Chess for Grade 3
Our Grade 3 chess activities on Kids Academy Classroom strengthens students' foundation in the basics of chess, helps them master all the rules and special moves, and prepares them to begin applying tactics in real game scenarios. Learners practice recognizing common checkmating patterns, solving tactical puzzles, and analyzing famous games to improve their strategy.
Core areas covered:
Game basics
Chess basics
What is chess?
Chess pieces: part 1 & part 2
Chessboard and symbols
Names of squares and the center
Initial positions on the board
Pieces: how they move and capture
Rook
Bishop
Queen
Knight
Pawn
King
Power and value of pieces
Special moves: promotion, en passant, castling
Abbreviated chess notation
Purpose of the game
What is check?
Attacking the king: direct check
Getting out of check (capture, protect, run away)
What is checkmate?
Is this position check or checkmate?
What is stalemate?
Checkmating patterns: two rook mate
Checkmating patterns: king and queen mate
Let’s practice checkmates!
Strategies
Basic tactics
Double attack, or fork
Attacking the king: double check
Pin
Skewer
Discovery
Attacking the king: discovered check
Finding mates in 2
Putting it all together
Opening principles: how to begin a game
Scholar’s mate, or the four move mate
Basic strategy: trading down when ahead
Game analysis: the opera house game
Learning formats
Worksheets: practice chess notation, identify checks and checkmates, solve tactical puzzles
Lessons: step-by-step explanations of rules, moves, and strategies
Videos: visual demonstrations of piece movement, tactics, and game examples
Games: interactive play to practice tactics and checkmating patterns
Quizzes: assess mastery of rules, tactics, and strategy concepts
By the end of grade 3, students should be confident in playing full games, spotting tactical opportunities, and applying beginner-level strategies to win.
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