Monthly
$13.99a month
Try a month, cancel any time
- A new notebook every month
- The first one right after payment
- Cancel online, from any of our emails
Chess puzzles for kids.
On paper.
Paper keeps children focused: no notifications, no videos one tap away, just a pencil and the position in front of them. Sixty chess puzzles a month, graded to their level, in a PDF you print at home.
Pick your child's level
For a child who plays whole games but still leaves pieces hanging (roughly 600–1000 Elo). If you are not sure, start here.
For a child who plays at a club or online and already spots a fork when looking for one (roughly 1000–1400 Elo).
For a child who plays tournaments and wants harder combinations (roughly 1400–1800 Elo).
For parents
A quiet half hour, away from the screen.
We won't promise a rating. What the notebook gives your child is the repeated practice that pattern recognition is made of: ten forks in a row, then ten pins, until the shapes start turning up in their own games.
No screen, no streak
Once it is printed, there is nothing to log into, no notifications, nothing to keep alive: just the pages, a pencil and a position.
They commit to a move
Ruled lines beside every diagram. Your child writes a move down before looking at the answer, which is where the thinking happens.
You don't need to play
Every answer is explained at the back of the notebook, so you can check a solution without knowing the game.
One idea at a time
Ten positions on the same idea in a row, so the pattern is still fresh when they reach the tenth.
Graded, and explained
Every position is rated, the chapters go from plain to tricky, and every solution says why the move works.
Print what you need
Print the whole notebook, or one chapter at a time for a quiet half hour.
Notebook No. 1 · Beginner
First Patterns
The shapes that decide most games at this level, one per chapter. Ten positions each, from easy to hard, and every solution explained at the back.
Sixty positions · 598–1006 Elo
01
Mate in one
Seeing the finishing square
608–1006 Elo
02
Hanging pieces
Take what is left undefended
600–1001 Elo
03
Forks
One piece, two targets
601–993 Elo
04
Pins
The piece that cannot move
692–1002 Elo
05
Skewers
A pin turned inside out
608–994 Elo
06
Discovered attacks
The move behind the move
598–1002 Elo
Notebook No. 1 · Intermediate
Tactical Patterns
The same shapes, harder: the tactic hides behind a defence you have to see first, and the second move matters as much as the first.
Sixty positions · 995–1406 Elo
01
Mate in one
Seeing the finishing square
1008–1394 Elo
02
Hanging pieces
Take what is left undefended
1000–1397 Elo
03
Forks
One piece, two targets
995–1396 Elo
04
Pins
The piece that cannot move
1004–1406 Elo
05
Skewers
A pin turned inside out
1007–1404 Elo
06
Discovered attacks
The move behind the move
1008–1399 Elo
Notebook No. 1 · Advanced
Combinations
The same shapes at full strength: quiet first moves, defences that almost hold, and combinations strong players miss too.
Sixty positions · 1391–1806 Elo
01
Mate in one
Seeing the finishing square
1405–1800 Elo
02
Hanging pieces
Take what is left undefended
1391–1806 Elo
03
Forks
One piece, two targets
1400–1802 Elo
04
Pins
The piece that cannot move
1399–1792 Elo
05
Skewers
A pin turned inside out
1409–1793 Elo
06
Discovered attacks
The move behind the move
1409–1802 Elo
Each month’s notebook takes six chapters from ten themes: the six above, plus back-rank mates, mate in two, promotion and deflection.
Plans
A new notebook every month.
Every notebook is a PDF of sixty positions at your child's level, emailed to you. Subscribe month by month, with no commitment, or pay once for six or twelve months.
6 months
$69one payment
$11.50 per notebook · save 17%
- Six notebooks, 360 positions
- One a month, by email
- No renewal, nothing to cancel
12 months
$119one payment
$9.92 per notebook · save 29%
- Twelve notebooks, 720 positions
- One a month, by email
- No renewal, nothing to cancel
Prices in US dollars · at checkout you confirm the level · change level any time, just reply to one of our emails.
Not sure yet? Try four puzzles free.
Questions
What parents ask us.
Which level should I choose?
The one that matches your child's chess more than their age. If they know how the pieces move and play whole games, start with Beginner; if they play online, their rating there is a good guide. And if the first notebook turns out too easy or too hard, just reply to one of our emails: the next one will be at the right level.
Do I need to know chess to help?
Not at all. Every answer is explained at the back of the notebook: you can check a solution at a glance and talk it over together, without playing yourself.
How does my child write the answers?
On the ruled lines beside each diagram, in chess notation, with the letters and numbers printed around every board. The second page of every notebook explains the notation. Writing the moves down is already learning to calculate.
Do I need a printer?
It is made for paper: you solve with a pencil and write your line beside each diagram, the way you calculate in a game. The pages are A4 and print on US Letter with “Fit to page”; print the whole notebook or one chapter at a time. No printer? A print shop or a library can print it for you.
When will I get my first notebook?
Right away: it arrives by email the moment you pay, usually within a few minutes, and the next ones follow every month. Anything wrong? Write to us at hello@knightsnotebook.com: we will send it again.
Can I give it as a gift?
Yes, and it is a gift that lasts: take six or twelve months with your own email address, then print each notebook for your child or forward them the email. These plans are paid once and never renew: there is nothing to cancel.
How do I cancel?
In a few clicks: every email has a link to your subscription page, where you cancel whenever you like, and the notebooks you already have are yours to keep. The six- and twelve-month plans are paid once and never renew: there is nothing to cancel.
Is payment secure?
Yes. You pay by card or Apple Pay through Stripe, one of the most widely used payment platforms in the world, and other options may be offered depending on your country. We never see your card details.