A complete chess curriculum, ready to teach.
Eighteen weeks from the first pawn move to a class tournament, for elementary and middle school. Every lesson is planned minute by minute, so a seasoned club coach can pick it up and teach from it on day one, and a teacher who has never played a game can too. Two sessions a week, forty-five minutes to an hour, thirty-six teaching days.
Every day is ready to teach
Objectives, timed blocks, activities, and interactive boards, all written out. Strong players get a well-built sequence they do not have to invent. New players get scripts they can read aloud.
Play the game the right way
We never celebrate winning or losing. We celebrate moving the pieces correctly and helping an opponent do the same. Chess becomes a shared practice, not a contest.
Growth mindset and math
The pawn, the weakest piece, can become the strongest. That idea runs through everything, alongside real math practice using the value of the pieces.
You do not need to know chess to run this. Every rule is explained the first time it matters, and the Rules & Pieces page is a full cheat sheet. If you already play, the scripts are easy to skip, and the structure, the tournament system, and the interactive boards are the parts that will save you the most time.
Learn the Pieces
Everyone starts as a beginner. One piece at a time, the class builds a full game from nothing, with the teacher learning right alongside the students.
Notation and Habits
Players learn to read and write chess, then build the habits of strong, thoughtful play. Recording games becomes the backbone of accountability.
Openings and Endgames
Classic openings and clean endgames give players a real toolbox, plus the chess clock and the announcement everyone waits for.
The Tournament
Six weeks of tournament play. No one gets sent home; eliminated players keep competing in their own pool, all the way to a best-of-three final.
Read "How to Teach This"
The schedule, the class rules, how to pair experienced players with beginners, and what to do when you hit something you do not know yet.
Meet the Pawns
The whole class starts here, even the teacher. Pawns only, racing across the board, then the first taste of promotion.
Bishops and Knights
Piece value arrives with the bishop, then the knight breaks the one rule everyone just learned.
Rooks, the King, and a Real Game
The rook joins, the king ties it all together, and players sit down to their first complete game of chess.
Putting It Together
Recap piece values, add a chess math worksheet, and learn the names of the squares and the piece symbols.
Reading and Writing Chess
Chess notation: how to record a move, mark a capture, show check and checkmate, and why official games get written down.
Notation in Practice
Slow, careful games with both players notating. A micro-lesson on the center and a writing prompt tie learning together.
Habits of Strong Play
Develop your pieces, keep your king safe, and start seeing threats. One focused idea per day, then play.
Checkmate Patterns
What checkmate actually looks like, plus how to avoid the fastest traps. The teacher begins playing each learner.
Openings
Opening principles made concrete through three classic openings the whole class can recognize and try.
Ending the Game
How games actually finish: the easy two-rook ladder first, then king and queen, then king and rook.
The Endgame Toolbox
Pawn promotion races, the rule of the square, and opposition. Small ideas that decide close games.
Clocks and the Road to the Tournament
How a chess clock works, practice with timed games, and the announcement of the class tournament.
Tournament, Round 1
The tournament begins. Short micro-lesson or activity, then rated, notated games for everyone.
Tournament, Round 2
Play continues. Every game is recorded; eliminated players keep playing in their own pool.
Tournament, Round 3
The field narrows. A micro-lesson on converting a winning position, then more games.
Tournament, Round 4
Semifinal push. Review a famous short game together, then play.
Semifinals
The last games before the final two are set. Everyone still at a board, still recording.