Hi there! I’m Coach Rob from Kids Academy, and today we’re going to learn about something super important in chess: how to tell if the king is in check or checkmate. This is a key skill for anyone who wants to become a great chess player!
When you’re playing chess, you need to keep your king safe. To do this, remember the CPR rule: Capture, Protect, Run away. If your king can do any of these, it’s just a check. But if there’s no way to save the king, it’s checkmate, and the game is over. Let’s dive into some examples to see how this works!
In our first example, the white king is in check because the black queen is threatening it. Let’s use CPR to see if the king can escape:
Since the king can run away, this is just a check, not checkmate. The game continues!
In this game, the black queen and bishop are putting the white king in check. Let’s see if the king can escape:
Again, this is just a check, not checkmate. The king can move to safety.
Now, the white king is in check from the black queen. Let’s see if the king can escape:
The knight saves the day, and the game goes on!
White plays queen takes f7, and it looks like checkmate because:
This time, it’s checkmate, and the game is over!
In another game, white plays queen takes e5 check. Let’s see if black can save the king:
The king is safe, and it’s just a check, not checkmate.
Whenever your king is in danger, always think about Capture, Protect, and Run away. Sometimes you can use all three, sometimes just one. But always check your options to keep your king safe. If there’s no way to save the king, it’s checkmate, and the game ends.
Thanks for learning with me today! Keep practicing, and soon we’ll explore some cool checkmating patterns. See you next time, and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more fun chess lessons!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Welcome to Kids Academy! Hi, it’s Coach Rob from Kids Academy. In today’s video, we will be looking at different positions in chess and figuring out if the king is in check or checkmate. This is a very important skill to have as a chess player.
As we look at these positions, ask yourself: Can the king use CPR (Capture, Protect, Run away) to get to safety? If the answer is yes, then it is only a check. If the answer is no and there’s no way to save the king, then it’s checkmate, and the game is over. Let’s go ahead and get started with our first position.
In this game, the white king is in check. The black queen on e3 is checking the king. The question is: Is this check or checkmate? Consider Capture, Protect, and Run away. Take your time and pause the video if you need to.
What I see is that there’s a bishop protecting the queen, so right away, I know the king cannot capture the queen because the white king won’t be safe; the bishop will be attacking the king if it tries to capture the queen on e3. The pieces are right next to each other, so there’s no way to protect. White doesn’t have any pieces left to protect with, only the king.
Now, I’m looking at the option to run away. I first check f2 and d2, but those squares are controlled by the black queen and are off-limits. I look at d3 and f3, and again, the queen controls those squares. I check e1; I know kings can move one step in any direction, but the queen is controlling that square as well.
It’s not looking good for us, but how about king to d1 or king to f1? Are those safe? Yes, white can play either move. King to d1 is safe; the queen is attacking many squares, but not d1. The same goes for f1; the queen cannot get to f1 right now. Our king would be safe using the runaway strategy.
So going back to our original question: Is this check or checkmate? The answer is check. The game continues after white plays either king to f1 or king to d1.
In another game, white is in check again, and this time black has a bishop and a queen. The bishop is on a light square. I know the king can’t capture the queen because that’s too far away. White doesn’t have any other pieces, so there’s no way to protect.
Now, looking at runaways, I see the bishop is controlling f1, and the queen is controlling f2, g2, h2, and even g1. However, there is one square left that looks safe: h1. The bishop and queen can’t get there right away. It looks like our only move is king to h1, so this is once again a check, not checkmate.
Now, white is under attack again, this time from the queen. Is this check or checkmate? Looking at king moves, I’m trying to run away, but all these squares are protected. The rooks are guarding, and the queen is guarding f1. We cannot run away, and there’s no way to block. The king cannot capture the queen because that would be an illegal move.
However, I do see one other piece here: a knight. This knight can capture the queen. Knight takes the queen on e2, and our king is safe. It still doesn’t look good for white; black’s army is still stronger, but at least the game continues.
Now, if white plays queen takes f7, is this checkmate? Yes, we have the bishop protecting the queen, and the queen is attacking the king. The queen is guarding the only escape square. There’s no way to get safe, no way to capture the queen safely, and no way to run away or protect.
Instead of queen takes f7, what if white tried to move bishop takes f7? Is this also checkmate or just a check? The king can’t capture the bishop, but who is guarding the square on e7 for white? The answer is no one, so this is only a check because black can move king to e7.
In this game, it’s white’s move. White sees a strong move with queen takes e5 check, winning the pawn. Is this check or checkmate? This does not look good for black. I’m looking at runaway squares; the bishop is controlling d7 and e8, and the queen is attacking all of these squares. There’s nowhere safe to run.
I don’t see any way to capture this queen; the pawn is too far away, and the bishop isn’t helping. The knight can’t help either. Maybe there is a way to protect. Can black find a move to stop the queen from attacking the king? The only hope is to move the bishop to e6.
So black plays bishop to e6, preventing the queen from attacking the king, and the black king is safe. This was only a check, not a checkmate.
When you realize your king is in danger, it’s very important to look at all of your options: CPR. Sometimes you’ll be able to use all three strategies, sometimes two, and sometimes you may only have one move to save the king. But you have to explore all of your options because if your king is in check, that is your most important priority.
If your king can’t be saved and you cannot escape the check, then it is called checkmate, and it is game over. Thank you for doing these practice puzzles, and I will see you soon. We will be learning about two of the most important checkmating patterns in chess. Thanks for watching! Bye! Subscribe to our channel to stay updated on new videos. Find links to our apps in the comments below.
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This version removes any informal language and maintains a clear and educational tone.
