Lesson Twelve 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: Rain pours, tempers flare—and King Korben is ready to quit the game for good. But when Queen Sofia introduces a new way to play, the tides begin to turn. Welcome to Tribecean Chess.
Demo board: Use the Q to introduce the concept of "Check". Do "how many moves?" puzzles - what's the fastest way to put the K in danger? Explain the 3 ways to escape danger/ "check". Remind that it is illegal for the K to put himself in danger, sit in or pass through a force field.
Game Instructions:
Full boards!
Game Objective/How to Win:
Capture the K! to win. Use the Q as a "spotter" to warn of and create danger.
Practical Skills Learned:
How to use Check (a warning signal: DANGER! But you still have options) and Checkmate (DANGER! No more safe moves left! End of game). Plus, how to escape danger (move, block, capture). These new elements help us to see danger early, make choices under pressure, and protect those who rely on you.
Emotional Skills Learned:
How to deal with frustration. It’s okay to feel lost or frustrated when learning something new — what matters is patience, curiosity, and teamwork. With support and encouragement we can turn frustration into confidence. Everyone learns better when they feel safe and seen.
Daily Challenge:
Check the K 2+ times. SUPER BONUS: Put the King checkmate if you can!
Review Questions for Lesson Twelve: (Suggestions)
Why was King Korben so upset at the beginning of the story? Have you even felt frustrated when learning something new?
What new rule did the group create about the Kings?
When they changed the rules to protect the Kings, how did everyone feel about the game? What lesson does this teach us about making things fair and fun for everyone?
What does the word “check” mean in chess?
What does the word “checkmate’ mean?
How are check and checkmate different? How are they similar?
Why can’t the Kings stand next to one another in chess?
Why is teamwork important when we face challenges?
Introduce Game:
Ok everyone, choose a partner. It’s time to play!
Post Game Debrief:
Review how the game went, if there were any problems/successes. Give prizes 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
P’s = 1 pt each
R’s = 5 pts each
N’s = 3 pts each
B’s = 3 pts each
Q’s = 9 pts each
Demo Board Setup and Explanations:
Board 1: Today we’re going to copy the Queens and see if we can spot “checks” and “checkmates”. Let’s start with “check”, or DANGER!. First, can you ‘spot’ the check? Once you’ve spotted it, can you move out of danger, have a friend block the danger, or capture your way out of danger?
(Answers: Qd8 to d7 or Nb8 to c6 can Block the danger. The King cannot Move out of danger, neither can any piece immediately Capture the danger.)
If you can do any of those three things, you’ve found an escape. But what happens if you can’t escape danger? Let’s look at the next board.
Board 2: Which King is in danger/check? Can you spot it? Can he Move, Block or Capture his way out of danger? Remember, in order to checkmate your opponent, you must first put them in check!
(Answer: Black King is in check by Qh5. While he can not Block or Capture the danger - Qh5, he can Move (to D8) out of danger.
Let’s look at some more puzzles! See if you can identify whether it’s “check” or “checkmate”!
Check vs Checkmate Puzzles:
Board 1-4: Is it check or checkmate? Let’s see how many puzzles you can solve!
Answers: 1: Check! (Bf5 can Capture the danger, Qc8. Rf7 can also Move to f8 to Block the danger.)
Check vs Checkmate Puzzles:
Board 2: Checkmate! (The K can not Move, Block, or Capture his way out of danger)
Check vs Checkmate Puzzles:
Board 3: Check! (Both the R & the N have put the K in danger/check but he can Move and/or Capture his way out of danger)
Check vs Checkmate Puzzles:
Board 4: Checkmate! (The K can not escape check!)