Lesson Plan 3: Rooks & Bishops

The Long-Range Pieces

Duration

45 Minutes

Week

Week 3 of 16

Prerequisites

Lessons 1-2

Learning Objectives

Students will move a rook along ranks and files
Students will move a bishop along diagonals
Students will explain that a bishop stays on one colour for the whole game
Students will show that neither piece may jump over another piece

Materials Needed

Chess sets (1 per 2 students)
Demonstration board
Counters or coins to mark squares a piece can reach
Piece Identification Worksheet

Key Rules to Teach

Rook: any number of squares in a straight line, along a rank or a file
Bishop: any number of squares along a diagonal
No jumping: both stop at the first piece in the way
Capturing: land on the enemy piece's square and remove it
Bishops keep their colour: a bishop that starts on a light square is on light squares all game

Lesson Timeline

5 min

Review & Hook

Hold up a rook: "This one moves like a plus sign." Hold up a bishop: "This one moves like an X." Tell the class that by the end of the lesson they will know which squares each piece can reach without touching the board.

10 min

The Rook

Place one rook on an empty board, in the middle
Ask a student to put a counter on every square it can reach — expect 14
Move the rook to a corner and ask again: still 14, which surprises them
Add a friendly piece in the way and show where the rook now stops

10 min

The Bishop

Place one bishop in the middle; count the squares it reaches (13 from a central square)
Ask: "What colour are all of those squares?"
Move it to a corner: only 7 squares, which shows why bishops like open diagonals
Name the pair: "Your light-squared bishop can never defend a dark square"

10 min

Capture Practice

Set up mixed positions with pawns as targets
Students take turns finding a capture for the rook, then for the bishop
Ask each time: "Is anything in the way?"

8 min

Rook & Bishop Race

Partners play the race game below.

2 min

Wrap-Up

Two questions on the way out: "How many squares does a rook reach on an empty board?" and "Can a bishop ever land on a square of the other colour?"

Rook & Bishop Race Rules

Each player sets up one rook and one bishop on their back rank, plus four pawns anywhere on their half
White moves first; only rooks and bishops may move
A piece is captured in the normal way, by landing on its square
Win by capturing both enemy pieces, or by reaching the opponent's back rank with either piece
If a player has no legal move, the game is a draw and both players set up again

Teacher Tip: When a child says a bishop "got stuck", have them put a finger on the diagonal and trace it to the edge. The piece did not get stuck; the diagonal ran out. Tracing the line with a finger fixes this faster than any explanation.

Assessment

Observation: during the race, watch for pieces jumping over others
Quick check: place a bishop on d4 and ask for three squares it can reach
Exit question: "Which piece would you rather have in a crowded position, and why?"

Common Mistakes to Address

Moving the rook diagonally, or the bishop along a rank
Jumping over a piece, usually a friendly pawn
Expecting a bishop to defend a square of the other colour
Capturing a piece that is behind another piece on the same line

Differentiation

Support: Put tape or string on the board along one rank and one diagonal so the lines are visible before the pieces move.
Challenge: Ask for the fewest moves a rook needs to reach a named square from a corner, then the same for a bishop — and why the bishop sometimes cannot do it at all.