I wrote in an earlier post recommending the European Chess Union’s First Rank newsletter.
The latest issue appeared yesterday. I’m very pleased to see that they recommend the pawn game (8 pawns v 8 pawns, first to the end wins) as the very first minigame for beginners.
If you want to go straight to the video you can do so here.
Jesper’s rules are slightly different to mine: He plays that if one player can’t move, the player with more pawns wins, while I play that the player who can’t move loses (the opponent can keep moving until reaching the end of the board). In reality it usually amounts to the same thing, but I prefer my method for the single and double pawn games.
I usually call the game ‘Capture the Flag’: many children will be familiar with this concept through PE lessons.
It’s reassuring to know that I’m in good company in promoting this game. Now to find some schools interested in promoting good practice in teaching beginners!
Minichess UK 