Time Required:
10 minutes
Tools Required:
- Big chess board
- Small pieces (optional)
Chess Objective(s):
Students will be able to:
- Recall how different chess pieces move
- Paraphrase important chess concepts
General Objective(s):
- Improve coordination
- Demonstrate basic principles of geometry
- Enhance memory recall
Description:
This activity is best after the children have already completed several chess lessons, and works best with small groups. The coach directs each participant to find and stand on a particular square on the giant board, such as C3. Participants are asked a chess question, and if they answer correctly, they get to move to another square on the board. Questions can include:
- What is this piece called? (holding up a small piece)
- How does the ____ move?
- What piece is the most powerful piece in chess? [queen because it can move in any direction as many spaces as it can]
- What piece is the most important piece in chess? [the king, because it is the key to winning the game]
- What piece must you protect the most? [the king]
- What piece moves like _____?
- Any other question you can think of based on what you’ve learned and taught the students so far!
Variation 1:
Have the students move like a chess piece from their current square to the next one (so if asked a question where the answer is “knight,” have them move like a knight). Use beanbags to help them find the direction.
Description for Parents
The coach directed each participant to find and stand on a particular square on the giant board, such as C3. Participants were asked a chess question, and if they answered correctly, they got to move to another square on the board. We learned a lot about chess coordinates!