Lesson Thirteen Teaching Guide:
Suggested timings for today’s 1 hour class:
Get seated and settled - Class Intro (5 mins)
Read/Listen to Lesson/Story and review Demo board exercises (20 mins)
Students play on individual boards with partners. (25 mins)
Cleanup (5 mins)
Regroup/Debrief for review and awards for daily challenges completed. (5 mins)
Summary: Briefly review of last week’s lesson + chess challenge. Cover today’s story, demo board exercises + review questions, and the daily challenge.
Story + Demo Board Exercises/ Puzzles:
Story: The kingdom is under threat. Earthquakes, blizzards, and a shifting mountain range force King Mateo and the Royals into a race against time to find their missing friends. As danger closes in, the team must rely on trust, teamwork, and sharp strategy to survive.
Demo board: Demonstrate the Magic Four squares in the center of the board and how have a better chance of winning if we “control” the center. Show what controlling the centre means. Use the Q to demonstrate check & checkmate - show the differences. Review the 3 ways to escape check. Do check vs checkmate puzzles. Review how and why the K can never put himself into danger (illegal).
Game Instructions: Full boards.
Game Objective/How to Win:
Checkmate your opponent's K! to win. Most points captured wins if no checkmate occurs.
Practical Lessons Learned:
How to effectively control the Magic Four, the center of the board. Fully understand the difference between check and checkmate. How to escape check.
Emotional Lessons Learned:
Courage = Bravery is moving forward despite fear. Trust & Teamwork = We're strongest when we rely on each other. Calm Strategy = Pause, think, and act wisely under pressure. Unity = Every role matters in the greater good. Hope & Perseverance = Even storms end when we stay together. Centering & Balance = Staying grounded and centered leads to victory in life.
Daily Challenge:
Check the K 3+ times. Checkmate the K!
Review Questions for Lesson Thirteen: (Susggestions)
What is the “Magic Four”, and why is it so important in both the story and in chess?
How does “holding the Magic Four” make the Kingdom stronger?
Who remembers the three ways to escape check/danger? Can you escape checkmate?
What did the team learn about working together when Olivia was swept away? (Resilience & teamwork under pressure)
How did the Queens use calm communication to lead their team through danger? How can we imitate their example?
When King Mateo began to panic in the storm, what helped him regain his confidence? What might help you regain confidence when you lose it?
Introduce Game:
Who is ready to ready to play? Let’s go!
Post Game Debrief:
Review how the game went, if there were any problems/successes. Reward students for challenges completed.
Piece Abbreviations
Kings = K, Puppy Pawns = P, Bull Rooks = R, Pony Boy Knights = N, Billy Goat Bishops = B, Queen Giraffes = Q
Piece Values: (See lesson 3 & 10)
K = Infinity Q’s = 3 pts each
P’s = 1 pt each
R’s = 5 pts each
N’s = 3 pts each
B’s = 3 pts each
Q’s = 3 pts each
Demo Board Setup and Explanations:
Board 1: Today we’ll learn how to reach and control the Magic Four! Let’s begin in our starting positions.
What piece would you move first if you want to occupy the centre?
Let’s try this… We’ll review each move of an existing game and see if we can spot all the times a piece “controls the centre”, whether directly or indirectly (meaning, whether a piece is positioned in the centre or whether it’s using it’s force field to control a centre square).
Let’s go! As always, White moves first. (Also, x means capture, + = check)
e4, e5
Nf3, Nc6
Bc4, Bc5
b4, Bxb4 (B captures piece on b4) Board 2: Before we move on, how many pieces are in or near the center of the board?
c3, Bc5
d4, exd4 (P captures on d4)
cxd4, Bb4+ (C pawn captures on d4, B checks K from the b4 square. Oh no! How would you respond?)
Bd2, Bxd2 (B captures on d2)
Board 3: Let’s continue! Our K is still in check! How can we get him to safety?
9. Qxd2, d6 (Q captures on d2)
10. 0-0, Nf6 (White castles with R)
11. Nc3, 0-0 (Black castles with R)
12. Rab1, Rb8 (R on a square move to b1)
13. h3, h6
14. Rfe1, Re8 (R on f square moves to e1)
15. Qf4, Rf8
16. Rbd1, Bd7 (R on b square moves to d1)
17. e5, dxe5 (black d pawn captures e5, threatens the Q. Can anyone help her?)
18. dxe5, Nh7
19. (!)e6, fxe6 (e6 put itself in danger of being captured, black f pawn captures e6)
20. (!)Rxe6, Kh8 (R captures on e6 but also puts itself in danger of being captured. K moves to h8 instead of letting the B capture the white R. Why? And which side is controlling the centre - has more pieces in or around the centre?)
Let’s pause here. If you were playing Black, instead of moving your K, what other move would make sense and help you control the centre? Ok, now let’s find a partner and try out controlling the Magic Four!