THE CHECKMATES PROMOTION PROCESS
CheckMates has several levels that kids in the Program can earn:
GREEN - no wrist band yet - this level is for beginners.
WHITE - ready to play chess! Kids TEST into this level during class.
BLUE- ready for tournaments! Kids TEST into this level during class.
RED- proven tournament player. Kids must win 3.5 out of 5 in a tournament, or 4 / 6.
GREEN - NEW TO CHESS!
GREEN LEVEL wrist band
The GREEN Level consists of kids who are new to chess, or who have not yet demonstrated the skills necessary to earn their WHITE wrist band.
There is no Green wrist band given out at this time.
Students in the Green Division should have as their goal to make it to the White division as soon as they can, so they are ready to really learn the game of chess.
TO BECOME A GREEN LEVEL PLAYER, YOU MUST:
· Must be well behaved and attentive in class
· Attend the program most of the time
TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT DIVISION (White), THE GREEN DIVISION PLAYER SHOULD LEARN:
· Board and zones, setup
· Basic chess rules
· Chess pieces and movement
· Basic moves
· Pawn promotions
· Castling
· Three parts of the game
· Basic Check and Mate
· Stalemate
· 4-Move Checkmate
Outside of Class, the Green level student should:
· Practice board setup and piece movement
· Prepare to test into White Division when Ready!
WHITE LEVEL - READY TO PLAY!
WHITE Level Wrist Band
Students in the White level are ready to play the game of chess, and begin to compete!
TO EARN THE WHITE WRIST BAND, A PLAYER MUST PASS A TEST, AND DEMONSTRATE THE FOLLOWING:
Board setup
Basic chess rules
Piece movement, Castling
Checkmate, 4-move Checkmate, Stalemate
AFTER EARNING YOUR WHITE WRIST BAND, you should learn the following to prepare for your next (Blue) Level:
· Basic Opening Principles
o Piece Development
o King Safety
o Controlling Center
· Basic Openings
· Thinking like other player – “why did they move there and what can they do to me?”
· Playing Slowly- THINKING between each move
· En Passant and when to use
· Battle Squares- counting defenders and attackers (Piece Safety)
· Overkill Checkmates
o K+2R vs. K
o K+Q vs. K
· Avoiding Stalemate
· Basic Tactics
o Mate in 1
o Pin
o Fork
o Skewer
o Mate in 2
o Removal of the Guard
· How to Take Notation
· Tournament Basics- sportsmanship, manners, basics, etc.
Outside of Class, a White Level player should:
· Practice tactics
· Get free Chess.com account and play online
· Take Notation in Important Games
· Ask about Tournaments- Pick one to shoot for!
· Practice to Test into BLUE Division when ready!
BLUE LEVEL - READY FOR TOURNAMENTS!
Blue Level Wrist Band
The BLUE Level players have demonstrated they are ready for tournament play!
TO EARN YOUR BLUE WRIST BAND, YOU MUST PASS A TEST AND DEMONSTRATE THE FOLLOWING:
o Thinking before moving- balancing offense and defense
o En Passant
o Battle Squares- counting defenders and attackers
o Overkill Checkmates K+2R vs K and K+Q vs K
o Avoiding Stalemate
o Basic Tactics
o Basic Openings
o Opening Principles
o Taking Notation
o Tournament Basics- sportsmanship, manners, basics, etc.
AFTER YOU EARN YOUR BLUE Level WRIST BAND, a Student should focus on earning their Red Wristband by demonstrating success in chess tournaments. Here are the things a blue student should learn:
Use Chess.com or other program to analyze game
Intermediate Tactics
Discovery
Discovered Check
Discovered Attack
Double Check
Deflection
Back Rank
Trapped Piece
Basic Endgames
Overkill Checkmate
K+R vs. K
K + P vs. K
USE YOUR KING!
Opposition
Rook Pawn
Rule of the Square
Rook Endgames, Rooks belong behind passed pawns
Middlegame - Concept of planning
Outside of Class, a Blue Level player should:
· Practice tactics
Play online chess on Chess.com
· Take Notation and Analyze games
· Play in Tournaments!
· Win 4 games in a 6-game tournament, or 3.5 in a 5-game tournament