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Malpas Chess Club

Learn • Play • Belong

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12 Week Chess Course Timetable

STARTING SOON at end of OCTOBER!

The 12-week course timetable has been adjusted below to perfectly fit a compact, 1-hour weekly format (6:00pm to 7:00pm on Mondays) at the Malpas Chess Club venue, located inside the Malpas Unionist Club.

Because 60 minutes goes by very quickly, each regular week follows a strict 20-minute lecture + 40-minute application rule. James Lavender’s four masterclass weeks (Weeks 3, 6, 9, and 12) have been optimized to give him maximum interaction time with the developing players.
Week 1

The Battlefield & The Army

  • 0:00–0:20: Setting up the board, algebraic coordinates, and piece movements.
  • 0:20–1:00: Pawn Wars minigame to build comfort with moving and capturing.
Week 2

Rules of Engagement & Special Moves

  • 0:00–0:20: Castling rules, check vs. checkmate, stalemate, and en passant.
  • 0:20–1:00: Guided puzzle solving to visually differentiate checkmate from stalemate.
Week 3

Masterclass 1 – Opening Mastery (James Lavender)

  • 0:00–0:30: The Big Three: Controlling the center, rapid piece development, and securing the King.
  • 0:30–1:00: James dissects a famous, fast opening miniature to show what happens when guidelines are ignored.
Week 4

Basic Tactical Weapons

  • 0:00–0:20: Introduction to patterns: Forks and Pins.
  • 0:20–1:00: Tactical Speed Run: Working through basic interactive sheet puzzles.
Week 5

Advanced Tactical Weapons

  • 0:00–0:20: Introduction to Skewers, Discovered Attacks, and Double Checks.
  • 0:20–1:00: Students pair up to play training games where finding a tactic wins bonus points.
Week 6

Masterclass 2 – Positional Concepts (James Lavender)

  • 0:00–0:30: Moving past simple tactics: Finding open files for Rooks, creating permanent outposts for Knights, and avoiding doubled/isolated pawns.
  • 0:30–1:00: Interactive board breakdown of a highly positional game.
Week 7

Calculation & Visualization

  • 0:00–0:20: The Checklist method: Checking forcing moves (Checks, Captures, Threats) before moving.
  • 0:20–1:00: Two-move blindfold exercises and forced mate-in-2 puzzle blocks.
Week 8

King Safety & Attacking the Castled Position

  • 0:00–0:20: Identifying weaknesses around the enemy king (f7/f2 points, missing defensive pieces).
  • 0:20–1:00: Playing out “preset” unbalanced attacking positions with a partner.
Week 9

Masterclass 3 – Essential Endgames (James Lavender)

  • 0:00–0:30: King & Pawn basics (the “rule of the square” and opposition) and basic Rook checkmates.
  • 0:30–1:00: Defend Against the Master: Students take turns trying to draw or win a simplified endgame position against James.
Week 10

Clock Mechanics & Tournament Rules

  • 0:00–0:15: Touch-move rule, illegal moves, and how to operate a digital chess clock.
  • 0:15–1:00: Rapid training games using standard club clocks to get comfortable under time pressure.
Week 11

The Club Simulation

  • 0:00–1:00: A full Mock Club Night running from 6pm sharp. Students are paired up under tournament conditions to play a serious game. Moves are recorded if they are familiar with notation.
Week 12

Masterclass 4 – The Grand Finale (James Lavender)

  • 0:00–0:15: James highlights key moments and tactical misses he spotted from the Week 11 mock games.
  • 0:15–1:00: Simultaneous Exhibition: James plays multiple boards concurrently across the room to wrap up the course.