Chess Learning Print Pack
Tactics & Middlegame
Eight tactics and planning lessons on hanging pieces, checks, captures, threats, forks, pins, skewers, king safety, and active pieces.
Includes 8 lessons in curriculum order.
Student copy only — no answers are embedded in this document.
Teacher/Parent: view the separate answer key
In this pack
- Lesson 1: Hanging Pieces and Piece Values
- Lesson 2: Checks, Captures, and Threats
- Lesson 3: Forks
- Lesson 4: Pins
- Lesson 5: Skewers
- Lesson 6: Discovered Attacks
- Lesson 7: King Safety
- Lesson 8: Active Pieces
Worksheet: Hanging Pieces and Piece Values
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 4
Learn the value of each piece and how to spot when a piece is left undefended ("hanging") so you can win it for free.
Why This Matters
- Every piece has an approximate value: pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9.
- Before every move, check: did that move leave a piece where it can be captured for free?
- Winning "hanging" pieces is the single easiest way for a beginner to gain an advantage.
Objectives
- Recall the approximate value of each piece.
- Spot when an opponent's piece has no defender.
- Capture hanging pieces instead of missing free material.
Practice Tasks
- Write the point value of the pawn, knight, bishop, rook, and queen.
- In the mini-game position, circle any piece that looks undefended.
- Solve the 5 hanging-piece puzzles from this lesson and write the winning move for each.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the free capture.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the free capture.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the free capture.
Practice 4
White to move. Find the free capture.
Practice 5
White to move. Find the free capture.
Mini-Game
Play this position out with a partner. Every time either side moves a piece to a square with no defender, the other side should say "hanging!" and try to win it.
Worksheet: Checks, Captures, and Threats
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 4
Before every move, scan the board for checks, captures, and threats ("CCT") - the three most forcing kinds of moves.
Why This Matters
- "CCT" is a simple scan you can do before every move: are there any checks, captures, or threats available?
- Checks and captures are easy to spot. Threats are trickier - they attack something without taking it yet.
- Strong players use this scan on every move, for both sides, before deciding what to play.
Objectives
- Explain what a check, a capture, and a threat are.
- Scan a position for all three before choosing a move.
- Tell the difference between a real threat and a move that does nothing.
Practice Tasks
- Write the definitions of check, capture, and threat in your own words.
- In the mini-game position, name one square a threatening move could target.
- Solve the three CCT practice positions and label each one check, capture, or threat.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the move that gives check.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the safe capture.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the move that creates a threat.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. On each turn, say out loud whether your move is a check, a capture, a threat, or none of those.
Worksheet: Forks
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 5
A fork is one move that attacks two enemy pieces at the same time, so the opponent can only save one of them.
Why This Matters
- A fork happens when one piece attacks two (or more) enemy pieces on the same move.
- Knights are the classic forking piece because their attack pattern is hard to see coming and hard to block.
- When you find a fork, check that the forking piece itself is safe - a fork only wins if you don't lose it right back.
Objectives
- Define what a fork is.
- Recognize squares where a knight forks two pieces.
- Find forking moves in practice positions.
Practice Tasks
- Draw a knight on d5 and mark every square it attacks.
- In the mini-game position, is there a knight move that attacks two black pieces? If not yet, which move gets closer?
- Solve the 4 fork puzzles and write the forking move for each.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the move that attacks two targets at once.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the move that attacks two targets at once.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the move that attacks two targets at once.
Practice 4
White to move. Find the move that attacks two targets at once.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. Watch for any knight move that would attack two pieces at once - even if it is not available yet, discuss where a fork could happen later.
Worksheet: Pins
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 5
A pin locks a piece in place because moving it would expose a more valuable piece (often the king) behind it.
Why This Matters
- A pin happens when a bishop, rook, or queen attacks a piece that is standing in front of a more valuable piece.
- An "absolute" pin is against the king - the pinned piece legally cannot move at all.
- Pinned pieces make great targets: pile up more attackers on them since they often cannot run away.
Objectives
- Define what a pin is and why a pinned piece cannot move freely.
- Recognize pins along files, ranks, and diagonals.
- Find moves that create or exploit a pin.
Practice Tasks
- Explain why a pinned piece is often "frozen" even if it looks like it can move.
- In the mini-game position, name a piece that could become pinned.
- Solve the 3 pin puzzles and write down which piece is pinned in each one.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the move that creates the pin.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the move that creates the pin.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the move that creates the pin.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. Look for any bishop or rook move that would pin an enemy piece to its king or queen.
Worksheet: Skewers
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 6
A skewer attacks a valuable piece that must move out of the way, exposing a less valuable piece behind it to be captured.
Why This Matters
- A skewer is like a pin in reverse: the bigger piece is in front and must move, uncovering the smaller piece behind it.
- Skewers are often delivered with a check, since the king must move and cannot ignore it.
- After the forced move, remember to actually capture the piece that was hiding behind - that is the point of the skewer.
Objectives
- Define a skewer and how it differs from a pin.
- Recognize when a check can be used to set up a skewer.
- Find and follow through on skewer moves.
Practice Tasks
- Explain the difference between a pin and a skewer.
- In the mini-game position, is there a piece lined up behind the black king on a file, rank, or diagonal?
- Solve the 3 skewer puzzles and write down the forced reply move for each.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the skewer.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the skewer.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the skewer.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. Look for any check that would force the king to move and expose another piece behind it - that is a skewer.
Worksheet: Discovered Attacks
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 6
A discovered attack happens when moving one piece out of the way reveals an attack from a different piece behind it.
Why This Matters
- Sometimes a piece is quietly blocking one of your own pieces from attacking something powerful.
- Moving the blocking piece away can "discover" a check or attack from the piece behind it.
- The strongest discovered attacks let the moving piece do something useful too, like capture or fork, while the revealed piece checks the king.
Objectives
- Define a discovered attack and a discovered check.
- Notice when a friendly piece is blocking another piece's line of attack.
- Find the move that unmasks a discovered check.
Practice Tasks
- Explain why a discovered check can be more dangerous than a normal check.
- In the mini-game position, name a friendly piece that is blocking another one of your pieces.
- Solve the 3 discovered-attack puzzles and write which piece delivered the hidden check each time.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the discovered attack.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the discovered attack.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the discovered attack.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. Before moving any piece, check whether it is blocking one of your other pieces from attacking something valuable.
Worksheet: King Safety
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 7
Keep your king safe by castling early and moving it out of danger the moment it comes under attack.
Why This Matters
- The center of the board opens up quickly once pieces trade off, so a king left there is often unsafe.
- Castling early is usually the single best way to protect your king and get a rook into play at the same time.
- If your king is ever in check, look for the safest escape square before considering blocking or capturing.
Objectives
- Explain why castling early improves king safety.
- Recognize when a king must move to escape check.
- Choose the safest option when the king is threatened.
Practice Tasks
- Write two reasons castling early is a good habit.
- In the mini-game position, has Black castled yet? What could go wrong if Black waits too long?
- Solve the 3 king-safety practice positions and write what made each king unsafe before the move.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Find the safest king move.
Practice 2
White to move. Find the safest king move.
Practice 3
White to move. Find the safest king move.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. White has already castled - discuss whether Black should castle now too, and why waiting could be risky.
Worksheet: Active Pieces
Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 7
An active piece controls important squares and open lines. Learn to move your pieces to their best, safest squares.
Why This Matters
- A piece is "active" when it controls a lot of important squares - the center, open files, or long diagonals.
- Rooks want open files, knights want central outposts, and bishops want long, unblocked diagonals.
- A safe, active piece is almost always better than a piece that is safe but doing nothing.
Objectives
- Explain what makes a piece "active" versus "passive".
- Recognize open files, central squares, and long diagonals.
- Move pieces to active squares without hanging them.
Practice Tasks
- Name one square a knight controls more squares from than any other square on the board.
- In the mini-game position, which piece looks the least active right now?
- Solve the 3 active-piece practice positions and write which square each piece moved to and why it is strong.
Board Walkthrough
Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.
Practice Positions
Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.
Practice 1
White to move. Improve the activity of your piece.
Practice 2
White to move. Improve the activity of your piece.
Practice 3
White to move. Improve the activity of your piece.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. Before every move, ask: does this move make one of my pieces more active, or less?