First opening ideas · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

First opening ideas

Chess · Chess basics · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Pushing a pawn to the center gives your pieces more room.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. Developing means bringing your knights and bishops toward the center.

    Circle one:   True   False

  3. Castling mainly helps you to:

    • Keep your king safe
    • Win a pawn
    • Promote faster

  4. Which is good opening advice?

    • Do not move the same piece twice early
    • Bring your queen out first
    • Keep your king in the center

  5. You can castle while your king is in check.

    Circle one:   True   False

  6. What are the three main ideas in the opening?

    • Control the center, develop pieces, castle
    • Trade every piece, attack, resign
    • Move only pawns the whole time

  7. How many squares make up the center of the board?

    Answer: ______________

  8. When you castle, how many squares does the king move?

    Answer: ______________

LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-ct_hHjgl2wQAZI-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

First opening ideas W1-ct_hHjgl2wQAZI-s1

  1. True · A center pawn opens lines for your bishops and queen.
  2. True · Developed pieces are off the back row and ready to help.
  3. Keep your king safe · Castling tucks the king away and connects the rooks.
  4. Do not move the same piece twice early · Moving one piece twice early wastes time you could use developing others.
  5. False · You are not allowed to castle out of check.
  6. Control the center, develop pieces, castle · Center, development, and king safety guide the opening.
  7. 4 · The center is the four squares in the very middle.
  8. 2 · The king slides two squares toward the rook.
Worksheet · LightMySky