Step 5: Finish the Game · about 35 min
King and Queen Checkmate
Goal: Kids can checkmate with king and queen against a lone king without stalemating.
You need: One board per pair · A queen and two kings per pair
1 · Teach it (20 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.“With only a queen and king, the ladder doesn't work: you need your king to help. First, use the queen to build a box around the enemy king.”
2.“A handy trick: put the queen a knight's move away from the king. The box gets smaller and the king isn't in check.”
3.“Keep shrinking the box until the king is stuck on the edge. Then stop! Walk your own king over to help.”
4.“When your king is close, give checkmate: the queen checks on the edge, protected by your king or covering every escape.”
5.“The trap: every time you move the queen, ask 'does the king still have a move?' If not, and it's not check, that's stalemate, a draw!”
- Checking over and over with the queen alone (the king just walks away).
- Stalemating by taking away the last square.
- Putting the queen next to the king without protection.
2 · Play it: King and Queen vs. King (15 min)
Set up: White: king e1, queen d1. Black: king e5.
- White tries to checkmate. Black tries to survive.
- Stalemate is only a draw, not a win. Try again and checkmate!
- Can White checkmate in 20 moves or fewer?
- Swap roles each game.
🎮 Kids with an iPad can also play this against the computer in student mode.
3 · Practice and pass check
On iPads, kids open Student → Step 5 → Queen Makes a Box. On paper, print the worksheet. A kid passes by getting 2 of 3 on the pass check. The pass code for this lesson is S5-L2-7E.
Practice (4) with answers
1.Checkmate in one. Careful: one queen move is stalemate! Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: Qf8#
2.Checkmate in one. There are two ways! Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: Qe7# or Qh8#
3.White to move. Which queen move is stalemate?
- Qf8
- ✓Qf7
- Qh2
4.Can a queen checkmate a lone king without help from her own king?
- Yes, easily
- ✓No, the king has to help
Pass check (3) with answers
1.Checkmate in one. Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: Qg2#
2.Checkmate in one. Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: Qb2#
3.Where is a good spot for the queen when you're building the box?
- Right next to the enemy king
- ✓A knight's move away from the enemy king
- In a corner
Topic order based on: Chess for Children, Part 4 (winning your first games); How to Win at Chess, ch. 4 (ladder, king-and-queen and king-and-rook mates). All wording is original.