CHESS FOR METTLE

This chess development instruction was developed to advance the following:

 Mental fortitude
 Cognitive development
 Teamwork
 Coordination values of participation
 Cooperation
 Importance of research
 Appreciation of English: tenses; a chess game is analysed and taught in the
present tense even if the game was played more than a hundred years ago
 Scientific approach to chess for an academic appreciation of the game so that
the positive aspects of the game are instilled and emphasized in the student
Zossima is a company registered in terms of Zimbabwean laws. The core business of
the organization is knowledge management and knowledge management systems
development
Chess is a big factor in the company as the blueprint for Zossima the company was
developed by the founder from the Zimmate Chess Project White Paper based on an
effective system of knowledge management and mentorship.
The company seeks to preserve knowledge developed and acquired in Zimbabwe for
the betterment of the nation by ensuring that it is preserved and shared so that it can
be systematically and strategically improved and developed across all age groups.
There are different facets of knowledge and information which include, academic
knowledge, indigenous knowledge systems, oral tradition, art and culture etc
A mentorship model has been created by Zossima to pass on knowledge to ensure
that it is used and continues to be developed and improved.
It is not a coincidence that the game of chess has the largest concentration of
academics and also that there are more books written on chess than on all the other
sports combined.
There is no doubt that chess can be utilized as an essential tool for mentorship and
inculcating a culture of study and developing positive reading habits.
The chess training method developed by Zossima (Pvt) Ltd. since 2008 has created
champions at all levels and continues to churn champions in Zimbabwe and is ready
to be rolled out throughout Zimbabwe and to create chess players that are competitive
locally regionally and internationally.
The Zossima method of chess instruction consists of the following steps which have
consistently and repeatedly assured growth and development of highly competitive
and academically inclined chess players:
The stages here are from a complete beginner to expert level which according to the
international chess federation is 2200 elo level and can be achieved within a period of
four years with consistency.
The training model is completely original and totally comprehensive and was
developed through experimentation and trial and error over a period of 12 years
culminating in a tried and tested training methods that has created scholars chess
champions year after year, and continues to be improved and polished.
The first stage of the program was to develop a manual which was distributed to
Zimbabwean schools to introduce the system of an academic approach to chess; this
was between 2008 and 2010.
All games by learners were required to be recorded and students were required to
record their games to the end and after each game the student was supposed to go
over the game together with the opponent to ensure that they both had the correct
record of the game.
This allowed Zimmate Chess Project to create a database of games that can be used
for chess instruction and examples that are useful for teachers, coaches and trainers.
This interaction with learners and teachers allowed Zimmate to develop a chess
instruction manual that can be adapted for use in schools.
The Zossima method is designed to propagate a scientific and academic approach to
the game of chess.
Stage 1: Introduction of a beginner to the game
i. The learner is shown the board and the basic rules which are that the white
square is always on the right and is made aware of the touch is a move rule.
ii. Pieces are immediately introduced and all of them are placed on their
starting squares and the student is shown how all the pieces move and the
captures, checks and checkmate and pawn promotion.
iii. To be familiar with the rules of the game and the moves, the learners are
taught how to finish the game, the first checkmating patterns that they are
taught is the checkmate with two rooks, queen and rook, king and queen,
then king and rook.
a. The scholars mate is also introduced at this stage, to equip the learner
with sufficient knowledge to start and finish a game.
With this knowledge the child can start and finish a game of chess
iv. With this knowledge a child should play at least 10 games, playing at least
two games each session and demonstrating knowledge of the checkmates
stated at iii. above
a. This ensures that the learner thoroughly familiarizes with the basics.
The child or teacher must be able to prove that the learner has played the requisite
number of games, either through a book where the child has signed after each day of
training or through videos and photographs or through recordings of games made by
the teacher or trainer.
Recording learner’s games helps the trainer to keep a record that can help to identify
the strengths and weaknesses of learners and to also help the trainer create a
database of games of games that can be used for further training and tracing the
learner’s stages of development.
Stage 2: Basic checkmates, piece values, all the draw rules and recording
(chess notation)
NB. It is crucial to ensure that from now onwards every game that the learner plays is
recorded be it a friendly or official game. The purpose is to discourage thoughtless
play just for stimulation which is what we have discovered leads to unhealthy chess
playing habits which are retrogressive to cognitive and academic development.
Recording each move encourages thoughtfulness and deliberate consideration of
each move before playing.
i. The learner is taught the rest of the checkmates and the drawing rules;
these are the checkmate with the two bishops, checkmate with bishop and
knight, the queen and knight combination, the smothered mate, the knight
and bishop combination, the knight and rook combination for checkmate.
ii. The values of each piece and the en passant rule is introduced at this stage
iii. 20 more games have to be played and completed, at every session students
have to demonstrate knowledge of all the checkmates in i.
iv. After the 20 games the students are taught the chess notation and all games
from now on have to be recorded.
v. They start with 10 games with all the major pieces removed from the board
and there remaining only the pawns on their starting squares. Here the first
one to promote a pawn to a queen wins the game.
(Remember all these 10 games must be recorded and both opponents must
confirm with each other that the moves that they have recorded are correct.)
vi. The following 10 games are played with one side having only pawns and
the other having only one major piece: 1st one queen on its starting square
versus 8 pawns on their starting squares, then the rook versus 8 pawns,
then the Knight, then the Bishop then the King. Each player has to play at
least two games with these piece variations.
a. This reinforces familiarity with the whole board and the students develop
original strategies of how to utilize the bigger pieces and also how to
coordinate pawns.
Stage 3: Basic Endgames
i. Basic endgames include the king and pawn versus King, the opposition, the
rule of the square, how to break through in pawn endgames, why opposite
colour bishops usually draw, wrong bishop with h pawn, the f pawn rules.
a. 10 positions must be provided with puzzles from which learners continue
to play from to demonstrate that they have grasped the concepts from i.
ii. Rook endgames (like the Lucena position) and the basics of handling rooks
are introduced at this stage,
a. 15 positions with rook endgames where players continue to play from to
demonstrate that they have grasped the principles. The players must
switch and ensure that everyone plays from both sides of the board.
 iii. Rules of how to conduct Queen endgames, Queen versus King and pawn
with pawn at different positions on the board.
a. 15 positions and puzzles to play on from Queen endgame positions
Stage 4: Castling, Basic Tactics, and common opening traps
i. Introducing the castling maneuver, rules and purpose of castling.
ii. Pawn forks, bishop forks, knight forks, rook forks, queen forks, king forks
and counter fork.
a. At least 20 puzzles with these positions must be solved by learners
iii. The pin, absolute pin and relative pin and how to get out of pin
a. At least 10 puzzles with pins
iv. Discovered check and the pendulum
a. At least 15 puzzles
v. Double check and trapping pieces
a. At least 20 puzzles
vi. Back rank checkmate
a. At least 20 puzzles
vii. Skewer
a. At least 10 puzzles
viii. Opening traps
a. Common opening traps from various openings
i. 20 opening trap puzzles
ix. Presenting 10 games by Morphy to the students which the students must
learn by heart and must play through at least one at the beginning and at
the end of each session.
While learning these tactics the learner must proceed to play 15 recorded games
After these tactics the student must play another 5 recorded games
Stage 5: Adoption of opening repertoire, opening principles and art of defence
i. Opening principles
a. Why King or Queen’s pawn first
b. Developing the kingside first
c. Knights before bishops
d. Castling as soon as possible
e. Develop with an attack
f. Don’t move the same piece twice
g. Knight must not be placed on the edge of the board
h. Don’t move pawns where you have castled
i. Don’t attack before all your pawns have been developed
Present and study 10 more games by Paul Morphy.
ii. Learners, as white, to play only e4 and against e5 to play the Scotch gambit
a. Learners to familiarize themselves with the different variations in the
Scotch Gambit
 b. Every session each player to play at least one game using the Scotch
Gambit
iii. Presentation of the art of defence
a. Responding when a piece is attacked or when placed in check (20
puzzles)
b. Defending against a checkmate threat (at least 20 puzzles)
c. How to draw by stalemate or perpertual check(at least 20 puzzles)
d. How to catch a pawn about to promote(at least 20 puzzles)
e. How to avoid losing material(at least 20 puzzles)
iv. For the next 60 recorded games, be it tournaments or friendlies, learners to
play only 1. e4 as white and 1. … e5 as black
v. Practice using the Encyclopedia of Chess Combinations
vi. From now on a learner must annotate a game and record their thoughts and
how they came to their decisions during a game.
Stage 6: The Middle Game and Endgame
i. Comparing minor pieces (5 positions to be analysed)
ii. Pawn structures and pawn weaknesses (15 positions to be analysed)
iii. Doubled pawns and open and half open lines(10 puzzles)
iv. When to exchange and piece imbalances (20 positions)
v. How to analyse a position and how to avoid making mistakes
a. First look for checks then captures, then threats and if there are
none how to improve the position and finding the best move that
annoys your opponent the most. (20 puzzles)
vi. Combinative play (20 positions for analysis)
vii. How to win a won game (20 positions)
viii. The seventh rank (20 puzzles)
ix. Endgame principles (10 positions)
a. King activation (20 positions)
b. Centralization (20 positions)
c. Pawn Promotion (20 positions)
x. To go through the book, My Best Games by Mikhail Tal, one of the
best well annotated books to expose the learners to combinative play
and proper art of annotating games.
Stage 7: Opening repertoire, endgame and choosing a role model, enhancing
pattern recognition
i. As white 100 more games with the Scotch Gambit and Morra Gambit
against the Sicilian.
ii. As black 100 more games playing the dragon against e4 and the king’s
Indian against d4
iii. How to choose a role model according to style of play (profile and
understudy of 8 former world chess champions).
iv. Study of thematic classical games.
v. At this stage composed studies are introduced to the learners to deepen
their chess knowledge and analytical skills
 vi. Opening pattern recognition is enhanced by single game team rotations
whereby players form teams rotating and continuing the same game after
another player: one player plays the first 5 then another plays the next 5
moves and both sets of teams play from both sides and rotate until the game
is over.
Stage 8: Opening repertoire; moving forward
i. As white learners move on to adopt the aggressive d4 openings: Barry
Attack and 150 Attack and Colle Systems from the book Killer Chess
Opening Repertoire for the next 75 games after which the next 100 games
the player adopts the Reti Opening as white.
ii. As black learners move on to adopt the Accelerated Dragon defence against
e4 as black and the Nimzo Indian Defence against d4.
iii. At all phases analysis of positions, solving of tactics, annotation of own
games and single game team rotations and studies is continued.
Stage 9: The Catalan and the modified French Defence
i. The final stage of the training is the adoption of the Catalan Opening for
white and the modified French Defence as black.
a. These openings to be played exclusively as the go to defences for chess
players under the program until the players reach expert level.
All chess players are encouraged depending on their physical state to have a physical
activity that they engage in regularly; it may be athletics or a physical sport.
This completes the stage to expert chess level and this method has been proven to
work all the time and a student who applies him or herself consistently is guaranteed
to reach this level within 5 years.
Taking the program across all the provinces
Ten students from age groups 5-7, 8-10, 11-12, 13-15, 16-18 and four teachers from
each province are selected and trained.
Two schools in each province are selected as chess centres to receive chess training
materials and 25 chess books for their chess libraries where the materials can be
reproduced for the benefit of students under the program.
Training tournaments are arranged for the students at least every two months.
The students have to attend at least two regional and one international tournament
every year
A profile of every child is kept and psychological tests are done every 6 months to
track the child’s emotional and cognitive development.
The first cycle will run for 10 years by which time the participants will be fully fledged
chess professionals able to mentor and guide the trainees behind them.