Last updated February 27, 2008.
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Grading Criteria

Grade Four
Grade Five
Grade Six

Grade Four: Green

  1. Tournament Chess
    • Fifty move rule
    • Threefold repetition of position
    • Perpetual Check
    • Complete an accurate scoresheet in a tournament
    • Use and operation of chess clocks
  2. Opening Theory
    • Giuco Piano
    • Two Knights Defence
  3. Tactics
    • Discovered Attack
    • Discovered Check
    • Double Check
    • Zwischenzug (irupt/intermezzo)
  4. Mating patterns and attacks
    • Legal’s Legacy
    • Arabian Mate
    • Checkmate sequences
  5. Ending Principles
    • King and 2 Pawns vs King and Pawn
    • King and 3 Pawns vs King and 1 or 2 Pawn(s)
    • King, Minor Piece and Pawn(s) vs King and Pawns
    • King and 2 Bishops vs King

Grade Five: Blue

  1. Tournament Chess and Administration
    • Time controls
    • Pairing systems
    • Disputes and other rules
    • Annotation
    • Teach and grade a player for Grade One
    • Be Assistant Arbiter in a tournament
  2. Opening Principles
    • Four Knights
    • Scotch Opening
    • French Defence
  3. Tactics
    • Windmill
    • Deflection
    • Decoy
    • Overload
  4. Positional Chess
    • Pawn structure
      • Isolated Pawns
      • Backward Pawns
      • Doubled Pawns
  5. Mating Patterns and Attacks
    • Greco’s mate
    • Damiano’s mate
    • Queen and Pawn/Bishop on f6/f3
  6. Ending Principles
    • Rook and Pawn endings
    • Lucena's Win and Philidor’s Draw
    • King, Minor piece and Pawn vs King and Pawn
    • King and 3 Pawns vs King and Minor Piece
    • King and Queen vs King and Minor Piece

Grade Six: Purple

  1. Tournament Chess and Administration
    • Be Senior Arbiter for a tournament
    • Teach and grade a player for Grade Two
  2. Opening Principles and Knowledge
    • Ruy Lopez
    • Queen’s Gambit
    • Refutation of Damiano’s Defence
    • Fork trick
  3. Tactics
    • Temporary (pseudo-)sacrifices)
    • Clearance sacrifice
    • Elastic Band
  4. Positional Chess
    • Hanging Pawns
    • Phalanx (Pawn-duo)
    • Taking advantage of Pawn weaknesses
    • Pawn chains
  5. Mating Patterns and Attacks
    • Pillsbury’s mate
    • Anastasia’s mate
    • Morphy’s mate
  6. Ending Principles
    • Outside passed Pawns
    • Kingside vs Queenside majorities
    • Active King
    • Rook placement in Rook and Pawn endings
  7. Administration