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Help! Our son has really taken to playing chess, with a hand-me-down set of pieces from my uncle and a cheap board we found in a charity shop.
I'm definitely a bit proud (makes up for his current state of peak disobedience 🙄) but I'm running out of what I can teach him as I never learned myself.
We've picked up the basics of how to start the game (controlling the centre with pawns, getting bishops and knights out quickly) but then it's a bit of a free-for-all. I'm also trying to teach him to get on the attack a bit sooner and also to stop sacrificing his pawns just for the hell of it 😂
Any good books out there or similar? We've actually got a 'short' chess set, but now he's had a taste of the real thing he's not interested.
CHess.com app has thousands of lessons, game plans etc starting at the absolute basics.
I taught my nieces to play - the older one loves it, the younger is not really interested other than picking up the horsey and making neigh sounds which I've tried to convince her is not a valid tactic. 😉
There's a real limit to how much parents can teach though, the game is so fluid and varied that you sort of end up introducing all manner of tactics in a huge flood of information so working through some structured "introduction to the game" stuff on apps or YouTube is worthwhile.
Check out GothamChess on YouTube, he's one of the more engaging presenters with a good line up of videos - some presenters (like Eric Rosen) are dull as ditchwater!
And then sign him up to the STW Chess tournament... 😉
CHess.com app has thousands of lessons, game plans etc starting at the absolute basics.
I just game mine a few chess apps.
We’ve picked up the basics of how to start the game (controlling the centre with pawns, getting bishops and knights out quickly) but then it’s a bit of a free-for-all. I’m also trying to teach him to get on the attack a bit sooner and also to stop sacrificing his pawns just for the hell of it
Just let them play against the AI, they soon work it out, its what kids brains do then see if there is a club at school or locally where they can play.
Great thanks guys. Can't say I'm mad keen to encourage more iPad or phone use, will see if I can download resources or just use it as a guide while we play on the board. If I can set up wee scenarios which simultaneously let him win then all the better!
Yeah will be on the lookout for a club or something for him, he's been trying to teach his wee friends which is awesome to see (when they're not busy stealing bits of his Lego 😠😠)
Can’t say I’m mad keen to encourage more iPad or phone use,
Why not? It's for a purpose. A great many schools use iPads for Learning as they are a great tool so it would be good for him to understand that technology has other purposes than just for watching YouTube or whatever.
Great thanks guys. Can’t say I’m mad keen to encourage more iPad or phone use, will see if I can download resources or just use it as a guide while we play on the board. If I can set up wee scenarios which simultaneously let him win then all the better!
Can't say I blame you on the iPad/phone and of course it can also be a bit of a gateway drug... but equally it could be worse.
The HUGE advantage though is its very natural learning that in our case then led to wanting to read books etc.
At the extreme (not suggesting this is the way) you don't even need to teach them the rules... if the computer-thing prevents illegal moves a kids brain will just work out the rules because that's what kids brains do.
My lads main chess buddy moved away but he still plays him remotely (5-6 years on) and its nice they keep in touch even though it involves a bit of tech and even though he plays other online stuff I'm not superhappy about it does tend to be more strategy games than RPG.
Why not? It’s for a purpose
Honestly? Just our slightly crappy father/son dynamic, it's one of the few activities we can regularly do together, it's sort of taken over from building Lego in that respect.
Honestly? Just our slightly crappy father/son dynamic, it’s one of the few activities we can regularly do together
Try a couple of the books from this list:
https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/chess-books-kids
Another option rather than playing a messy scrappy game is to use the book to set up puzzles on the board and play them through together.
After a couple of games with my niece, it worked out far better to play through puzzles rather than keep correcting her with "you can't do that" and me trying to play "badly" so that she won. It's surprisingly hard to deliberately do shit moves in chess!
It’s surprisingly hard to deliberately do shit moves in chess
Ha, yeah, I just muck about being deliberately aggressive or setting up easy captures for him and half the time they work out better for me!
Will check out those books 👍
Honestly? Just our slightly crappy father/son dynamic, it’s one of the few activities we can regularly do together, it’s sort of taken over from building Lego in that respect.
It's not mutually exclusive until her starts trashing you.
It’s surprisingly hard to deliberately do shit moves in chess
Ha, yeah, I just muck about being deliberately aggressive or setting up easy captures for him and half the time they work out better for me!
Let the AI make the poorly thought ahead stuff then play more normally together? give him chance to improve/practice separately as well as together??
A couple of "you probably don't want to do that"s are fine IMHO but I think it's more fun for both sides to just play and start with a few less pieces.
Honestly? Just our slightly crappy father/son dynamic, it’s one of the few activities we can regularly do together
Fair enough
It’s surprisingly hard to deliberately do shit moves in chess
Ha, yeah, I just muck about being deliberately aggressive or setting up easy captures for him and half the time they work out better for me!
Let the AI make the poorly thought ahead stuff then play more normally together? give him chance to improve/practice separately as well as together??
A couple of “you probably don’t want to do that”s are fine IMHO but I think it’s more fun for both sides to just play and start with a few less pieces.
One thing that works quite well is handicapping. If you're an experienced adult playing against a kid or a learner, then give yourself a handicap by starting the game without a piece or two. Works really well, means you can both play "for real" without having to hold back or deliberately make stupid moves.
I believe this used to be common in high-level chess, to allow "pro-am" type events, for gambling (can you beat a pro if he only gets one rook?) or just to even things out in a ratings mis-match.
I thought I’d be in the ‘don’t encourage more screen time’ camp, but it’s now such an effort of brain power to play my youngest at chess that I’d rather he played the app! He’s got the free version of chess.com with no sign in or anything. I confess I dread it when he begs me to play him. I can still beat him, but it wears me out!
I was taught by my day when I was 5 or 6. Didn't beat him for about 10 years. He was a bit annoying at being good at most things he tried.
If he has friends to okay with just loads of practice. A bit if instructions on development, tempos, forks, skewers, end game ideas.
Probably wouldn't worry to much about formal training right away.
After that a few games with a decent player to get pointers may help
After that your local chess club probably has a junior section
It is really helpful not to just okay against a small group of players as you get exposed to different openings and styles the more other players
A bit if instructions on development, tempos, forks, skewers, end game ideas
And this is why I need help, I'm intrigued but clueless about most of that!
It’s not mutually exclusive until her starts trashing you
Very good point, if it replaces Roblox or whatever other nonsense he does play on the iPad then it's a win-win!
One thing that works quite well is handicapping. If you’re an experienced adult playing against a kid or a learner
My dad did this for me when we played squash, almost literally became '1 arm tied behind his back' sort of thing 😂
My kids liked Chess for Kids book by Richard James.
Sounds like you may already be beyond the first few chapters though.
And this is why I need help, I’m intrigued but clueless about most of that!
This is the challenge - those kind of ideas can be present to varying degrees in many moves, which is a hell of a lot to take in at any one time, especially when it comes to predicting your opponents moves, planning for them ("if opponent does a, I do x, if opponents does b, I do y" kind of thing).
Initially, that'll be far beyond a young beginner, it's literally a one move at a time thing so some sort of book or structured set of puzzles based on a single idea at a time is very worthwhile.
it’s literally a one move at a time thing
I planted the seed of the idea by describing it as 'laying traps'. He can recognise my clumsy attempts at least!
I was taught by my day when I was 5 or 6. Didn’t beat him for about 10 years. He was a bit annoying at being good at most things he tried.
As a child this was the other way around, I taught my mum how to play. I've never beaten her.
A leftfield idea and a question I know you didn't ask but, have you considered other games? Something like Backgammon is simple to learn and difficult to master, or there's a whole of modern board games.
I just picked up a second hand copy of an openings book I had years ago. Deals with a few of the more common openings with a clear explanation for every move. Highly recommended.
I'm going to be using it to help me switch to a different defence as black against 1 D4.
It is the one of the best two or three chess books I ever read for explaining the moves in an easy to underastand way. Out of print but a few copies about on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PLAY-OPENING-CHESS-Batsford-chess/dp/0713471158/
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-teach-your-kids-chess
I logged into chess.com on my laptop based on @irc 's revival of the Tournament thread (I've been playing on my phone, so far less access to articles) but the first thing that popped up was the above.
Let your son win?! **** that 😉 My boy goes on for weeks when he beats me!
My kids liked Chess for Kids book by Richard James.
Picked this book up, looks good, my son is excited about learning all the 'tricks' but as soon as we started the first chapter he just wanted to play a full game rather than muck about with just pawns. Maybe a wee bit grown up for him still.
In other news, he got me in a genuine checkmate yesterday! No doubt due to a mix of my ineptness and inattentiveness but I was still delighted for him and proud. Until he burst into tears because he thought that by beating me he would need to go straight to bed! ☹
Beginning to think he is just faking an enthusiasm for chess in order to stay up later at nights, little sneak 🤣
Once he's got the hang of the rules, and the very basic concepts (sounds like he already has) I wouldn't try to tech him, or make him learn, too much at that age. Let him play and enjoy it. Then if he is keen to continue he can start to pick up more theory.
But yes, you're right to be proud. At that age I was chuffed that I'd learned Ludo!!
I just picked up a second hand copy of an openings book I had years ago. Deals with a few of the more common openings with a clear explanation for every move. Highly recommended.
I’m going to be using it to help me switch to a different defence as black against 1 D4.
It is the one of the best two or three chess books I ever read for explaining the moves in an easy to underastand way. Out of print but a few copies about on Amazon.
Have just ordered myself a second hand copy. Only three quid.
I've never beaten my dad with out a handicap.
He played loads when he was at school, I played a load of computer games.
I had a great big hardback book that was great was a sword obsessed kid