♟Beginner Chess: 9-Week Course Journey (Ages 8–13)

 This 9-week Beginner Chess course is a live, online enrichment class taught via Zoom through Outschool, where every instructor (including Mastering the Classroom teachers) has passed a background check. Lessons and practice take place on ChessKid, a safe and COPPA-compliant platform. Students also receive free access to the Weekly Open Chess Club during the course, giving them extra opportunities to practice and connect with peers. After completing the course, learners are encouraged to continue in the Club or advance to Intermediate Chess.

Session Time: Saturdays at 9:00 AM Mountain Time (United States) — live, 1-hour sessions.

By the end of the course, students will:

• Understand how each chess piece moves and captures
   
• Learn the rules of castling, check, and checkmate
   
• Apply beginner strategies in the opening, middlegame, and endgame
   
• Develop problem-solving through tactics like forks, pins, and discovered attacks
   
• Gain confidence playing in real games and reviewing moves

• Week 1 – Chessboard basics & piece movement
   
• Week 2 – Pawns: structure, promotion, and simple tactics
   
• Week 3 – Rooks: files, ranks, and castling rules
   
• Week 4 – Bishops: diagonals and coordination
   
• Week 5 – Knights: forks and special movement
   
• Week 6 – The Queen: power and control
   
• Week 7 – The King: safety, checks, and checkmates
   
• Week 8 – Putting it together: openings & simple strategies
   
• Week 9 – Practice tournament & game review

• ChessKid account (provided link upon enrollment)
   
• Access to a computer or tablet with internet connection succeed.

 Our instructors are experienced educators and chess enthusiasts who combine real classroom teaching experience with a passion for chess. They provide encouragement, feedback, and practical strategies to help each student succeed.

 At the start of each class, students briefly meet one-on-one with the teacher to verify identity before joining the group. Parents will need to help their child create and log in to a ChessKid account prior to the first session. While the instructor supervises students during live Zoom sessions, parents are responsible for their child’s overall online activity outside of class. Occasional parent support may be helpful during online tournament play. All activities use ChessKid, a safe and COPPA-compliant platform designed for children.