Everyone will be scared to play me because of how amazing I am!” You move your piece to this incredible spot, you’re rubbing your hands with excitement, ready to collect your Wizard points and tell the whole class that you’re ready for the next challenger… and then your opponent captures your Queen. “How could they do that! Didn’t they know I was about to win?” Well, if they were using their brains – it’s really our strongest tool, by the way – yes, they did see that, and that’s why they captured you!
Scenarios like this, whether you’re just learning chess or seasoned player, can be a big facepalm. Fortunately there’s a game you can play that is both fun and helps your brain to see these nasty Dangerous Squares of Embarrassing Danger. Take Me Chess will train you to look for these danger zones where your pieces can be captured.
The Rules
The object is very simple: the first person to LOSE all their pieces wins. All the pieces move normally. Players move their pieces INTO danger, saying “Take Me!” before they let go of their piece. If a player has said “Take Me,” following these rules, their opponent must capture one of their pieces… however if there is more than one capturing option, they can choose which piece to capture, which piece to capture it with. Capturing a piece uses up a turn just like normal, but the capturing player should look for captures that will put their own pieces in danger, saying “Take Me!” before letting go, to avoid their opponent controlling the tempo of play.
The King is a normal piece in this game, losing means nothing extraordinary to the object of the game. The game can end in a draw, if for instance a player has no legal moves when it is their turn, so it is a great intro to the concept of Stalemate.
Off the chess board, being able to look at a situation and figure out the potential dangers and problems is a very important skill to practice. You can’t always avoid every danger or problem – why would you want to, anyway? – but knowing what can go wrong means you can make a plan to deal with it. In chess, it’s always the move you didn’t see that gets you, and IRL it isn’t much different. Brainstorm with your kids, friends, or students on some of the ways you can apply this concept to our own lives.
Key Points
- Must use “Touch Move” rules when saying “Take Me!” – if the player lets go of their piece before saying the words, the other player doesn’t have to do it!
- Lose all your pieces to win the game – games can end in Stalemates
- One of the only games where a King can be captured!