Basics and rules. The board, how each piece moves, safe captures, protecting pieces, check, mate in 1 and the three special rules. After level 1 a child can play a full game by the rules. Level 1 roughly matches Step 1 of the Steps Method.
What this level covers
- Meet the board and move the pieces
- Protecting pieces
- Captures that don't get taken back
- Which capture wins more?
- Winning material without losing any
- Check and escaping check
- Checkmate and special rules
- Level 1 extra practice
Try a few positions now
- Yellow square: the piece to move (the "glowing piece" in the question).
- Stars: squares you could move to; only one is right.
- Letters A, B, C on squares: the options to choose from.
- Arrow: the last move, or a move the question gives you.
- Red square: a piece under attack.
- Blue square: a piece or square to watch.
The star is on a8: file a, rank 8. Move the white rook from a1 up to the star!
Show answer
Answer: ♖a8
Why: The white rook reached a8.
Some black pieces stand alone, some are guarded. Only one star wins the most without losing out. Pick it!
Show answer
Answer: ♘xc7
Why: Taking the black bishop wins the most.
There are three stars; only one is checkmate. The white rook on the h-file is ready to protect the queen.
Show answer
Answer: ♕h7#
Why: That's the pattern: queen up close, backed by the rook.
A white piece is under attack. Only one star can guard it. Pick it!
Show answer
Answer: ♗c8
Why: The white knight now has a guard.
Theme worksheets with puzzles from this level
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Keep practising in the Karotto app
Each theme above is a lesson in the app's chess course, with a voice that reads every question, hints when your child is stuck, and a replay of the opponent's answer after a wrong move.