Online Chess for Children?
June 20, 2010 9:43 AM Subscribe
Is there somewhere online that a ten year-old can play chess against other people?
My ten year-old son has gotten into chess. He has mainly been playing against computer opponents in Chessmaster. But, he is at least as good as his dad (which isn't saying a whole lot), except he never makes obvious mistakes (unlike his dad) and he's prone to being intimidated by aggressive play and the computer tends to not play very human chess, at least at lower/moderate ai rankings which he is playing and beating. I think he would be discouraged by being blown away by a serious player, but would probably enjoy playing casual adult or decent child players. Is there some online website where he play some low-stakes (preferably low speed i.e correspondence) chess against human opponents?
My ten year-old son has gotten into chess. He has mainly been playing against computer opponents in Chessmaster. But, he is at least as good as his dad (which isn't saying a whole lot), except he never makes obvious mistakes (unlike his dad) and he's prone to being intimidated by aggressive play and the computer tends to not play very human chess, at least at lower/moderate ai rankings which he is playing and beating. I think he would be discouraged by being blown away by a serious player, but would probably enjoy playing casual adult or decent child players. Is there some online website where he play some low-stakes (preferably low speed i.e correspondence) chess against human opponents?
Response by poster: i looked at chess.com, but the players in the open games seem to have ranks and are playing multiple games simultaneously...
posted by ennui.bz at 9:57 AM on June 20, 2010
posted by ennui.bz at 9:57 AM on June 20, 2010
There's a lot of chaff with the wheat in Yahoo Chess, but he could choose the social or beginner rooms, check out his opponents' records/ratings before playing, or play unrated games.
posted by Balonious Assault at 10:15 AM on June 20, 2010
posted by Balonious Assault at 10:15 AM on June 20, 2010
They have chess on Pogo. I've never played it on that site but it looks like they have beginner rooms.
posted by Nolechick11 at 10:22 AM on June 20, 2010
posted by Nolechick11 at 10:22 AM on June 20, 2010
My husband plays on www.redhotpawn.com.
It has a lot of the same features as chess.com (ranks and multiple games) but I'm not sure why that would steer you away. Once your son starts playing, he'll have a rank too. And he doesn't have to play multiple games.
Redhotpawn has a wizard that will help you figure out where you rank and what kind of games you want to play (casual, speedchess, slow via email, etc). It also has a chat feature - you may be able to find someone on there willing to play slowly and talk about the moves as a tutor.
Other things you might pursue:
Find some live chess players. There may be a school near you with a chess club, or look at the Chess Federation website. They have an online school (it's not free, no idea the cost) and they have a list of clubs that you could join. (this is USA info).
posted by CathyG at 10:54 AM on June 20, 2010
It has a lot of the same features as chess.com (ranks and multiple games) but I'm not sure why that would steer you away. Once your son starts playing, he'll have a rank too. And he doesn't have to play multiple games.
Redhotpawn has a wizard that will help you figure out where you rank and what kind of games you want to play (casual, speedchess, slow via email, etc). It also has a chat feature - you may be able to find someone on there willing to play slowly and talk about the moves as a tutor.
Other things you might pursue:
Find some live chess players. There may be a school near you with a chess club, or look at the Chess Federation website. They have an online school (it's not free, no idea the cost) and they have a list of clubs that you could join. (this is USA info).
posted by CathyG at 10:54 AM on June 20, 2010
I play on www.uchess.com or freechess.org. (For the latter, you have to download a "client" program but it has a nicer interface.) Intimidating your opponent is part of strategy. Soon he will learn how intimidating it is to others to realize a 10 year old is beating them.
posted by Obscure Reference at 11:05 AM on June 20, 2010
posted by Obscure Reference at 11:05 AM on June 20, 2010
Freechess.org is a good option, with much less BS than Yahoo. It can be a little tough to find really slow games (but your kid would have to be an extraordinarily patient ten-year old to play games that take weeks or months).
posted by ssg at 11:52 AM on June 20, 2010
posted by ssg at 11:52 AM on June 20, 2010
Regarding rankings: I'm not sure why you are opposed to ranking systems. They exist so that players can find other players at their skill level to play against, which is what you want your son to do. Ranking systems are also good in that they encourage people to finish their games (rather than just disappearing and eventually automatically forfeiting). The fact that a site has a ranking system doesn't indicate that the players are particularly serious or good, so don't assume your son won't be able to keep up with players on any particular site.
posted by ssg at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2010
posted by ssg at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2010
If your son just want to get his feet wet playing other real live players, Pogo isn't a bad way to try that out. Games are divided up into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced and you just join a game with a waiting opponent at that level; there are no rankings. You need to sit through a 30-second ad before each game, which I always thought was fair enough. Overall its a very casual gaming environment; people would mostly be there to play a mix of a little chess, a little monopoly, a little bridge, a little bingo, etc.
I suspect he'll get bored of that quickly, but he'll at least know if he wants to go play pure chess people at freechess.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:41 PM on June 20, 2010
I suspect he'll get bored of that quickly, but he'll at least know if he wants to go play pure chess people at freechess.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:41 PM on June 20, 2010
Response by poster: Regarding rankings: I'm not sure why you are opposed to ranking systems. They exist so that players can find other players at their skill level to play against, which is what you want your son to do. Ranking systems are also good in that they encourage people to finish their games (rather than just disappearing and eventually automatically forfeiting). The fact that a site has a ranking system doesn't indicate that the players are particularly serious or good, so don't assume your son won't be able to keep up with players on any particular site.
I'm not opposed to ranking systems, it's just he isn't ranked so it's hard to choose a fair game plus, the players in the games i saw on chess.com all looked fairly advanced i.e. able and interested in playing several games simultaneously. i don't want him to get creamed and then give up.
thanks for the suggestions, i'd like to try him on that 'rank wizard' on red hot pawn just to get some sense of where he is...
posted by ennui.bz at 1:16 PM on June 20, 2010
I'm not opposed to ranking systems, it's just he isn't ranked so it's hard to choose a fair game plus, the players in the games i saw on chess.com all looked fairly advanced i.e. able and interested in playing several games simultaneously. i don't want him to get creamed and then give up.
thanks for the suggestions, i'd like to try him on that 'rank wizard' on red hot pawn just to get some sense of where he is...
posted by ennui.bz at 1:16 PM on June 20, 2010
> i looked at chess.com, but the players in the open games seem to have ranks and are playing multiple games simultaneously...
you can arbitrarily set the range of ratings for opponents you'll accept for a given game, e.g., 800-1200, 1200-1210, 1800-2000, 2100-2300, etc.
the ratings aren't official ratings-- they're generated by chess.com as you play. if you've never played, you start at 1200, and they change with every single game you play... so don't take them too seriously.
posted by darth_tedious at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2010
you can arbitrarily set the range of ratings for opponents you'll accept for a given game, e.g., 800-1200, 1200-1210, 1800-2000, 2100-2300, etc.
the ratings aren't official ratings-- they're generated by chess.com as you play. if you've never played, you start at 1200, and they change with every single game you play... so don't take them too seriously.
posted by darth_tedious at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2010
I would also suggest chess.com. Most of the play there is not live: players have time limits that may extend up to several days, a bit like postal chess, which is why most play several games simultaneously. The standard is certainly not that intimidating, and the rating system is only helpful. Live games are available.
Even better in some ways is the chess.com facebook app.
posted by cincinnatus c at 1:57 PM on June 20, 2010
Even better in some ways is the chess.com facebook app.
posted by cincinnatus c at 1:57 PM on June 20, 2010
Chesskid.com? I haven't checked it out, but the homepage promises "free online games and tournaments with kids around the world".
posted by Holly at 2:35 PM on June 20, 2010
posted by Holly at 2:35 PM on June 20, 2010
The rankings on these sites tend to be more helpful than hindering. Your son will also get a ranking, and it will go up and down as he plays and wins and loses matches. They're generally set up so that someone at about the same rank should make for a good match.
I think without rankings it would be even harder to find a fair match!
posted by that girl at 5:04 PM on June 20, 2010
I think without rankings it would be even harder to find a fair match!
posted by that girl at 5:04 PM on June 20, 2010
I second www.redhotpawn.com, which is also available at www.timeforchess.com to save explaining the double entendre.
posted by pompomtom at 11:10 PM on June 20, 2010
posted by pompomtom at 11:10 PM on June 20, 2010
Another option - my friends and I play chess with friends. It's an iPod/iPhone app any has made correspondence style play very convenient.
posted by mce at 12:43 AM on June 23, 2010
posted by mce at 12:43 AM on June 23, 2010
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posted by darth_tedious at 9:46 AM on June 20, 2010