Step 3: Extra | Plus | Mix | Thinking Ahead

The step-by-step method is developed by Rob Brunia and Cor van Wijgerden to teach children how to play chess. It is the most popular series worldwide and has proven itself very successful over the years.

This third step in the series consists of a manual for the trainer and workbooks for the student: step 3, step 3 extra, step 3 plus and step 3 mix.

Manual for chess trainers
The manual is a great aid - even for experienced trainers. It includes ready-made lessons, hints on how to use the workbooks, how to give assistance, and much more.

Workbook for students
The workbook covers the following topics:

• Discovered and double check
• Attack on a pinned piece
• Access and mating patterns
• Pawn ending: the square of the pawn
• Eliminating of the defence
• Defending against the double attack
• Draw
• X-ray
• Defending against the pin
• Mobility
• Key squares
• A pinned piece is not a good defender

Step 3 extra
This additional workbook includes exercises that focus on the topics covered in step 3. The last 26 pages contain tests from real game scenarios. 

Step 3 plus
The plus workbook features additional lessons on topics that were only briefly discussed in the ordinary book due to a lack of space. 

Additional topics include:

• under promotion
• the intermediate (in-between) move
• the rook pawn
• openings

Step 3 mix
This workbook contains exercises with one ‘simple’ assignment: play the best move. Just like in a real game, you do not know whether you can win or whether you have to defend. 

Step 3 thinking ahead
This workbook focuses on blindfold chess, how to visualize possible moves of the opponent, before solving the exercise. Sometimes multiple possible moves of the opponent are given for the same diagram.