Our Grade 1 Chess Worksheets are designed to enhance critical thinking in young minds. These engaging activities introduce first graders to the fundamentals of chess while developing problem-solving skills and strategic thinking. Each worksheet challenges students to think ahead, plan moves, and anticipate their opponent’s strategy. Perfect for classroom use or at-home practice, these worksheets provide a fun, interactive way to strengthen cognitive abilities. Help your child or student grow their critical thinking skills and build a strong foundation for success, both in chess and beyond, with our thoughtfully crafted chess worksheets for first graders.


Check out this FREE Grade 1 Trial Lesson on Chess!

Checkmating Patterns: King and Queen Mate

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With answer key
Interactive
  • Grade 1
  • Critical thinking enhancement
  • Chess
King and Queen Mate Strategy: Part 2 Worksheet
King and Queen Mate Strategy: Part 2 Worksheet

King and Queen Mate Strategy: Part 2 Worksheet

This worksheet helps your child learn to checkmate the opposing king with their king and queen. Descriptive sample boards show the strategy, and more boards help determine which one demonstrates how the king assists the queen.
King and Queen Mate Strategy: Part 2 Worksheet
Worksheet
Attacking Power of Chess Pieces Worksheet
Attacking Power of Chess Pieces Worksheet

Attacking Power of Chess Pieces Worksheet

. This worksheet introduces your child to chess pieces and how they move. Ask them to look at the table, noting the squares each piece can control. Then, have them circle the most powerful piece among each power pictured at the bottom. With this insight, your child will gain an understanding of a chess piece's power and how many squares it can attack.
Attacking Power of Chess Pieces Worksheet
Worksheet
One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 3 Worksheet
One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 3 Worksheet

One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 3 Worksheet

Boost your child's critical thinking and strategy skills with this fun puzzle activity. They'll use their logical thinking to plot ways to checkmate the black king, and then check their answer with the given choices. A great way to improve their skills and have a blast doing it!
One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 3 Worksheet
Worksheet
One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 4 Worksheet
One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 4 Worksheet

One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 4 Worksheet

Want to challenge your logistician? This engaging PDF worksheet tests their critical thinking, strategy and visual-spatial skills. They must plot to overtake and checkmate the king and use the answer choices to check if they've strategized correctly. It's a fun way to build problem-solving skills needed for higher-level math.
One Move Checkmates: Puzzle 4 Worksheet
Worksheet


Critical thinking is a vital skill that lays the foundation for future success in learning and life. Introducing critical thinking enhancement through Grade 1 chess instruction offers a unique and effective way to develop this skill from an early age. Chess inherently promotes critical thinking by requiring young children to plan, analyze, and anticipate the consequences of their moves. As players decide which moves to make, they must engage in problem-solving and strategic thinking, fostering their ability to assess situations logically and make informed decisions.

For parents and teachers, supporting chess education aligns with broader educational goals. First graders learning chess begin to practice patience, concentration, and discipline—all traits that are essential for academic achievement. Additionally, playing chess helps children improve their memory and pattern recognition skills, which are crucial for learning mathematics and reading comprehension.

Moreover, chess encourages a growth mindset, teaching children that perseverance and practicing various strategies can lead to success even if they initially struggle. When children encounter challenges across subjects in future grades, the resilience and problem-solving attitudes nurtured through chess will serve them well. Thus, by integrating chess into early education, parents and teachers can significantly enhance a child's critical thinking abilities, contributing to their overall cognitive development and academic performance.