Online Scouts BSA Chess Merit Badge

1. Discuss with your merit badge counselor the history of chess.
   • Explain why it is considered a game of planning and strategy.
   •  
2. Discuss with your counselor the following:
   • The benefits of chess, including:
     • Developing critical thinking skills
     • Improving concentration
     • Enhancing decision-making skills
     •  
   • Sportsmanship and chess etiquette.
   •  
3. Demonstrate to your counselor that you know the following:
   • The name of each chess piece
   • How to set up a chess board
   • How each piece moves, including castling and en passant
   •  
4. Do the following:
   • Demonstrate scorekeeping using algebraic chess notation
   • Discuss the differences between:
     • The opening
     • Middle game
     • Endgame
     •  
   • Explain four opening principles
   • Explain the rules for castling
   • Demonstrate:
     • “Scholar’s mate”
     • “Fool’s mate”
     •  
   • Demonstrate four ways a chess game can end in a draw
   •  
5. Do the following:
   • Explain four elements of chess strategy, such as:
     • Exploiting weaknesses
     • Force
     • King safety
     • Pawn structure
     • Space, tempo, or time
     •  
   • Explain any five chess tactics, including:
     • Clearance sacrifice
     • Decoy
     • Discovered attack
     • Double attack
     • Fork, interposing, or overloading
     • Overprotecting
     • Pin, remove the defender, skewer, or zwischenzug
     •  
   • Set up a chessboard with the white king on e1, white rooks on a1 and h1, and black king on e5. Demonstrate how to force checkmate with White to move first.
   • Set up and solve five direct-mate problems provided by your merit badge counselor.
   •  
6. Do ONE of the following:
   • Play at least three games of chess with other Scouts and/or your merit badge counselor. Replay the games from your score sheets and discuss how you might have played differently.
   • Play in a scholastic chess tournament and use your score sheets to replay your games with your merit badge counselor. Discuss how you might have played each game differently.
   • Organize and run a chess tournament with at least four players, plus you. Have each competitor play at least two games.

For any inquiries, please contact the Scholastics Department at: 

[email protected]