Stage 1 of 5 · Pawn · The Chess World
Learn the board, pieces and first tactics.
Pawn Stage introduces board setup and legal moves, then covers checkmate, stalemate and basic tactics. Students practice forks, pins and skewers.
57 sessions in this stage: 41 Explorer + 16 Challenger. Browse Challenger lessons →
- 41Explorer sessions
- 2levels · 6 units
- 322Explorer graded positions
- 5–7entry age
- 0–500suggested rating range
- 50–60 mina session
How the stage runs
The first seven sessions introduce the six pieces and a review that combines them. Students then learn board setup, promotion, captures and piece values. The first level ends with check, checkmate and stalemate. Level 1B develops attacking skills: spotting hanging pieces, counting attackers and defenders, finding mate in one, using basic mating techniques, and recognizing forks, pins and skewers.
The two graded sessions
Level 1A · ends at session 21
Level 1A Checkpoint: Board Explorer
Demonstrate Level 1A mastery on novel positions: piece movement, captures, values, check, checkmate, and stalemate awareness.
Level 1B · ends at session 41
Pawn Stage Final Assessment & Graduation
Demonstrate Pawn Stage mastery on novel positions to graduate to the Knight Stage.
This stage includes 6 review sessions across 6 units.
The 6 units, in order
| Unit | What it teaches | Level | Sessions | Positions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Board & The Pieces | 1A | 7 (1–7) | 56 |
| 2 | Setting Up & First Skills | 1A | 6 (8–13) | 46 |
| 3 | Check & Checkmate | 1A | 8 (14–21) | 64 |
| 4 | Winning Material | 1B | 6 (22–27) | 46 |
| 5 | Checkmate Skills | 1B | 6 (28–33) | 48 |
| 6 | First Tactics & Thinking | 1B | 8 (34–41) | 62 |
Every Explorer session in Pawn Stage
Session topics and learning objectives are listed below in teaching order.
Level 1AThe Chess World
21 sessions · 3 units · sessions 1–21
Unit 1The Board & The Pieces 7 sessions
1 The Board & The Rook Teaching 50 min · 8 positions Teach it free
The rook: straight-line movement along files and ranks, and capturing by landing on an enemy piece
Show every legal rook move and capture from a given square, and explain why a rook can never jump over a piece.
opens the curriculum
2 The Bishop Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
The bishop’s diagonal movement and its light/dark-square identity
Show all legal bishop moves and captures from a given square and state which colour squares a bishop is bound to.
taught after 1
3 The Queen Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
The queen as rook + bishop combined; the most powerful piece
Show all legal queen moves and captures from a given square and explain why the queen is the most powerful piece.
taught after 1 · 2
4 The King Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
The king moves one square in any direction; the piece you must protect
Show all legal king moves and captures (one square in any direction) and explain that two kings can never stand on touching squares.
taught after 1 · 2 · 3
5 The Knight Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
The knight’s L-shaped jump; the only piece that leaps over others
Show all legal knight moves and captures from a given square (the L-shape) and explain that the knight is the only piece that jumps over others.
taught after 1 · 2 · 3 · 4
6 The Pawn Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Pawn movement: forward march, two-square first move, diagonal capture
Show legal pawn moves and captures and explain that a pawn captures differently (diagonally) from how it moves (straight forward).
taught after 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
7 Move Like a Master (Unit Review) Review 50 min · 8 positions
Review of all six pieces’ movement and captures
Correctly move and capture with every piece in mixed recognition exercises, identifying which piece can win the material before playing.
taught after 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
Unit 2Setting Up & First Skills 6 sessions
8 The Starting Position Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Correct board setup (’light on right’, ’queen on her colour’)
Set up a chessboard correctly from empty every time, using ’light on right’ and ’queen on her colour’, and make a legal first move.
taught after 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7
9 Pawn Promotion Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
A pawn reaching the last rank becomes a queen (or other piece)
Promote a pawn correctly upon reaching the last rank and explain why promotion makes pawns valuable, including promoting by capturing.
taught after 3 · 6 · 8
10 Capturing & Defending Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
How captures work; noticing when a piece is attacked
Capture an undefended enemy piece and recognise when one of your own pieces is under attack.
taught after 6 · 7 · 9
11 Piece Values Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Relative piece values (P1, N3, B3, R5, Q9) and counting material
State each piece’s point value and decide whether a trade wins, loses, or is equal in material.
taught after 3 · 10
12 Is My Piece Safe? (THE LOOK) Guided practice 50 min · 6 positions
Introducing THE LOOK: check piece safety before every move
Apply THE LOOK before each move in a guided game and avoid leaving pieces hanging.
taught after 10 · 11
13 Unit Review: Safe & Smart Review 50 min · 8 positions
Review of setup, promotion, captures, values, and THE LOOK
Demonstrate safe captures and trades while applying THE LOOK across mixed review positions.
taught after 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12
Unit 3Check & Checkmate 8 sessions
14 Check! Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Check: attacking the enemy king
Recognise when a king is in check and identify the checking piece, and deliver a check with any piece.
taught after 10 · 11 · 12
15 Escaping Check Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
The three ways out of check: move, block, capture
Find every legal way to escape a given check (move the king, block the check, or capture the checker).
taught after 14
16 Checkmate! Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Checkmate: a check with no escape — the goal of chess
Explain why a position is checkmate by showing the king has no legal escape, and deliver checkmate in one move.
taught after 14 · 15
17 Is This Checkmate? Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Distinguishing check, checkmate, and ’not mate’ (escape exists)
Correctly classify positions as check, checkmate, or safe, and choose the move that is truly checkmate rather than only a check.
taught after 14 · 15 · 16
18 Stalemate — The Sneaky Draw Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Stalemate: no legal move and NOT in check = draw
Distinguish stalemate from checkmate and choose a mating move instead of accidentally stalemating.
taught after 16 · 17
19 Castling & Special Moves Teaching 50 min · 8 positions
Castling (moving the king to safety while activating a rook, in a single move) and the special pawn capture en passant — the last two rules a beginner needs to play a full, legal game
Castle king-side and queen-side, state the four conditions that allow castling.
taught after 4 · 8 · 14 · 16
20 Check, Mate, or Stalemate? (Unit Review) Review 50 min · 8 positions
Review distinguishing check / checkmate / stalemate
Sort mixed positions into check, checkmate, or stalemate accurately, and deliver checkmate without stalemating.
taught after 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18
21 Level 1A Checkpoint: Board Explorer Checkpoint 55 min · 8 positions
Assessment of all Level 1A skills (movement, setup, values, check/mate/stalemate, THE LOOK)
Demonstrate Level 1A mastery on novel positions: piece movement, captures, values, check, checkmate, and stalemate awareness.
taught after 7 · 13 · 20
Level 1BFirst Battles
20 sessions · 3 units · sessions 22–41
Unit 4Winning Material 6 sessions
22 Hanging Pieces Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Spotting undefended (hanging) pieces — yours and the opponent’s
Identify hanging (undefended and attacked) pieces in a position and capture a free piece, while keeping your own pieces defended.
taught after 10 · 11 · 12 · 21
23 Defending Your Pieces Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Ways to save an attacked piece: move, defend, block, counterattack
Save an attacked piece using the most appropriate of the defensive methods: move, defend, block, capture the attacker, or counterattack.
taught after 22
24 Counting Attackers & Defenders Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Deciding if a capture is safe by counting attackers vs defenders
Determine whether capturing on a square wins or loses material by counting attackers and defenders and comparing values.
taught after 22 · 23
25 The Double Attack Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Attacking two targets at once (gateway to the fork)
Create a double attack that wins material because the opponent cannot save both targets.
taught after 22 · 23 · 24
26 Win a Piece! (Guided Practice) Guided practice 55 min · 6 positions
Applying material-winning ideas in guided games
Win material in a guided game by spotting hanging pieces and creating double attacks.
taught after 22 · 23 · 24 · 25
27 Unit Review: Material Master Review 50 min · 8 positions
Review of hanging pieces, defending, counting, double attack
Win or save material across mixed review positions by choosing the right material-winning or defensive idea.
taught after 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26
Unit 5Checkmate Skills 6 sessions
28 Checkmate in One Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Delivering forced checkmate in a single move
Find the checkmate-in-one in a variety of positions, confirming the king has no escape.
taught after 16 · 17 · 20
29 King & Queen Mate — Driving to the Edge Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
K+Q vs K technique part 1: pushing the lone king to the edge
Use the queen and king together to drive a lone king to the edge of the board.
taught after 16 · 18 · 28
30 King & Queen Mate — The Finish (Avoid Stalemate!) Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
K+Q vs K technique part 2: delivering mate without stalemating
Deliver checkmate with K+Q vs K once the king is on the edge, while avoiding stalemate.
taught after 18 · 28 · 29
31 The Back-Rank Mate Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Checkmating a castled king trapped behind its own pawns
Deliver a back-rank checkmate and recognise back-rank weaknesses, including making luft to defend.
taught after 16 · 28
32 The Two-Rook (Lawnmower) Mate Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Checkmating with two rooks using the rolling/ladder method
Checkmate a lone king with two rooks using the lawnmower (ladder) technique.
taught after 16 · 28
33 Finish the Game! (Unit Review) Review 50 min · 8 positions
Review of mate-in-one and basic checkmating techniques
Deliver checkmate in mixed K+Q, K+R-style, two-rook, and back-rank positions, choosing the right technique.
taught after 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32
Unit 6First Tactics & Thinking 8 sessions
34 The Fork (Knight Fork) Teaching 60 min · 8 positions
The knight fork (a double attack delivered by the knight)
Execute a knight fork that wins material in simple positions, including the royal fork of king and queen.
taught after 5 · 14 · 22 · 25 · 33
35 The Fork Family Teaching 60 min · 8 positions
Forks made by the queen, rook, bishop, and pawn (the whole fork family, including the royal fork)
Find and play forks with the queen, rook, bishop, and pawn that win material, and recognise a royal fork delivered by a piece other than the knight.
taught after 5 · 10 · 11 · 22 · 25 · 34
36 The Pin Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
The pin — freezing a piece in front of a more valuable one
Identify a pin and use it to win or immobilise a piece.
taught after 25 · 34 · 35
37 The Skewer Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
The skewer — the pin’s twin, attacking the more valuable piece first
Execute a skewer that wins material and distinguish it from a pin.
taught after 35 · 36
38 Checks, Captures, Threats (THE SCAN) Teaching 55 min · 8 positions
Introducing THE SCAN — systematically scanning checks, captures, threats
List the checks, captures, and threats in a position before choosing a move, and use THE SCAN to find a winning tactic.
taught after 34 · 35 · 36 · 37
39 Think Then Move (Guided Practice) Guided practice 55 min · 6 positions
Applying THE SCAN in tournament-style guided games
Use THE SCAN before each move in a guided game to find tactics and stay safe.
taught after 34 · 35 · 36 · 37 · 38
40 Stage 1 Comprehensive Review Review 55 min · 8 positions
Interleaved review of all Stage 1 tactics, mates, and thinking habits
Solve mixed Stage 1 problems, identifying the right idea (movement, material, mate, or tactic) before solving.
taught after 7 · 13 · 20 · 27 · 33 · 38
41 Pawn Stage Final Assessment & Graduation Checkpoint 60 min · 8 positions
Stage 1 final assessment on novel positions; promotion to Knight Stage
Demonstrate Pawn Stage mastery on novel positions to graduate to the Knight Stage.
taught after 21 · 33 · 38 · 40
Each session lists its topic, objective, length and number of positions.
stage 1
16 Challenger Pawn Stage lessons
Challenger is an independent course for ages 8+. These 60-minute lessons include practical play, homework and optional Challenge stretch. Lesson content requires an academy plan.
- C001 · The Board and the Three Sliding Pieces
Choose and explain legal rook, bishop and queen moves in mixed positions, accounting for blockers.
60 min · 8 puzzle exercises · Start here
- C002 · Kings, Knights and Pawns
Choose legal king, knight and pawn moves in mixed positions, including safe king captures and promotion.
60 min · 8 puzzle exercises · Before this: C001
- C003 · Check, Escape and Checkmate
Answer check legally and prove a simple checkmate by testing the opponent's legal escapes.
60 min · 8 puzzle exercises · Before this: C001, C002
- C004 · Special Rules and Your First Guided Game
Play a guided legal game while applying castling conditions and distinguishing checkmate from stalemate.
60 min · 8 puzzle exercises · Before this: C001, C002, C003
- C005 · Threats, Hanging Pieces and Safe Captures
Before moving, identify the opponent's immediate threats and choose a safe response or capture.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C004
- C006 · Piece Values and Counting Exchanges
Compare the material balance of a capture sequence and choose a trade that does not lose material.
60 min · 8 puzzle exercises · Before this: C005
- C007 · A Useful Opening: Centre and Development
Choose an opening move that controls central squares or develops an undeveloped piece with a clear purpose.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C006
- C008 · King Safety and Opening Mistakes
Choose a safe opening continuation and explain a tempting mistake in a guided game.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C007
- C009 · King and Queen: Finish Without Stalemate
Convert a king-and-queen versus king position using a shrinking box and a supported mating finish.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C008
- C010 · Two Rooks and the Back Rank
Choose and execute the appropriate rook mating technique while recognising the defender's escape squares.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C009
- C011 · Double Attacks and Knight Forks
Find a safe double attack and show how it wins material after the opponent's best reply.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C010
- C012 · The Fork Family
Find a safe fork with a queen, rook, bishop or pawn and identify the more valuable follow-up target.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C011
- C013 · Pins and Skewers
Distinguish pins from skewers and exploit the line without overlooking a legal defensive reply.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C012
- C014 · Checks, Captures, Threats: A Thinking Routine
Use a checks-captures-threats scan to generate candidates and verify one against the opponent's reply.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C013
- C015 · Play, Review and Repair
Identify one important error in a played game, explain a better decision and apply the correction in another position.
60 min · 6 puzzle exercises · Before this: C014
- C016 · Challenger Foundation Checkpoint
Demonstrate legal play, safe decisions, basic tactics and mating technique on unseen positions and in a practical game.
60 min · 0 puzzle exercises · Before this: C015
100 Challenger lesson puzzle exercises in this stage, including reused practice. Separate checkpoint cards and demonstrations are excluded.
Open this stage in the Challenger library →What comes next
Students who complete Pawn Stage can set up and play a legal game and spot basic tactics. Knight Stage adds more tactical patterns and introduces early endgames.