Basic Endgame Checkmates

Asked students what they remembered about last week's Wolf and Sheep. Pointed out that a queen is worth 9 pawns. Value is based on mobility. The queen (wolf) should indeed be able to win against the sheep with correct play.

For Beginners: Taught White: Ke1 + Qd1 + Rh1 vs. Black Ke5 checkmate. Students practiced. I tested three of them. Two failed (i.e. did not make progress on the mate) and one succeeded.

For Experienced: Taught White Ke1 + Ra1 + Rh1 vs. Black Ke5 checkmate. Students practiced. I tested four students. One failed, two passed (but not efficiently), and one passed.

For Advanced: Taught White Ke1 + Qa1 vs. Black Kd5 checkmate. Students practiced. I tested four students and two passed.

In all cases, I demonstrated the checkmate on the demonstration board first. Then students partnered up to practice and to be tested by me. For next week, I will be re-teaching and testing more students. Students have been told to practice these checkmates at home during the week. Students who are proficient can move on to more challenging basic checkmates (such as K and R vs. K).