How to Teach a Child the Game of Chess

I was twenty years old when I learned to play chess and I immediately fell in love with the game. The moment I learned how to play I instantly regretted that I had never learned as a child. Most of the reason I never learned as a child is because I was often told that the game was too complicated and too difficult to play. I honestly thought you had to be a genius in order to understand the rules of chess at all. Once I learned how to play, I realized that this was not the case. I vowed that I would teach the children in my life this game. I did not want them to have the same misconceptions that I had as a child.

The truth is chess is complicated. I am not a chess expert and I probably never will be. However, I do understand the rules and I have one a few games since I started playing. Imagine how much more I would have known if I started playing earlier in life. Keep in mind that just because the game is complicated, it does not mean that a child cannot learn. In fact, teaching them the rules now will ensure that the game makes more sense to them in the future. Here are some tips for teaching the child in your life how to play the game of chess.

Take it Slow: The youngest child I have taught chess to was four years old. No matter what their age I have found that the quickest way for a child to learn is if you take it slow. Yes, that does sound like a contradiction. It is true though. If you try to quickly explain the rules of chess to a child and then proceed to jump into a game, they will be lost and you will become frustrated. Instead, teach the game one step at a time and slowly work your way up to a real game.

Start by teaching the names of each piece. As you say the names, have the child repeat what you are saying. Do this several times until they can say the name of each game piece with you. Once they are saying the names with you, instead of repeating you, have them say the names by themselves.

Once the child has the name of the pieces memorized, it is time to move on to explain that the goal of the game is to protect the king. Once they understand this, it is time to teach them how each piece moves. Start by placing the Queen piece on the board and showing the child how the Queen can move. Put the Queen in different positions on the board and have them show you where the piece can be moved. Once they understand this piece, move on to the other game pieces and repeat the process of demonstrating how the pieces move.

After the names and moves of each game piece it learned, it is time to teach the player how each piece attacks. You can do this by setting up simple puzzles on the board. Start with puzzles that include one pawn from each person's pieces. Place the pawns in different positions on the board. Set it up so that the child can take out the pawn and other situations where they cannot. This will reinforce how the pieces move and attack. As they begin to understand, move on to other pieces and set up more difficult puzzles.

Now that your child has learned the basics, it is time to set up a game. Set your pieces up on the board, and let them set their pieces on the board by your example. Once the next game begins, let your child set up the entire board by themselves. If they have trouble remembering where pieces go, help them along until they have it memorized. As you start your first game, take is slow. Explain that they can only move once piece at a time, the goal is to take out the other person's king, and to protect their other pieces.

Make sure that you keep the game honest. Never lose to your child on purpose. This will take away part of the learning experience from the game. Your child will also soon figure out what you are doing and a lot of the fun will be gone. In the beginning, watch their pieces. If you see that they can take out one of your pieces, give them a hint. Tell them that they have a good move to make and they need to take a moment to look at the board. If they do not see the move, point to each piece one at a time. Ask your child to show you how the piece moves on the board. This will get them into the habit of paying closer attention to each piece and visualizing moves in their head. If you are really good at chess it might be best to find players at their age and level for your child to play against, once they have the rules and game concept learned.

There are many benefits to playing chess. You will be teaching your child problem solving and strategy skills. This is something that they can use in the real world as they face real problems. Chess players learn to look at the game and consider all options before making a decision. This is a skill we need in our lives as well. Chess also helps your child's memory skills. As I said before chess is a complicated game and the initial learning is memorizing pieces, moves, and attacks. They must be able to do this before moving on to the game. Patience is another benefit of chess. This is a slow game and requires the player to think and focus.

When teaching this game to your child remember to take it slow, be patient, and slowly build your way up to playing an actual game. Once the initial learning is over you will be amazed at how quickly they pick up the concept of the game. Before you know it, you will be losing a game to them!