LINC Chess

Student
Workbook

This book belongs to:

_________________
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Important Information
My coach’s name is: _________________________________________________

My LINC Site Coordinator is: ___________________________________________

My chess team meets twice a week: ____________________________________

and _____________________________________________________

To register for a tournament visit:

www.kclinc.org/chess
www.facebook.com/LINCchess
or call (816) 410-8435

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Welcome to LINC Chess!
We are excited for you to start learning with us.

LINC believes that chess is a great way for children to learn and think strategically. LINC Chess
programs use chess to enhance students’ self-confidence, thinking skills, and academic
achievement while encouraging sportsmanship and good character.

These lessons are designed for all levels, even if you know nothing about chess! They guide
you through all parts of chess — the board, the pieces, and strategies — until you are ready
to play a full game.

Along the way you can collect stickers to track your progress. Sometimes this is achievement
in chess such as mastering a piece or learning a new move. For those, look for a l.

Other times the sticker will congratulate you for a lesson learned, such as losing a game
gracefully or helping your coach clean up after practice. For those, look for a
 .

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The Chess Board
Each chess board is made up of 32 light and 32 dark squares. A light square should always be
in the bottom right-hand corner.
Put a big X on the board that is wrong:

A B
Why is it wrong? _______________________________________________________________

There are three important groups of squares:

Files Ranks Diagonals

(a-h) (1-8)
Squares are named by combining their file and rank. For example, the left square on the
bottom rank is a1 and the right square on the top rank is h8.

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Identify the file and rank of the square with the circle. The first board is done for you.

Square: _b6 . Square: ______ Square: ______ Square: ______.

Write the letter in the correct square. The letter F has been written for you.

A: f1 B: h2 C: h8 D: e5 E: c4
F: b5 G: f4 H: g3 I: a8 J: d3

When you have answered the questions and

shown your coach, put your sticker here!
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There are three important areas of the chess board:

Black Center

Queen King White

There are six types of chess pieces. Each player gets 8 pawns, 2 each of bishops, rooks, and
knights, one queen and one king.

Pawn Bishop - B
On the first move a pawn Moves and captures along the
may move one or two diagonals.
squares forward on the file. A bishop is worth 3 pawns.
Every following move can
only be one square forward
on the file. Pawns capture
Knight - N
Moves in an “L” pattern: 2
forward on the diagonal.
squares along the file and 1

Rook - R along the rank, or 2 on the rank

and 1 on the file. Knights are the
Moves and captures along only pieces that may jump over
the ranks and files. other pieces. It only captures on
the square it lands on.
A rook is worth 5 pawns.
A knight is worth 3 pawns.

Queen - Q King - K
Moves and captures along the Moves and captures one space
ranks, files, and diagonals. along the ranks, files, and
A queen is worth 9 pawns. diagonals.
A king is worth the whole game.

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Use the following board to answer the questions below.

For each piece, write the notation for the square that it is on.

White Queen ____ Black King ____

White Knight Nf3_ Black Queen ____

White Rook ____ Black Knight ____

White Bishop ____ Black Rook ____

White Pawn 1 ____ Black Bishop 1 ____

White Pawn 2 ____ Black Bishop 2 ____

White Pawn 3 ____ Black Pawn ____

Be TRUSTWORTHY: If you don’t know the

answer ask your coach for help.

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
Put a big X on the board that is set up wrong.

Why is it wrong? _________________________________________________________________

If you don’t get it right the first time,

PERSEVERE to learn the right way!

When you have answered the questions and


shown your coach, put your sticker here!

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Exercises by Piece

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The Pawn Game
The object of the pawn game is to get one of your pawns to the rank at the opposite end
of the board. This means a white pawn that reaches the 8th rank or a black pawn that
reaches the 1st rank wins. White moves first.

You win the game if you are the first to reach the last rank (your opponent's first rank)
with a pawn

The game is a draw if both sides pawns are blocked so that neither side can make any
moves.

“Touch” Rules:
If you touch a piece you must move it if you can
If you touch an opponent’s piece you must capture it if you can
If you take your hand off a piece the move is over

Show RESPECT for the other player

Win against your coach


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What are the Rook moves?

Notate all of the squares that each rook can move to. Circle pieces that can be captured.

Rc4: ______________________
_______________________
Rc2: ______________________
_______________________
Re4: ______________________
_______________________
Rg2: ______________________
_______________________
Rook vs. Pawn Game

Can you capture all of the pawns before they reach the final rank? Once you can win this
game try playing against five pawns. When you can beat that, try against six pawns. Add
the pawns to the right of the row.
Notate your game:
White Black
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________

Earn this sticker by showing your coach that you

can win the game above playing black or white.
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What are the Bishop moves?
Write where the bishops can move. Circle any pieces that can be captured on that move.

Bf6: ______________________
_______________________
Bc4: ______________________
_______________________
Bc3: ______________________
_______________________

Bishop vs. Pawn Game

Can you capture all of the pawns before they reach the final rank? Once you can win this
game try playing against three pawns. When you can beat that, try against four pawns.
Add the pawns to the right of the row.

Notate your game:

________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________

Can you win the game playing white?

Playing black?

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What are the Queen moves?
Write where the queens can move. Circle any pieces that can be captured on that move.

Qe4: ______________________
_______________________
_______________________

Qa4: ______________________
_______________________
_______________________

Queen vs. Pawn Game

Can you capture all of the pawns before they reach the final rank? Once you can win this
game try playing against seven pawns. When you can beat that, try against eight pawns.

Notate your game:

________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________

Show your coach you can win the

game playing black or white.
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What are the Knight moves?

Write where the knights can move. Circle any pieces that can be captured on that move.

Ne2: ______________________
_______________________
Nf6: ______________________
_______________________
Nf5: ______________________
_______________________
Ng7: ______________________
_______________________

Knight vs. Pawn Game

Can you capture all of the pawns before they reach the final rank? Once you can win
this game try playing against three pawns. When you can beat that, try against four
pawns. Add the pawns to the right of the row.

Notate your game:

________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________
________________ ________________

Show your coach you can win the

game playing black or white.
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King vs. King
The point of the game is to try to force your way to the other side of the board. Whoever gets
to the other side of the board first wins.
White moves first, just like in regular chess.
If your opponent can prevent you from getting to the other side and can also make no
progress, then it is a draw.

Earn this sticker by showing your coach that you

can win the game above playing black or white.

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Which King can Castle?

Earn this sticker by showing your coach

that you know how to castle.

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 Check !
Is when the King is being threatened by an opponent’s piece
but you can make a legal move to get away from the threat.
3 ways the King can avoid check:
Capture the piece threating your King.
Block the threat with one of your pieces
Run away or retreat from the threat

Checkmate !
Is when the King is being threatened by an opponent’s piece
and there is no legal move to get out of the threat.

Stalemate !
Is when the King is not being threatened by an opponent’s
piece but there is no legal move for the person to make on
this turn.

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Examples of Check and Checkmate!

Check Checkmate

Check Checkmate

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 Check or Checkmate?
1 Answer:____________________ 2 Answer:____________________

3 Answer:____________________ 4 Answer:____________________

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 When you think you have all of these situations
figured out, show your coach to earn a sticker!

5 Answer:____________________ 6 Answer:____________________

7 Answer:____________________ 8 Answer:____________________

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Check - Checkmate - Stalemate

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When you think you have all of these situations
figured out, show your coach to earn a sticker!

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Queen—Rook checkmate

Rook—Rook checkmate

Queen—King checkmate

Rook-King checkmate

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 Triple Loyd 1
Place the black king in
A checkmate
B stalemate
C mate in 1

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 Triple Loyd 2
Place the black king in
A checkmate
B stalemate
C mate in 1

Earn this sticker by showing your coach the

answers to these problems.

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“Mate in One” - Pawn

Answers:
1. ___________
2. ___________
3. ___________
4. ___________
5. ___________

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“Mate in One” - Bishop

Answers:
1. ___________
2. ___________
3. ___________
4. ___________
5. ___________

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“Mate in One” - Knight

Answers:
1. ___________
2. ___________
3. ___________
4. ___________
5. ___________

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“Mate in One” - Sticker Page

I learned critical
thinking - how to


think before I act to
figure out the best
solution.

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 Checkmate in One Move
1 Answer:____________________ 2 Answer:____________________

3 Answer:____________________ 4 Answer:____________________

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5 Answer:____________________ 6 Answer:____________________

7 Answer:____________________ 8 Answer:____________________

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Checkmate in one move!

Show your coach

what you know!
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# White Black 11 22

1 12 23
2 13 24
3 14 25
4 15 26
5 16 27
6 17 28
7 18 29
8 19 30
9 20 31
10 21 32

Can you Notate a game?

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Character Counts!
Trustworthiness
 Character Counts!
Respect


 
Character Counts! Character Counts!
Responsibility Fairness

 
Character Counts! Character Counts!
Caring Citizenship

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Tournaments
LINC hosts chess tournaments during the school year that are open to any interested student
in grade K-12 in the Kansas City Metro area.
Tournaments are free. You are encouraged pre-register online at www.kclinc.org/chess, or
register at the door. Online pre-registration opens one month before each tournament and
closes the Friday before a tournament at noon.
This year’s tournaments are:
LINC First Tournament—December 1st—Gladstone Elementary School
Girls Tournament—TBA in February—Border Star Montessori
LINC Second Tournament—TBA in March—North Kansas City
LINC End of year Tournament—May 4th—Hickman Mills Jr. High School

LINC Tournament Rules

Be respectful
Be as quiet as possible
Shake hands before and after a game
Reset pieces after a game
Report results after the game

Chess “Touch” Rules

If you touch a piece you must move it if you can
If you touch an opponent’s piece you must capture it if you can
If you take your hand off a piece the move is over

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facebook.com/kclinc

LINC Chess Student Workbook Version 1.1

(7/10/2012)
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