Hello and welcome! Today, we’re going to learn more about a special move in chess called “check.” When a king is in check, it means it’s in danger and needs to be protected. Let’s explore how to put the king in check and have some fun with it!
Imagine you’re playing as the White pieces. Your goal is to make a move that puts the Black king in check. But remember, not every check is a good move. We need to think carefully about our choices.
Let’s look at the board. The White knight is ready to move, but it can’t reach the Black king on e8. The queen is also blocked by a knight, so she can’t check the king either. But wait, there’s a bishop on a light square, and the Black king is on a light square too. If the bishop moves to b5, it can check the king!
Now, let’s find more ways to check the Black king. There are three moves White can make to check the king. If you guessed rook to e1, great job! That’s a check. You can also move the queen to e2 or e1 to check the king.
Here’s a tricky question: Why can’t the bishop move to b5 to check the king this time? If you said the knight is in the way, you’re right! The knight blocks the bishop, so it can’t reach the king.
It’s White’s turn again. Let’s find two moves to check the Black king. One move is knight to c7. This move is special because it threatens both the king and the rook. Another move is knight to d6, but be careful! The knight could be captured, even though it’s still a check.
Now, let’s find another check. There’s only one: bishop takes f7. This move puts the Black king in danger by aiming diagonally at it.
Did you know pawns can also check the king? Let’s see how. If you move the pawn to e5, it looks close to the king, but pawns attack diagonally. So, to check the king, you need to move the pawn to f5.
Let’s solve a puzzle. One of the kings is in check. Can you find out which one? Remember, a check is when a piece threatens the king. The bishop on f1 can move to b5 to check the Black king.
Now, which king is in check? It’s the White king on e1. The Black bishop moved to b4, putting the White king in danger.
Always watch out for checks in chess. Every piece except the king can give a check. Checks help keep your king safe and can lead to winning the game. We’ll learn more about winning with checkmate soon!
Thanks for joining us, and see you next time! Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more fun chess lessons. Bye-bye!
Chess Piece Adventure: Create your own chessboard using a piece of paper and some markers. Draw an 8×8 grid and use small objects like coins or buttons as chess pieces. Try to set up a scenario where you can put the king in check using different pieces. Can you find three different ways to check the king? Share your setup with a friend or family member and explain how each piece can check the king.
Checkmate Detective: Go on a “check” hunt in a real chess game! Watch a chess match online or play a game with someone. Every time a king is put in check, pause the game and discuss why the move was made. What piece was used to check the king? Was it a good move? Why or why not? This will help you understand the importance of checks in a real game.
Check Story Time: Write a short story or draw a comic strip about a chess game where a brave knight, clever bishop, or sneaky pawn saves the day by putting the king in check. Use your imagination to create a fun adventure, and share your story with your class or family. This activity will help you remember how different pieces can check the king in exciting ways!
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Welcome to Kids Academy!
Hi, thanks for joining me. In our last video, we discussed the word “check” in chess, which means the king is in danger. We looked at a few examples of how we can check the king and attack it. Today, we’ll practice that some more.
Let’s turn to the board. In this position, it’s White’s turn. Think about what move White can play to put the Black king in check.
I must warn you, not all checks are good. Just because we see a check doesn’t mean we always want to play it in our games. I’m helping you begin to see the board and look at all of White’s possible moves to figure out which one is a check.
Go ahead and think about what White should play in this position to check the Black king.
Looking at the White side, I see that this knight is already developed. I’m considering ways to bring this knight in to attack the king for a check. We can move to e5 or g5, but neither will allow us to aim at the Black king, which is on e8. The knight is too far away to attack the king.
The queen can move one step, but then the knight blocks her, so she can’t give a check. Now, I’m looking at this bishop. The bishop is on a light square, and the Black king is also on a light square. A dark square bishop can never check a king on a light square, but this bishop can move to b5.
Bishop to b5 is a check! The king is in danger, and you can see that the king is now in check.
In this position, it’s still White’s turn. What moves can White play to check the Black king? If you found one, that’s great! There are actually three different moves White can play to check the Black king.
If you said rook to e1, give yourself a pat on the back! Rook to e1 is a check. We could also play queen to e2 or queen to e1, both of which would also check the king.
Bonus question: Why wouldn’t bishop to b5 in this example be a check? What is stopping this bishop from aiming at the king? In the last example, bishop to b5 was a check. If you said the knight is in the way, you’re correct! The knight blocks the bishop from reaching the king. While the knight would be under attack, the king would not be, and we only say “check” when the king is under attack.
Now, in this game, it’s White’s turn again. Look for ways to check the Black king. Take a moment to find two moves that White can play to put the Black king in check.
The move that stands out to me is knight to c7. As you gain more experience, you’ll find that this knight move happens frequently in chess. Knight to c7 is definitely a check because it threatens the king and the rook at the same time.
The second move, knight to d6, isn’t as good because the knight could get captured in two ways, but it’s still a check.
Now, White to play again. Find as many checks as you can. There’s only one check I see: bishop takes f7. By moving to f7, we are now aiming diagonally at the Black king, and the Black king is in danger.
Remember, everything except for the king can give check. Evaluate pawn to e5 and pawn to f5. One of those pawn moves is a check. Can you figure out which one?
Pawn to e5 looks nice because it’s getting close to the Black king, but remember, pawns attack diagonally forward one square. So this pawn is actually attacking d6 and f6, not the square the king is on. For it to be a check, White would need to play pawn to f5, which checks the king.
In this position, it’s a bit of a quiz. One of these kings is in check, and it’s your job to figure out which king is in danger and which piece is aiming at that king.
We’ve seen this idea before: the bishop on f1 moving to b5 is a check. This bishop is now aiming diagonally at the king, so we would say the Black king is in check, and it’s the White bishop on b5 that is giving the check.
Now, which king is in check? Remember, we only use the word “check” when it involves a threat against the king. Even though the White queen is aiming at the Black queen and vice versa, we wouldn’t say those queens are in check.
Which king is in danger? The answer is the White king on e1. We know this because the bishop is now playing bishop to f8 to b4, putting the king in danger.
Always be on the lookout for checks. Every piece in chess can deliver check, except for the king. Kings can never touch, but always be aware of check, as it helps keep your king safe and opens up possibilities in your games.
Checks can be a powerful weapon to win material or even achieve checkmate, which is how we win in chess. We’ll talk about that a little later.
Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you soon! Bye-bye!
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