Thinkabara

♟️ Chess for Kids · Lesson 7 of 8

The opening and traps

Google Classroom

Center, development, a safe king, and avoiding Scholar’s Mate.

Three opening rules

1. CenterPut pawns on the center squares e4, d4 (or e5, d5)
2. DevelopBring knights and bishops out early
3. CastleGet the king safe in the first 10 moves

Opening don’ts

  1. Don’t move the same piece twice without a reason
  2. Don’t bring the queen out too early — she gets chased
  3. Don’t grab pawns while your pieces are still home
  4. Don’t move the pawns in front of your castled king

Scholar’s Mate

A famous trap: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5 Nf6?? 4.Qxf7#. White’s queen and bishop both attack f7, a weak square next to Black’s king. Defense: after 3.Qh5, play 3…g6 or 3…Qe7 and the attack is over. Then you can chase the queen with your pieces.

A simple opening

As White: 1.e4, then knights to f3 and c3, bishop to c4 or b5, castle. As Black against 1.e4: 1…e5, knights to c6 and f6, bishop out, castle. That’s enough for your first 100 games.

Tip

💡 Before every move, ask: what is my opponent threatening? Most beginner games are lost to a missed threat.

✏️ Practice: your turn

  1. Play the first 6 moves of a game following the three rules
  2. Set up Scholar’s Mate and then defend against it
  3. Play a game where you castle before move 8
  4. Before each move, say out loud what your opponent is threatening

🧠 Quick quiz

Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.

1. Which are center squares?
2. Why not bring the queen out early?
3. Which square does Scholar’s Mate attack?
4. What should you ask before every move?

0 of 4 correct

All lessons in Chess for Kids

  1. 🏁 1. The board and the setupFiles, ranks, and where each piece stands
  2. 🏰 2. The rook and the bishopStraight lines and diagonals
  3. 👑 3. The queen, the king and the knightThe strongest piece, the most important piece and the piece that jumps
  4. ♙ 4. The pawnDouble step, diagonal capture, promotion and en passant
  5. 🏆 5. Check, checkmate and stalemateHow you win, and when it’s a draw
  6. 🏯 6. CastlingThe move that hides the king
  7. 🚀 7. The opening and trapsCenter, development, a safe king, and avoiding Scholar’s Mate
  8. ⚔️ 8. Tactics: forks and pinsPiece values, forks, pins, and how to keep improving