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Free game guide · TABLE Method™

Chess

Attention, planning, and play across generations · Stage 1 to 2 (BGT suggestion)

Buy the guide, $7 See the TABLE plan

Chess TABLE Method™ Game Guide cover

What the game is

A two-player strategy game on an 8 by 8 board. Each player has sixteen pieces that move in different ways. The goal is to checkmate the other king.

Why it works at a table

Chess asks for sustained attention: holding the board, reading where pieces are going, and seeing the other player's intent. It is also one of the few games that travels across generations and languages. The book opens with a father and son at a chess board, and returns to chess for older adults and accessible play.

Try one variation

One take-back each (BGT house rule, not an official rule). Each player may retract one of their own moves during the game, as long as the opponent has not yet replied. The player then makes a different legal move. Unused take-backs expire when the game ends.

  • Targets: Handling mistakes
  • Suits: Learners, mixed ages, players anxious about blunders
  • Watch for: Arguing over when to use it. It is the mover's choice.
  • Debrief prompt: “What was it like to have a second chance?”

The TABLE Method™, applied

A short excerpt from the full guide's TABLE plan. Anyone can pass, pause, or stop at any time.

  1. Target

    Notice attention, patience, and the relationship between the players, especially across ages or skill levels.

  2. Assess

    Check the player count, the time, and whether the game serves today's goal.

    • Does either player carry a history of performance pressure with chess? The book suggests Azul as an alternative in that case.

  3. Build

    • Agree on touch-move or no touch-move before starting.
    • Agree on take-backs and time (no clock is fine).

  4. Lead

    • If you are playing, play honestly and kindly; narrate lightly if your partner wants it.
    • If observing a pair, stay quiet during the game. Pause only at agreed checkpoints or once an exchange is complete, never mid-calculation.

  5. Extract and Extend

    Debrief in order: Board, Self, Us, Life or Work, Extension. Ask what participants make of the game. Do not tell them.

Game not included; play by the rulebook in your box. In the BGT book: Chapter 1 (The Last Move), Chapter 3 (in passing), and Chapter 9 (Games Across the Lifespan), including accessibility notes on tactile sets. Chess is a traditional game. This page is not affiliated with FIDE or any chess organization. Board Game Therapy is not inherently psychotherapy. Copyright 2026 Solid State Strategies, LLC.

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