Chess-Beginner 国际象棋初级（零基础） (2021-2022)

Chess Lessons Plan – Chinese School 2021-2022

Teachers: Jerry Fan & Sicheng Yu

Class Goal: Teach kids from beginner to USCF 1000 rating.

Introduction: We will teach kids from beginner to USCF 1000 rating. They will learn how to play and learn the basic concepts and openings. Later on, they will also be able to recognize patterns and solve many types of tactics. When getting used to basics and openings, the students will learn middle game plans and important endgame positions. After this class, the students will be ready for tournaments.
Prizes: prizes for person that does the best in class

Homework: TBD

Class Plan:

Lesson 1 - Introduction
• Start with questions
- “What do you guys know about chess?”
- “What do you guys want to learn?”
• General basics about chess (squares, colors/players, pieces, captures)
- Chess is a strategic game, with 64 squares. There are 2 sides, white and black, white moves first. Each side has an equal amount of 16 pieces. The queen and king, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, and 8 pawns.
• Basic Rules Part I (Pawn and Knight)
• Get kids to practice covered material on the board
Homework – Get your own chess board and practice, make a chess.com account

Lesson 2 - Basic Rules Part II
• Basic Rules of each piece continued (Rook, Queen, Bishop, and King)
• Get kids to practice covered material on the board

Lesson 3 - Basic Rules Part III
• General Basic Rules continued (Castling, Sides, draw, win, and lose)
• Get kids to practice covered material on the board

Lesson 4 - Basic Rules Part IV
• Basic Rules continued (Stalemate/checkmate, checks, turns)
• Review of all pieces
• Special Rules (Pawn promotion, under promotion, en passant, pawn double move)
• Get kids to practice covered material on the board

Lesson 5 - Material Points and Review Part I
• Go over Material Points (pawn = 1, bishop and knight = 3, etc.)
• Review (material, pieces, moves)
• General Basics Review (sides of board, castling, captures)
• Practice on the board

Lesson 6 - Review Part II
• Finish review of general basics (checkmates/draws/stalemates, checks, turns for white and black)
• Finish review of moves for every piece, and special rules (promotion, en passant)
• Play chess games on the board

Lesson 7 - Symbols and Squares
• Teach the squares, A file to H file. Numbers 1 – 8, each square is on a file, and number. (a4, e5, f7, c8, etc.)
• Practice on the board
HW: Vision practice on chess.com

Lesson 8 - Starting the game
• Basic starter openings (e4, d4) Recommend e4
• Italian opening, Scholars mate, Fried liver
• Playing time over the board

Lesson 9 - Development Part I
• Basic playing techniques (develop pieces, play in the center, castling)
• Practice games on the board
HW: Bring notebook paper

Lesson 10 - Notation
• Teach notation: Combine the pieces with squares and symbols. Put a knight on square f3 makes: Nf3, put a pawn on square a4 makes: Pa4 or a4, etc.)
• Practice using notation
• Practice on the board

Lesson 11 - Introduction to Tactics Part I
• Basic Tactics (Skewers, Forks, discovered attacks)
• Tactics Practice
• Practice on the board

Lesson 12 – Introduction to Middle game Part I
• Basic Plans (attack weaknesses, play in the center)
• Pawn structure (Pawn chain, pawn island)
• Practice games on the board
Tip – Think and understand the opening moves

Lesson 13 - Introduction to Endgames Part I
• Basic checkmates (Queen + King, Pawns + King, Rook + King)
• Pawn race
• Basic Opposition
• Practice on the board
HW: Practice endgame checkmates at home

Lesson 14 - Class Championship Tournament!
• Play games with each other, brackets
• Winners move on
• Prize for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place

Lesson 15 - Introduction to Tactics Part II
• Basic Tactics (double attacks, combinations, the pin)
• Practice on the board

Lesson 16 - Introduction to Middle game Part II
• Italian continued plans and motifs
• Practice Italian in games

Lesson 17 - Expanding from Opening Part I
• More openings and defenses (D4 variations, Sicilian defense, French, Caro Kann etc.)
• Opening ideas and motifs (Basic)
• Practice on the board

Lesson 18 - Introduction to Endgames Part II
• Material advantage endgames (Rook and pawn vs pawn, king and pawn vs king, etc.)
• Zugzwang
• Practice on the board

Lesson 19 - Development Part II
• Coordination of pieces (moving pawns to pave way for bishop, fianchetto, knight maneuvers/outposts, etc.)
• Setups and structures
• Practice games on the board

Lesson 20 – Introduction to Tactics Part III
• Basic checkmate patterns
• More combinations (Queen and Knight, Queen and Bishop, Queen and Rook, Windmills, etc.)
• Practice games on the board

Lesson 21 – Fun tactics race
• Tactics on the board
• Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd
• Put on sheet of paper, first to get to teacher wins point

Lesson 22 - Expanding from opening Part II
• D4 openings
• Queens Gambit, declined and accepted
• Slav, grunfield, semi-slav, kings-indian

Lesson 23 - Review
• Review of openings
• Review of basic development techniques
• Review of basic plans in middle game
• Review of basic endgames
• Free play, chess games on the board

Lesson 24 – SIMUL!
• Class vs teachers simul
• Sicheng team vs Jerry team
• Candy for everyone!

Lesson 25 – Final Class Championship Tournament
• Play games with each other, brackets
• Winners move on
• Prize for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place
• Candy for everyone, goodbye