The Living Chess Game This page intentionally left blank THE LIVING CHESS GAME Fine Arts Activities for Kids 9–14 Alexey W. Root C opyright 2011 by Alexey W. Root A ll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, or reproducibles, which may be copied for classroom and educational programs only, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. L ibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Root, Alexey W. The living chess game : fi ne arts activities for kids 9–14 / Alexey W. Root. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-59884-380-4 (alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-59884-381-1 (ebook) 1. Living chess. I. Title. GV1318.R66 2011 794.1'7— dc22 2010041571 I SBN: 978-1-59884-380-4 E ISBN: 978-1-59884-381-1 1 5 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 T his book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. V isit www.abc-clio.com for details. L ibraries Unlimited A n Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC A BC-CLIO, LLC 1 30 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 S anta Barbara, California 93116-1911 T his book is printed on acid-free paper M anufactured in the United States of America F or librarians Jody Braswell (Ector County Independent School District) and WyLaina Hildreth (Denton Public Library) This page intentionally left blank C ONTENTS ♞ Chapter 1 Fine Arts and Chess 1 A ctivities Fit Available Time 1 F ine Arts Standards 2 O verview of Chapters 4 K id-Tested Activities 5 C hess Equipment and Knowledge 7 ♞ C hapter 2 Music 11 A ctivity One: The Music of the Knight 11 A ctivity Two: From Moves to Grooves 14 A ctivity Three: Chess in Concert 18 ♞ Chapter 3 Dance and Visual Arts 23 A ctivity Four: Chess Boxing 23 A ctivity Five: Brains and Brawn 26 A ctivity Six: The Art of Chess 28 A ctivity Seven: All the World’s a Chessboard 30 viii Contents ♞ Chapter 4 Theater 33 A ctivity Eight: Immortal and Evergreen 33 A ctivity Nine: No Small Parts 37 A ctivity Ten: Tech and Check 41 A ctivity Eleven: The Living Chess Game 44 A ctivity Twelve: Talent Show 46 ♞ C hapter 5 Chess Basics 51 R ules of Chess 51 W in, Lose, or Draw 55 R eading and Writing Chess 55 I nternet Sites for Practicing Chess 58 A ppendix A Answer Key 61 A ppendix B References 73 A ppendix C Chess Scripts 79 G lossary 89 I ndex 99 C hapter 1 F INE ARTS AND CHESS A ctivities Fit Available Time T he Living Chess Game: Fine Arts Activities for Kids 9–14 p rovides li- brarians, core subject teachers, fine arts directors, chess coaches, parents, volunteers, and after-school instructors with 11 activities that culminate in a living chess game performance. Living chess games, where humans act as the c hessmen, are staged at libraries, schools, festivals, parks, and Renaissance Fairs. T he Living Chess Game prepares readers to join this 1,300-year-old tradition. Chess terms are in boldface when first used and are defined in the glossary. W ithin the 11 activities, children compose music, choreograph move- ments, research chess, design scenery, write a script, and act. If you have more than 12 hours of instructional time and work with children ages 9–14, teach each activity in the order presented. If you work with younger chil- dren, or if you have limited instructional time, shorten or skip some of the activities. For example, you might create the music, choreography, set, and script. Or if you are not comfortable teaching music, skip chapter 2 and have a nonmusical living chess game. Children can still be the living chess game’s actors. If you teach children infrequently or if children attend irregularly, then organize a talent show (see A ctivity Twelve) instead of a living chess game. W hether taught as written or modified, T he Living Chess Game: Fine Arts Activities for Kids 9–14 b rings music, dance, visual arts, theater, and chess to children. Fine arts training, guest artists, musical instruments,