Chessology.net

First Check Wins!

A Simple Variant of Chess

I wanted to give some young chess students an activity that was simple, fun, and chess-related. The answer: a game I call First Check Wins!. Using a normal chess set, with the pieces moving as they normally do, whoever gives check first wins. The students had a lot of fun with it, so I decided to tell the world about it.

There is information about this game on the Chess Variant Pages, where it is called Single Check Chess. (Click on the link to see that article.) It was also discussed by former Scientific American magazine columnist Martin Gardner, who mentioned variants such as trying to check with a piece that cannot be captured (now sometimes referred to as “presto chess”).

First Check Wins! is a lot simpler than most chess variants. In fact, it is a quick forced win for White -- but inexperienced players are unlikely to find the forcing lines. For young and/or novice chessplayers, this can be a fun exercise. It also reinforces the player's understanding of the different powers of each chess piece.

Click here to see some opening analysis, including a forced win for White.

If you have questions or comments, please drop me an e-mail:

randomo [at] yahoo.com

(Sorry that isn't a link; I'm trying to avoid spammers.)

Thanks!

--Dave Gertler (FIDE Master)