Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to apply arithmetic concepts in the context of playing chess.

Materials and Prep

• Chessboard
• Chess pieces
• Paper and pencil

No prior knowledge is required for this lesson.

Activities

1. Activity 1: Chessboard Arithmetic

   Set up a chessboard with pieces in their starting positions. Assign each type of chess piece a numerical value:

   • Pawn = 1
   • Knight = 3
   • Bishop = 3
   • Rook = 5
   • Queen = 9
   • King = 0

   Ask the student to calculate the total value of all the pieces on the board. Encourage them to use addition and multiplication to find the answer.

2. Activity 2: Chessboard Equations

   Randomly select a chess piece on the board and ask the student to come up with an equation that represents its movement. For example, if the selected piece is a bishop, the equation could be "y = x" for diagonal movement.

   Have the student write down equations for different types of chess pieces and explain how the equations relate to their movement on the board.

3. Activity 3: Chessboard Patterns

   Ask the student to identify any patterns they notice on the chessboard. For example, they might notice that the sum of the numbers on the two squares a knight moves to is always odd.

   Encourage the student to explore different patterns and explain their observations.

Eighth Grade Talking Points

• "Chess is not just a game of strategy, but it also involves mathematical thinking."
• "The numerical values assigned to chess pieces help us understand their relative importance in the game."
• "Equations can be used to represent the movement of different chess pieces."
• "Identifying patterns on the chessboard can help us make better strategic decisions."
• "By applying arithmetic concepts to chess, we can enhance our problem-solving skills and analytical thinking."