Lesson Plan 14: Endgame Basics

The King Becomes a Fighter

Duration

45 Minutes

Week

Week 14 of 16

Prerequisites

Lessons 1-13

Learning Objectives

Students will march the king toward the action in an endgame
Students will demonstrate the opposition between two kings
Students will promote a pawn with king support
Students will explain why a king is a strong piece once the queens are gone

Materials Needed

Chess sets (1 per 2 students)
Demonstration board
Position cards for the king-and-pawn drills
Counters for marking key squares

The Ideas to Teach

Activate the king: with few pieces left, the king is a fighting piece worth about four points
The opposition: kings facing each other with one square between — whoever must move gives way
The king leads the pawn: a pawn supported by its king promotes; a lone pawn usually does not
Push passed pawns: a pawn with no enemy pawn in front or beside it on the next files is the one to run
Count the race: when both sides have a runner, count the moves before pushing

Lesson Timeline

5 min

Review & Hook

Set up king and one pawn against a king. "This is the whole game now. One side wins, one side draws, and it depends on where the kings are."

12 min

King Activity

Compare two positions: king on the back rank versus king in the centre
Ask which side's king reaches the pawns first and count the moves
Make the rule: when the queens come off, walk the king toward the middle

12 min

The Opposition

Set kings on e4 and e6 and ask whose move it is
Show that the side to move must step aside
Practise taking the opposition in three set positions
Connect it to the pawn: taking the opposition in front of the pawn is how it promotes

10 min

Promote the Pawn

Work the win: king in front of the pawn, opposition taken, pawn pushed last
Show the draw: pushing the pawn too early and letting the defending king sit in front
Pairs play both sides of the same position

4 min

Pawn Endgame Duel

Partners play the duel below.

2 min

Wrap-Up

Ask: "Where should your king go once the queens are traded?"

Pawn Endgame Duel Rules

Set up king and two pawns against king and one pawn, on the same side of the board
The stronger side tries to promote; the weaker side tries to draw
Play to a finish, then swap sides and play the same position again
Score a point for a win and half for a draw from the weaker side
Discuss which move decided it — usually a king move, not a pawn move

Teacher Tip: Make the children move the king first and the pawn second in every drill. The instinct at this age is to push the pawn as fast as possible, which is exactly how these positions are drawn.

Assessment

Observation: during the duel, watch whether kings come forward
Drill check: each child promotes a pawn against the teacher's king at least once
Exit question: "Two kings face each other with one square between. Who is better off — the side to move or the side waiting?"

Common Mistakes to Address

Leaving the king at home in a pawn endgame
Pushing the pawn ahead of the king and allowing the defending king in front
Trading into a king-and-pawn endgame that is drawn rather than won
Ignoring a passed pawn on the other wing

Differentiation

Support: Mark the squares in front of the pawn with counters so the child can see which one the king must reach first.
Challenge: Introduce the square of the pawn — the shortcut for working out whether a lone king can catch a runner without counting move by move.