Beginner Chess · Week 1

Coach Answer Key · Piece Safety

Age 8–1060-minute lessonAssessment + Piece Safety

Quick lookup: these are original beginner teaching positions. The orange arrow shows the model solution; accept equivalent safe moves only when the task allows them.

Exercise 1 · Free capture · rook

The rook’s straight path

White to move

Task: Find the rook move that captures an unprotected bishop.

Hint: Look along the b-file.

Answer: Rxb6 — The rook moves straight from b1 to b6 and takes the loose bishop.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 6k1/8/1b6/8/8/8/8/1R5K w - - 0 1

Exercise 2 · Free capture · bishop

A diagonal treasure

White to move

Task: Find the bishop move that captures a loose rook.

Hint: Trace the diagonal from c4.

Answer: Bxe6 — The bishop travels through d5 to capture the undefended rook on e6.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 7k/8/4r3/8/2B5/8/8/6K1 w - - 0 1

Exercise 3 · Free capture · Black

Black’s turn to collect

Black to move

Task: Black to move: capture White’s undefended bishop.

Hint: A rook can travel along its file.

Answer: Rxh3 — The rook travels down the open h-file and wins the bishop on h3.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 6kr/8/8/8/8/7B/8/6K1 b - - 0 1

Exercise 4 · Pawn capture

A pawn can take a knight

White to move

Task: Use your pawn to capture the black knight.

Hint: White pawns capture one square diagonally forward.

Answer: cxb5 — From c4, the pawn captures diagonally to b5, removing the undefended knight.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 6k1/8/8/1n6/2P5/8/8/6K1 w - - 0 1

Exercise 5 · Queen safety

Rescue the queen

White to move

Task: The black knight attacks your queen. Find a safe diagonal retreat to the first rank.

Hint: Trace the long diagonal from g4 toward your back rank.

Answer: Qd1 — The knight on e5 attacks the queen on g4. Qd1 slides diagonally along g4–f3–e2–d1 to a safe first-rank square.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: k7/8/8/4n3/6Q1/8/8/6K1 w - - 0 1

Exercise 6 · Capture the attacker

Remove the attacker

White to move

Task: The bishop attacks your rook. Capture the bishop with your knight.

Hint: Can your knight jump onto the bishop’s square?

Answer: Nxd6 — The bishop on d6 threatens the rook on c5. Nxd6 takes that bishop and saves the rook.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 7k/8/3b4/2R5/4N3/8/8/6K1 w - - 0 1

Exercise 7 · Defending

Guard your bishop

White to move

Task: The rook attacks your bishop. Protect the bishop with a pawn move without moving the bishop.

Hint: Which pawn could move so that it guards c4?

Answer: d3 — d3 lets the pawn on d3 defend the bishop on c4. If ...Rxc4, dxc4 recaptures the rook.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 2r4k/8/8/8/2B5/8/3P4/6K1 w - - 0 1

Exercise 8 · Capture · Black

Black wins a rook

Black to move

Task: Black to move: capture White’s loose rook.

Hint: Follow the black queen’s open file.

Answer: Qxe4 — The queen on e7 slides down to e4 and takes a rook that no white piece guards.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 6k1/4q3/8/8/4R3/8/8/6K1 b - - 0 1

Exercise 9 · King safety

Get out of check

White to move

Task: Your king is in check from a knight! Capture the checking piece.

Hint: Which of your pawns can take on f3?

Answer: gxf3 — The knight on f3 checks the king on g1. gxf3 captures the knight and ends the check.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 7k/8/8/8/8/5n2/6P1/6K1 w - - 0 1

Exercise 10 · Capture with check

Queen versus rook

White to move

Task: Your queen is attacked by a rook on the same file. Capture that rook with check.

Hint: Your queen also moves straight along files. Is anything between d4 and d8?

Answer: Qxd8+ — Qxd8+ captures the attacking rook and checks the king on g8 across the eighth rank.

Original teaching diagram · Setup FEN: 3r2k1/8/8/8/3Q4/8/8/6K1 w - - 0 1

Diagnostic score interpretation

1 point per correct move, 10 total. Record assistance separately. 8–10: basic piece-safety awareness is emerging; keep practicing in games. 5–7: revisit attacked and defended targets. 0–4: reteach capture geometry and safety with large boards. These are teaching bands, not ratings or formal norms.

Sources and provenance

Original teaching diagrams: All 10 worked-example boards and all 10 exercise boards were created for this handout. None is claimed to be a historical game position, a quoted source diagram or a copied online puzzle. Their move ideas and positions are original instructional constructions. Each board is rendered as inline SVG using the Project’s canonical visual reference.

Concept adapted from: The sources below informed the order of instruction, terminology and safety checklist—not the 20 board positions. No text or copyrighted board screenshot was copied.

Steps Method — Step 1. https://www.stappenmethode.nl/en/material/step1/handleiding-stap-1/. Teaching sequence: attacking, capturing, defending and check; lesson organization.
Steps Method — Step 1 overview. https://www.stappenmethode.nl/en/step1.php/certificates.php. Beginner mixed practice: winning material, getting out of check, protecting pieces.
Lichess — Learn chess. https://lichess.org/learn. Learning progression: Capture, Protection, Combat, Out of check.
ChessKid — Attacks and Defenses, Part One. https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/attacks-and-defenses-part-one. Attacked versus undefended pieces, capturing safely.
ChessKid — Checks, Captures, Queen Attacks!. https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/checks-captures-queen-attacks. Thinking about opponent threats, checks, captures and queen safety.
Chess.com — Hanging Piece. https://www.chess.com/terms/hanging-piece-chess. Beginner definition and importance of spotting loose or attacked pieces.

These are source URLs for the coach’s reference. Internet access is not required to open any of the five HTML files or display any board.