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Step 2: Capture & Count · about 30 min

What Pieces Are Worth

🖨 Worksheet🔑 Answer key🖨 Easy-reading worksheet

Goal: Kids know the point values (pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9) and grab the biggest capture.

You need: One board and set per pair · Optional: a points poster (print the answer key's game card)

1 · Teach it (15 min)

Read these out loud, or put them in your own words. Show each board on screen or set it up on a demo board.

  1. 1.“Some pieces are stronger than others, so we give them points. A pawn is worth 1 point. A knight is worth 3, and so is a bishop.”

  2. 2.“A rook is worth 5 points. The queen is worth 9: almost two rooks!”

  3. 3.“The king has no points, because you can never trade him. If he's trapped, the game is over.”

  4. 4.“When you can capture more than one piece, count the points and take the biggest. Which piece should this knight take?”

    👉 Let kids shout answers. The rook on f5 is worth the most.

With younger kids: Use cookies: a pawn is 1 cookie, a queen is 9 cookies. Which pile would you rather have?
Watch for:
  • Thinking the knight is worth more than the bishop (they're about equal).
  • Taking the first capture they see instead of the biggest.

2 · Play it: Points Race (15 min)

Set up: Normal starting position. Each player needs paper to keep score, or a pile for captured pieces.

  1. Play a normal game, but don't worry about checkmate.
  2. Every time you capture, add up the points of the piece you took.
  3. The first player to reach 15 points wins.
  4. Kings can't be captured. If a king is in check, it must get out.

3 · Practice and pass check

On iPads, kids open Student → Step 2 → Piece Points. On paper, print the worksheet. A kid passes by getting 2 of 3 on the pass check. The pass code for this lesson is S2-L1-KA.

Practice (4) with answers

1.How many points is a rook worth?

  • 1
  • 3
  • ✓5
  • 9

2.Which is worth more: a knight or a rook?

  • ♞Knight
  • ✓♜Rook
  • 🟰They're the same

3.Capture the piece worth the most points. Draw an arrow or write the move.

abcdefgh

Move: Nxf5

4.How many pawns is a queen worth?

  • 3
  • 5
  • ✓9
Pass check (3) with answers

1.How many points is a bishop worth?

  • 1
  • ✓3
  • 5
  • 9

2.Which piece is worth the most points?

  • ♜Rook
  • ✓♛Queen
  • ♞Knight

3.Your pawn can capture two pieces. Take the one worth more. Draw an arrow or write the move.

abcdefgh

Move: dxe5

Topic order based on: Chess for Children, Part 2 (topic order). All wording is original.