8 lessons Ages 6+ and parents
Chess for Kids
8 short lessons, from setting up the board to your first tactics. Grab a chessboard (or any free chess app) and play along.
All lessons
- 🏁 1. The board and the setupFiles, ranks, and where each piece stands
- 🏰 2. The rook and the bishopStraight lines and diagonals
- 👑 3. The queen, the king and the knightThe strongest piece, the most important piece and the piece that jumps
- ♙ 4. The pawnDouble step, diagonal capture, promotion and en passant
- 🏆 5. Check, checkmate and stalemateHow you win, and when it’s a draw
- 🏯 6. CastlingThe move that hides the king
- 🚀 7. The opening and trapsCenter, development, a safe king, and avoiding Scholar’s Mate
- ⚔️ 8. Tactics: forks and pinsPiece values, forks, pins, and how to keep improving
About this course
The course fits kids from about age 6 with a parent, and older kids on their own. Each lesson teaches one or two pieces or ideas, with a mini-game to practice before playing a whole game.
Chess uses algebraic notation: columns (files) a–h and rows (ranks) 1–8, so every square has a name like e4. We use it a little, the way US scholastic chess clubs do.
Questions & answers
- What age can kids start chess?
- Many kids can learn the moves at 5–6. Start with mini-games (pawn wars, one piece at a time) before full games.
- Where can kids play chess online safely?
- Use sites with kid accounts and chat turned off, or play offline against the computer. Playing in person — at home, school chess clubs or the library — is great too.
- How do kids get better at chess?
- Play a lot, solve a few puzzles every day, and after each game look at one mistake. Scholastic tournaments (US Chess) are fun when they’re ready.
- Is the course free?
- Yes, with no sign-up.