10-minute sessions. The special rules (castling, en passant, promotion) come later, once full games start. Playing well takes years, and that is part of the fun.

Do I need to know chess to teach it?

No. Each lesson starts with the rule in a few lines and gives you the words to say. Learn each rule one step ahead of your child.

Is chess good for kids?

Chess asks a child to sit still, look before moving, follow rules and lose without giving up. Many parents and schools use it for those reasons. Keep it a game: the benefits come only if the child wants to play.