Why kids should learn checkmate in one first

Many beginners learn how all six pieces move and then sit down to a full game with no idea what they are trying to do. Pieces wander around, a few get captured, and the game fizzles out. The missing piece is the goal.

The goal of chess is checkmate: the king is attacked and has no way to escape. Once a child understands that, every move suddenly has a reason.

First, check

A king is in check when an enemy piece could capture it on the next move. The player in check must get out of it right away. There are exactly three ways:

• Move the king to a safe square.
• Block the attack by putting a piece in between (this does not work against a knight, because knights jump).
• Capture the piece that is giving check.

If none of the three works, it is checkmate and the game is over.

Then, checkmate in one

A checkmate-in-one puzzle shows a position where one move wins the game. Children love them because the reward is instant. They also train the most useful habit in chess: before moving, look at every check you can give.

A simple question to ask at the board: "Can the king move? Can you block? Can you capture?" If the answer is no, no and no, it is checkmate.

Start with positions that use the queen and rook against a lonely king near the edge of the board. Those patterns appear again and again, all the way up to grandmaster games.