Level 1 of 6
Pawn level: the first weeks of chess
How the pieces move, which ones are worth more, and how to keep them safe.
Ready for this when
Knows how the pieces move and what check means.
Working towards
Finish games without hanging pieces, and mate with a queen and king.
Chess at the start is one question, asked again and again: is that piece safe? Not openings. Not plans. Just that.
So this level has a narrow job. Learn what each piece does. Learn which ones are worth more. Look at what the other side just attacked.
Keep sessions short. Ten minutes is a real session. Stop while they still want more.
Where this level sits
This is the first of six levels. It assumes nothing except a willingness to sit at a board.
The levels are not a race. The milestones decide when to move on, not the calendar.
Teach the pieces one at a time
A full game is too much at first. It lasts longer than the attention does.
Take one piece instead. Put a rook on an empty board and a few coins on other squares. Can the rook collect every coin? Now try a bishop. It cannot reach half of them, and that teaches the bishop better than any explanation.
The knight needs the most practice, because it is the only piece that does not move in a straight line. Say it as a shape: two squares one way, then one square across. Let them trace it with a finger.
- One piece per session. Start with the rook and the bishop.
- An empty board and three coins beat a full game.
- Say the knight's shape out loud until they say it back.
Which pieces are worth more
A queen is worth more than a rook. A rook is worth more than a bishop. The exact numbers can wait. The order matters now.
Ask it as a trade, pieces in hand. I take your rook, you take my bishop: who did better?
The only rule that matters yet
Most games at this level are lost by a piece given away for nothing.
So the whole level is one habit. After the other side moves, ask what that move attacks. Out loud, every time. It feels slow. It works.
- After their move: what does that attack?
- Before your move: if I put it there, what can take it?
- One correction per game, the same one until it sticks.
Finishing the game
Being ahead and giving checkmate are different skills. Teach the second on its own.
Start with a queen and king against a lone king. Push the king to the edge with the queen. Bring your own king close. Then finish.
Practise from a position that is nearly done, so they get to play the last move.
What ten minutes should contain
Ten minutes most days beats an hour every other weekend.
End on something they can win: a race between two pawns, or a small position with few pieces.
- One piece, on its own
- A short game
- A finish they can win
Use a real board
Small hands remember what they have moved. A wooden knight that is picked up and placed teaches its move faster than one on a screen.
A board also means somebody sits opposite, and that person does half the teaching.
Positions to play through
1The piece nobody was guarding
Black to move. Look at the white knight in the middle of the black pieces. Count what defends it.
This is how most beginners' games go wrong. A piece stands where something already attacks it. On every move, ask: what does that attack, and what defends it?
2A queen and a king are enough
Everything else is gone. The black king is in the corner. One move ends the game.
The queen could not do this alone. It needed its king beside it. Beginners chase with the queen and leave the king at home. Bring the king.
3A pawn that reaches the end
One pawn, one step from the far side. Watch what it becomes.
This is why pawns matter. The smallest piece becomes the biggest one if it gets to the end. A game that looks finished often is not.
4Checkmate along the back row
The black king sits behind its three pawns. They look like a wall. Watch them become a trap.
The pawns that kept the king safe now box it in. Teach it both ways round: a mate to give, and a mate to watch for.
The order to learn them in
If you only follow one path through this level, follow this one.
- 1Fast DevelopmentBring the knights and bishops out early, each one once.
- 2Controlling the CenterPut pawns and pieces where they reach e4, d4, e5 and d5.
- 3King Safety (Castling)Castle early, then leave the pawns in front of your king alone.
- 4The ForkOne piece attacks two at once.
- 5The PinA piece that cannot move without exposing something worth more.
- 6Back Rank MateA rook or queen mates a king trapped behind its pawns.
- 7King and Pawn EndgamesKings and pawns only, where one square or one move decides.
- 8King ActivityOnce the queens are off, the king is a fighting piece.
Every topic at this level
Tactics
- The PinSome pieces are stuck. They stand in front of their king. A stuck piece cannot run away.
- The SkewerCheck the king with your rook. The king must move. Take the piece behind it.
- The ForkOne piece attacks two pieces. Your friend saves one. You take the other.
- UnderpromotionA pawn at the end can become anything. Most times, pick a queen. Sometimes a knight is better.
- Back Rank MateThe king is stuck behind its pawns. A rook checks it on the back row. That can be checkmate.
Position and strategy
- Open FilesA line with no pawns is a road. Rooks love open roads. Put your rook there first.
- Center ControlThe middle four squares are the best. Put a pawn there early. Bring your knights towards the middle.
- Doubled PawnsTwo pawns on one line are doubled. They cannot protect each other. It is a small problem.
Endgames
- King and Pawn EndgamesWalk your king in front of your pawn. The king goes first. The pawn follows.
- Square of the PawnDraw a box from the pawn. A king inside the box catches it.
- King ActivityWhen the queens go, bring your king out. Walk it to the middle. Now your king can fight.
- Dead Drawn EndgamesPut your king in front of the pawn. Stay there. Often it is a draw.
Openings and planning
- Controlling the CenterPush a middle pawn first. Then bring out your knights. Point them at the middle.
- Fast DevelopmentBring out your knights and bishops. Then castle your king. Move each piece once.
- King Safety (Castling)Castle early. Your king hides behind pawns. Then leave those pawns alone.
- Not Moving the Same Piece TwiceMove each piece once at the start. Bring out a new piece instead.
- Queen Out Too EarlyKeep your queen home at first. If their queen comes out, chase it. Use a new piece each time.
- Sidestepping TrapsLook at your opponent's move first. Ask what it attacks. Then play your move.
What practice looks like
- Ten minutes most days beats an hour at the weekend.
- One idea per session: the knight's move today, piece values tomorrow.
- End every session with a game they can win, even a small made-up one.
Ready for the next level when
- Sets up the board the right way round without help.
- Says what the opponent's move attacks, most of the time.
- Mates with a queen and king against a lone king.
- Knows which pieces are worth more than which.
For the grown-up
- One correction per game, the same one until it sticks.
- Let them win sometimes and lose sometimes. Treat both the same way.
- A real board beats a screen. Small hands remember what they have moved.
Questions people ask
- Does my child need to be able to read before starting chess?
- No. Nothing at this level needs reading or writing. The pieces are learned by moving them, and the adult reads anything that needs reading. Writing moves down comes much later.
- How long should a first session be?
- Ten minutes, and stop while they still want more. Enthusiasm runs out first, and a session that ends in boredom or a telling-off costs more than it taught.
- Should we play a full game straight away?
- Not for a while. Full games are long, and most of what happens in them is beyond a new player. Play with fewer pieces, such as two pawns racing, and let full games come later.
- Is it bad to let them win?
- Losing every game teaches only that chess is unpleasant. Play down, keep it close, and treat winning and losing the same way. What you are training is the wish to play again tomorrow.
- What should we buy?
- A board with squares big enough for the pieces, and pieces heavy enough to feel like objects. Nothing else. Books and software can wait for later levels.