Test Concepts and Prerequisites

 

Level Prerequisites Test  Concepts
 

Points

Homework / Lectures

Paper

Over the Board

  Pawn

25

  1. Complete Chess Rules for Students
  2. King and Queen vs. King lecture
  3. Complete Checkmate/Stalemate problem set

Recognizing pieces

Set up of board

Checkmate

Stalemate

Endgame:    King & Queen  vs. King

(One minute to complete)

  Knight 75
  1. Knight level Problem Sets: #1 and #2
  2. King and Rook vs. King lecture
  3. Basic opening concepts lecture

Basic checkmates

Opening concepts

Endgame:     King and Rook  vs. King

(One minute to complete)

  Bishop 150
  1. Bain's Chess Tactics for Students Problem Sets 3-7

 

Algebraic Notation

Tactics

Winning Material

Opposition

Endgame:   King and Pawn vs.

King to win and draw

(2 minutes to complete)

Defense against Scholar's Mate -

no loss of material

  Rook 250
  1. Bain's Checkmate Ideas for Students Problem Sets 8-11

Mate in 2

Mate in 3

 Combinations

Endgame:  

King and Queen vs. King and Pawn

on the 7th

  Queen 400
  1. Yasser Seirawan's 

Play Winning Chess

Force, Space, Time

Pawn Structure

Combinations

 

Test positions taken from the book.

Endgame:  

Philidor and Lucena positions

Multiple start positions: different ranks and / or files

 

Annotate and explain 5 of your games.

(See chapter 6 of Seirawan's book)

  King 600
  1. Yasser Seirawan's

Winning Chess Strategies

Advantages, Minor Pieces, Targets, Majorities & Minorities

Test positions taken from the book.

Annotate and explain 5 Grandmaster games.

A selection of games will be available from which to choose.

Click for details on the  Homework

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