CHESS MONKEYS

For teachers and coaches

The chess treasure hunt

20 minutes · all levels · contest in teams of two

What the children learnsolve, explain, collect letters. Right answers are rewarded, not quick guessing.

What you needfour exercises and a secret word of four letters, for example DAME or TURM. Spread the letters across the exercises out of order, for example M, E, D, A. One Treasure route per team. The teams are formed at the table (see How every exercise runs).

How it goes

  1. Say: “Each exercise you solve correctly brings you a letter. Guessing the word brings nothing.” From Level 3 the right solution includes the reason. One child suggests, the other writes; they swap on every exercise.2 minutes
  2. Exercise 1: one minute thinking alone, two minutes consulting, write the move and the reason on the treasure route and tick “done”. Then you show the solution and the letter and say the reason in a short sentence. The next team at the table gets the route, ticks “checked”, writes the letter if the answer was right, and gives it back.4 minutes
  3. Exercise 2 the same way.4 minutes
  4. Exercise 3 the same way.4 minutes
  5. Exercise 4 the same way.4 minutes
  6. You show all four letters. Each team fills in the missing ones and arranges them into the word. That does not change the points. You settle open questions briefly.2 minutes

Level 1 and 2

the children draw the move as an arrow in the workbook and tick “done” on the route. Only the move counts. The other team also gets the workbook of the child who drew the arrow, so they can check.

From Level 3

show the exercises at the front.

Points

1 point per letter, 4 points at most. A tie means several winners. When a reason is right is under Checking, scoring, helping.

Tip

if a team guesses the word early, that changes nothing – each exercise counts on its own. Take a new word every time.

Odd numbers

there is one team of three. The third child checks the entry before you show the solution.

In a large class

show the solution and the letter at the front for everyone. If there is a dispute at a table, you decide at once.