Beginning Battles: Openings to Improve Your Chess Game

To succeed in this class, students should have a basic understanding of the chess pieces' movements. However, students don't need to be experts in any way. In fact, they can have only played a little bit of chess or have just learned about the game recently. All skill levels are welcome!

In the first class meeting, students will be taught the two most popular and effective openings for white pieces: the Ruy Lopez opening and the Italian Game.

Mr. K will display a live chess board on the screen and model how these openings work. Then, students will interact with Mr. K and each other to talk through chess strategies such as: thinking several steps ahead, protecting pieces, and avoiding blunders. The class is run like an open discussion so that students can learn from Mr. K, as well as each other. This method of learning has proven to be the most effective in the game of chess.

In the second class meeting, Mr. K will briefly review the two black-piece openings from the first class. Then, students will be taught the most effective openings for black pieces: the Sicilian Defense and the French defense.

Again, Mr. K will display a live chess board on the screen and model how these openings work. Then, students will interact with Mr. K and each other to talk through chess strategies such as: thinking several steps ahead, protecting pieces, and avoiding blunders.