Are these skewer worksheets really free?

Yes. Download the PDF, print it, copy it and hand it out. There is no sign-up and no watermark. The positions come from real games, graded by difficulty.

Which sheet should I give a beginner?

Start with the Easy sheet, which is drawn from puzzles rated 610 to 1297. Most players new to skewers solve eight or nine of the twelve.

Do the worksheets include answers?

Every sheet is three pages: two pages of twelve positions and a full answer key with the solution in algebraic notation and a one-line explanation of why it works.

Chess skewer puzzles: free printable worksheets

Three PDF worksheets, twelve positions each, with a full answer key. Print them, copy them, hand them out. No sign-up, no watermark, nothing to buy.

You are looking at the page that describes the worksheets, not the worksheets themselves. The three printable PDFs are at reflexchess.com/worksheets/skewer

PDFChess Skewers · Easy12 positions · Rating 610–1297 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →PDFChess Skewers · Intermediate12 positions · Rating 1329–1832 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →PDFChess Skewers · Advanced12 positions · Rating 1866–2268 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →

What is on each sheet

Two pages of twelve numbered diagrams with a box under each one to write the move in, and a third page with the answer key. Each answer gives the line in algebraic notation and one sentence saying why it works, which is enough for a parent or a volunteer coach to mark a sheet without knowing the motif themselves. There is a name, date and score line at the top, because these are built to be handed out and handed back.

The three sheets are the same motif at three difficulty bands, so a coach running a mixed group can give the strongest board the Advanced sheet and the newest player the Easy one and have everybody working on the same idea.

What to look for

A pin backwards: the valuable piece is in front and has to move, and what was hiding behind it falls.

Three positions from the Easy sheet

Black to move

White to move

Every position is taken from a real game, rated by how often club players actually solve it. The full set behind these sheets is 120 positions rated 610 to 2302.

How clubs use them

Warm-up. Ten minutes at the start of a session, boards away, sheets face down until you say go.
Homework. One sheet a week between meetings. The answer key page can be kept back and handed out afterwards.
Grouping. Give the three bands to three tables and compare answers at the end. Everyone has been looking at the same pattern.
Away from screens. Some clubs cannot put children on devices at all. This is the same training on paper.

Want the same positions on a board that moves?

These sheets are cut from the skewers skill in the free Reflex Chess trainer, which has 120 positions in five levels and tells you straight away whether you were right, which is the one thing paper cannot do.

Train skewers in the app · Read the skewer guide · All worksheets