Lesson Plan 13: Opening Principles

The First Ten Moves, Done Sensibly

Duration

45 Minutes

Week

Week 13 of 16

Prerequisites

Lessons 1-12

Learning Objectives

Students will state the three main opening principles
Students will open a game by occupying or attacking the centre
Students will develop knights and bishops before moving a piece twice
Students will explain why bringing the queen out early usually backfires

Materials Needed

Chess sets (1 per 2 students)
Demonstration board
Four squares marked on a poster: d4, e4, d5, e5
Scoresheets for the opening race

The Principles to Teach

Control the centre: the four middle squares; a piece there attacks more of the board
Develop your pieces: knights and bishops off the back rank, usually knights first
Castle early: the king is safer on the side, and the rook joins the game
Do not move the same piece twice in the opening without a reason
Do not bring the queen out early: she gets chased, and every chase develops the opponent

Lesson Timeline

5 min

Review & Hook

Play 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 on the demo board. "White is attacking. Is White doing well?" Keep the answer for later.

10 min

The Centre

Mark d4, e4, d5, e5 and count a knight's squares from the centre versus a corner
Play two sensible first moves and ask what each does for the centre
Make the point concrete: a pawn on e4 attacks d5 and f5, which the opponent wants

10 min

Development

Count how many pieces are off the back rank after five moves in two sample games
Teach the order: knights before bishops, because a knight's best square is easier to know
Rule of thumb they can hold: a piece moved twice is a move you did not develop with

8 min

Castle Early

Recall week 7 and connect it: castling is development and safety in one move
Show a position where delaying castling loses the king to a simple attack

10 min

Opening Race

Partners play the race below.

2 min

Wrap-Up

Return to 2. Qh5 and ask what Black should play. Collect ...Nc6 and ...g6 and explain who is really gaining time.

Opening Race Rules

Partners play a normal game and stop after ten moves each
Score one point for each minor piece developed, one for castling, one for a pawn in the centre
Subtract a point for each piece moved twice, and two for an early queen sortie that was chased
Compare scores and then play the game on to see whether the score predicted the position
Repeat once, swapping colours

Teacher Tip: Resist teaching named openings this week. Children who learn the Italian Game by rote play it against moves it does not answer; children who learn the three principles find reasonable moves in any position.

Assessment

Observation: during the race, watch for early queen moves and repeated piece moves
Scoresheet: collected and compared with the resulting position
Exit question: "Why is moving the same bishop three times in the opening usually a mistake?"

Common Mistakes to Address

Opening with a rook pawn and calling it development
Bringing the queen to h5 to attack f7 and losing time when it is defended
Developing a bishop to a square where a pawn chases it immediately
Castling late because the attack looked slow

Differentiation

Support: Give a checklist card to tick each move: centre, develop, castle. Children who tick it aloud stop losing track.
Challenge: Ask for a position where a principle should be broken, and why — an early queen move that wins material outright, for instance.