ISF 198: Introduction to Chess Fall 2019

Course Logistics Class time: Wednesday 7-9pm, Moffitt 145 Course Facilitators: ● Nathan Fong, [email protected] ● Ashritha Eswaran, [email protected] ● Ben Keltner, [email protected] ● Devanshi Rathi, [email protected] ● Prabh Sodhi, [email protected] Office Hours: Friday 3-6pm, Dwinelle 211 Faculty Sponsor: Amm Quamruzzaman

Course Description Introduction to Chess is a course designed for beginners with little to no experience playing chess. Each two-hour class period is composed of one hour of lecture and instruction, followed by one hour of playing time. Our objective is to lead students to develop experience and a love for the game through instruction and practice.

Course Learning Objectives Through this course, students should demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:

● Rules ○ Basic rules, including set up and movement of pieces ○ Advanced rules, including the use of chess clocks and notation ● Strategy ○ Basic tactics and terminology: forks, pins, skewers, etc. ○ Tactics and calculation ○ Material and positional evaluation ○ Move selection, tempo, and initiative ● Openings ○ Fundamentals and principles: center control, development, king safety ○ Book openings and a small opening repertoire ● Endgames ○ Fundamentals and principles: King activity, bishops vs. knights, etc. ○ Checkmating patterns ● History

○ World championship history ○ Famous games: Opera Game, Evergreen Game, Immortal Game, etc. ● Miscellaneous ○ Variants: Chess960, Bughouse, etc. ○ Resources, tools, and engines: lichess.org, chess.com ○ Chess in the Modern Era: ProChessLeague, FIDE World Cup, Grand Chess Tour

Required Materials There will be no required readings to purchase but there will be various homework posted on bCourses. We will be using many online resources, including a site to play online games and a ​ chess clock application. All games will be played on this site and will be submitted to bCourses. ​ ​

Evaluation Procedures ● 30% Participation/Attendance ● 50% Homework ● 20% Quizzes

Participation/Attendance: Participation includes answers to reading questions at the beginning ​ of each class and playing time during the second half of the class. Reading questions can cover readings from homework material or from the lecture of the previous week. This will be graded out of three points every class: attendance, reading questions, and playing time.

Homework: Students will be expected to play online games every week and submit these games ​ to bCourses. In addition to this weekly assignment, students will be assigned various readings ​ ​ and videos throughout the course of the semester to supplement their learning. Also, students will be expected to attend either two Chess Club at Berkeley meetings or one in-person tournament. All of these details will be posted to bCourses. ​ ​

Quizzes: There will be two in-class quizzes and one take-home quiz. These quizzes are meant to ​ be finished in the allotted class time and can cover any material from the course.

A minimum of 70% is required to pass the course. Extra credit opportunities will be available if necessary.

Course Outline Lecture materials and homework assignments are subject to changes, which will be noted on bCourses. All homework will be posted on bCourses and due on the date mentioned in the ​ ​ ​ course calendar below.

Date Lecture Homework

9/4 Week 1: Introduction Application due at the end of A brief history of chess, an orientation on the class (if necessary) chessboard, pieces, rules, notation, clock, time control, game progression, checkmate. Online orientation, submitting homework

9/11 Week 2: Simple Checkmates Five games King + Queen, King + Two Rooks, King + Rook Reading: How Chess Games Mate in 1 & mate in 2 puzzles Can End World Championship History

9/18 Week 3: Opening Principles Five games Controlling the center WC research Piece development King safety Popular openings World Championship History Game Annotation

9/25 Week 4: Tactical Motifs Three games Quiz: weeks 1-3 (5%) FIDE World Cup Calculation, Candidate moves Forks, Pins, Skewers, Discoveries In-class puzzles

10/2 Week 5: Middle Game Principles Five games Position evaluation & analysis Tactics worksheet Developing a plan Pawn storms and attacks Weak squares

10/9 Week 6: Endgame Principles Five games King Activity Position evaluation Pawn races, square, opposition worksheet K + Q vs. K + P, K + R vs. K + P King + Pawn endgames Puzzles

10/16 Week 7: GM Highlight 1: Immortal Games Five games Opera Game Game annotation Evergreen Game Immortal Game Take home quiz assigned: weeks 4-7 (5%)

10/23 Week 8: Guest Lecture Three games Guest reviews personal game Take home quiz (5%) Lichess study and other tools

10/30 Week 9: GM Highlight 2: Tactics + Calculation Five games Analyzing games and showing how grandmasters Opening Repertoire apply the principles taught in class ● Wei Yi vs. Lazaro Batista

11/6 Week 10: Variants Five games Chess960, Three-Check, King of the Hill, Anti-chess, Daily Puzzles Crazyhouse, Bughouse

11/13 Week 11: GM Highlight 3: Strategy + Position Five games Analyzing games and showing how grandmasters One variant game apply the principles taught in class ● Alekhine vs. Nimzowitsch

11/20 Week 12: Simultaneous Exhibition Five games Simultaneous games with facilitators Chess personality test Extended playing time

11/27 N/A N/A

12/4 Week 13: Three games Cumulative Quiz (10%) Grand Chess Tour Extended playing time