How to help my 7 year old learn more about chess.
October 5, 2022 10:38 AM Subscribe
I've taught my seven year old everything I know about chess... which is... not a lot!
Within a handful games, he already understands how the pieces move, the rules, and played me to a draw once. He likes it and I could see him becoming pretty good at it. I don't know anything about actual strategy, though.
Do you have any recommendations for what we could do together to get better? Any Chess books that you know to be fun for a 7 year old? Or particular exercises or puzzles we could follow? Ideally these would be things we could do together on our physical chess set but an app or something could be good, too.
Within a handful games, he already understands how the pieces move, the rules, and played me to a draw once. He likes it and I could see him becoming pretty good at it. I don't know anything about actual strategy, though.
Do you have any recommendations for what we could do together to get better? Any Chess books that you know to be fun for a 7 year old? Or particular exercises or puzzles we could follow? Ideally these would be things we could do together on our physical chess set but an app or something could be good, too.
How to Beat Your Dad At Chess. I seem to recall it had a lot of tricks and quick checkmate type things but if I remember correctly it also had some basic tactics and strategies in it.
posted by bondcliff at 10:47 AM on October 5, 2022
posted by bondcliff at 10:47 AM on October 5, 2022
My similarly aged child loves Chess Kid -- lots of free lessons, mock games and info on strategy.
posted by heavenknows at 11:08 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by heavenknows at 11:08 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
I enjoy using this little app on my iPhone, "Mate in 1 Chess Puzzles"--apparently it's good for the iPad as well, which I bet would make it a fun diversion for two players.
There are a lot of these sorts of things, I guess, but the one I have has the icon of the white pawn with a brown outline, on a black background: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mate-in-1-chess-puzzles/id368403230.
It's just a large set of chess problems, where you're given a setup and have to mate in one move. I find it relaxing and fun--I can pull out my phone and just do one or two, if I'm waiting in line or something, or I can blitz through a bunch in a row on the train to work.
posted by theatro at 11:10 AM on October 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
There are a lot of these sorts of things, I guess, but the one I have has the icon of the white pawn with a brown outline, on a black background: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mate-in-1-chess-puzzles/id368403230.
It's just a large set of chess problems, where you're given a setup and have to mate in one move. I find it relaxing and fun--I can pull out my phone and just do one or two, if I'm waiting in line or something, or I can blitz through a bunch in a row on the train to work.
posted by theatro at 11:10 AM on October 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
lichess.org has lots of free resources for training.
posted by mrbarky at 1:39 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mrbarky at 1:39 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
So, once upon a time I was visiting my Uncle, Aunt, four cousins all family reunion like. Uncle was a therapist and a minister (long story) and he was rather strict just about these gatherings, this is family time, do what you want the rest of the year. They played lots of games, darts, pool, hoops, poker, uno, checkers, and... chess. There was a chessboard in almost every room of the house.
He once told me to go play a game of chess with my cousin, I responded that I didn't know how to play chess. He stopped like cooking and spent the next hour teaching me how to play chess.
He told me this grand detailed story about whole pockmarked eternally fought over battlefields that are scarred in black and white. And explained all of the pieces in glorious detail about two kings going to war yet once again. Then we played a few games with a few "take backs" or "are you sure you want to do that". Then I played my second youngest cousin and he pulled out "fool's mate" on me right off the bat.
That's not the story. The story is that after those heavily loaded descriptions of the field and pieces... after those first few games.... my uncle psycho-analyzed me and hit the nail on the head as it were. I was shocked! He nailed me. Then he told me that "of course I talk to your father and aunt and grandmother and actually knew all of that before we even started playing".
I think he was only halfway lying. Over the next couple of years visiting, it's the only time I play chess. I can whoop three of my cousins and my uncle, can't reliably whoop my oldest cousin (he's like the champion).
I keep thinking of trying to explain chess the way my uncle taught me. It was pretty good for mediocre/casual level chess, I will play a few games and analyze you and how you treat your pieces. But it still totally doesn't actually work versus people who study openings and endings. There's just a good bit of "oh, now I know which pieces you care/don't care about". But a decent player or even computer will kick my ass.
I've always had this bit of longing to teach a kid chess the same way, it does sorta make it both fun and devious and isn't practical in the long run.
posted by zengargoyle at 7:39 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
He once told me to go play a game of chess with my cousin, I responded that I didn't know how to play chess. He stopped like cooking and spent the next hour teaching me how to play chess.
He told me this grand detailed story about whole pockmarked eternally fought over battlefields that are scarred in black and white. And explained all of the pieces in glorious detail about two kings going to war yet once again. Then we played a few games with a few "take backs" or "are you sure you want to do that". Then I played my second youngest cousin and he pulled out "fool's mate" on me right off the bat.
That's not the story. The story is that after those heavily loaded descriptions of the field and pieces... after those first few games.... my uncle psycho-analyzed me and hit the nail on the head as it were. I was shocked! He nailed me. Then he told me that "of course I talk to your father and aunt and grandmother and actually knew all of that before we even started playing".
I think he was only halfway lying. Over the next couple of years visiting, it's the only time I play chess. I can whoop three of my cousins and my uncle, can't reliably whoop my oldest cousin (he's like the champion).
I keep thinking of trying to explain chess the way my uncle taught me. It was pretty good for mediocre/casual level chess, I will play a few games and analyze you and how you treat your pieces. But it still totally doesn't actually work versus people who study openings and endings. There's just a good bit of "oh, now I know which pieces you care/don't care about". But a decent player or even computer will kick my ass.
I've always had this bit of longing to teach a kid chess the same way, it does sorta make it both fun and devious and isn't practical in the long run.
posted by zengargoyle at 7:39 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Overheard at a chess tournament in NYC from a coach: if the kid does chesskid, have them every day do a video lesson, followed by a puzzle, followed by a game. Apparently some kids have gotten really good just by doing this.
Chesskid is a really great resource once they learn the basics of the game.
posted by luckdragon at 7:52 AM on October 6, 2022
Chesskid is a really great resource once they learn the basics of the game.
posted by luckdragon at 7:52 AM on October 6, 2022
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posted by kevinbelt at 10:42 AM on October 5, 2022