Book excerpt: Fifteen chess-enhanced lesson plans address National Council for the Social Studies standards for grades 4–8 and help prepare students to succeed in University Interscholastic League (UIL) Chess Puzzle. Implement the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) curriculum standards in your classroom with People, Places, Checkmates: Teaching Social Studies with Chess. In this unique volume, 15 lesson plans teach culture, history, geography, and citizenship through the history of chess and its relationship to art, civics, culture, economics, geography, government, and technology. This book will also help educators and librarians prepare students to succeed in University Interscholastic League (UIL) Chess Puzzle. Each 40-minute lesson plan includes an NCSS theme, materials and sources, procedure, and evaluation. Each lesson is followed by an optional 10-25 minute chess exercise, composed of teacher background, procedure and materials, expected time, and evaluation. A separate chapter teaches the chess basics necessary for your students to actually play chess and successfully complete the optional exercises. Lesson plans complement upper elementary and middle school curricula in world history, U.S. history, geography, and social studies.