Play online chess!

From	Message
petemellor 06-Mar-17, 03:59	Teaching a 6 year old chess from distance. Thanks for accepting me into the Club. I have a Grandaughter shortly coming in 6 who is desperate to play chess with me whenever I visit. Whilst it may lose it's attraction when she finds she has to sit still and think has anyone got any experience of teaching someone so young? What about apps such as Chesskid? I will be hampered by distance and only infrequent visits.
apatzer 06-Mar-17, 06:05	key is to make it fun and interesting to the child. Which may not be fun and interesting to you. So you have to do a little bit of a role reversal in remembering you are there (solely) for the child's entertainment, encouragement in the form of praise and accolades. Know that the child is not there for you in any way shape or form. Have no expectations of that child (for right now) Children have a short attention spans and literally many can not sit and think for very long. If you try to force her to sit and think (in the beginning) you could kill chess for her permanently. The child's brain is not yet fully developed and not wired like an adults at all. The Child's brain is like a sponge absorbing everything, while that information is not always directly accessed via the vehicle of memory. It is accessed by the vehicle of emotion and comes out as an opinion that the child subconsciously developed from experience. so i have some questions. What is her level of exposure to chess? Has she yet learned how the pieces move? Also if you have any stories that you can tell about chess while at the board. Praise her when she moves a piece correctly, encourage her by telling her she is really doing good at this. 1. Positive reinforcement is key 2. Emotional reinforcement is the key, make a (positive) emotional connection to the game. 3. seek to make the child laugh, make funny noises.. tell stories.. be animated. be imaginative! make it fun! Teaching Your Child Chess in Nine Steps www.kenneymyers.com 1. Get to Know the Pieces – First, introduce all the characters or pieces to your child. Make sure he reaches the point that he can identify each piece without prompting before moving on to the next step. 2. Learn the Objective – Tell your child that the object of the game is to protect your king at all costs. Show your child a chess board that is set up, and throw around different ideas about how you might keep the king safe. Don’t worry that your child’s ideas might not work within the framework of the game. The idea is to get your child interested and thinking strategically. 3. Play with the Pawns – This is the first time your child will actually get to the play the game a bit, so make it fun! Teach him how pawns move and how they capture their opponents. Then, play chess with only pawns in play. Do this for several games, until your child has mastered the pawn. 4. Add the Knights – Once your child has mastered the pawns, add the knights to the mix. First, teach them how the knights move. This is a little complicated, especially for younger kids. Therefore, you’ll want to practice moving the knights around the board first without playing the game. Once your child has mastered their movements, play a game with both pawns and knights until she’s comfortable with the movement. This may take time, so be prepared to spend as long as it takes for your child to become familiar with these pieces. 5. Learn the Bishops – Now it is time to teach your child how the bishops move and how they attack. Play a few games with just the pawns and bishops. Then, play some with pawns, bishops and knights . 6. Add the Rooks – The rooks are the last of the chess court before the King and Queen are presented. Teach your children how the rooks move around the board, and have your child practice their movements. Add in the rest of the pieces and practice moving them around the board to achieve different plays. 7. Present the King – Remind your child that the King is what you are trying to protect in chess, and what you are trying to capture on the other side of the board. Teach the meaning of “check” and “check mate,” and how each apply to the game. “Check” is a warning that your king is in imminent danger, whereas “check mate” signals the end of the game. Practice identifying places where you would need to say check and then rehearse moving the king out of harm’s way. 8. Meet the Queen – At last, it is time to meet the most powerful player, the Queen! Show your child how special the Queen is, in that she can move as far as she wants to and in any direction unless one of her own subjects is in her way. 9. Now to Play – You and your child have reached your ultimate goal, playing a full game of chess. There is nothing left for you to do now but have fun. It is a good idea before each game to ask your child how each piece moves and remind him of anything he may have forgotten. As long as your child is moving the pieces correctly, do not worry too much about his strategy. He will develop this on his own, over time. If you find it is still a bit arduous for him to keep track of all the game pieces and how they move, revert back to the simpler games with just one or two pieces and play that way, slowly advancing back to a full chess game. If your child is not interested in chess and longs for you to release him to his trusty gaming console instead, be sure to speak chess in his language. Tell him each chess piece has special moves, and that the two teams are “battling” for the king. You can even purchase software and handheld console games that teach chess to children and help them develop their strategic thinking for the game in a manner that makes sense to them. Remember, your child does not have to be Bobby Fischer in order to reap the many rewards that chess has to offer. Simply learning the game and spending time practicing it is enough to raise IQ, improve memory and enhance creativity. It’s also a special hobby that the two of you can share and enjoy together.
petemellor 06-Mar-17, 06:30	Thanks for the depth of your answer. What is her level of exposure to chess? : Watching me once in a while - I have not tried to show her much because I haven't wanted to put her off - and, winning a game (possibly games, self taughtish) on an app on her tablet when I wasn't there. I don't see her for two or three months at a time so that is why I was asking about apps. Has she yet learned how the pieces move?: I suspect she is learning by trial and error.
apatzer 06-Mar-17, 06:36	Story telling and analogy building. 1. Get to Know the Pieces (the first step) The information we wish to impart on the child is how the piece moves. Incorporate this information in the form of a story. You can make up your own however I will leave you a sample of what I am talking about. I will attempt to narrate it like I am speaking. All tho it is difficult to express via typed letters. 1. Pawn THE Paaawn! our trusty foot soldier. She is a strong warrior with a big shield that yells to the enemy... you shall not pass! She pushes across the field of battle (show the board) never retreating, never surrendering for she knows that if she can make it across the field of battle to the last square. She can finally be queen! Never striking ahead to clear her own path. She is a team player who strikes to her left and to her right to clear the path for her sisters! Because if one of her sisters becomes queen she will surely be rewarded. Then play the game of pawns as mentioned above, (several times) who ever can make the most queens wins) The queens do not move once they queen... they wait patiently for their sisters to join them. Make it animated. Reinforce the story I.E. when two pawns are locked yell "you can not pass!" When you capture a pawn, say "get out of my sisters way!" etc etc. When you queen say "yeah I am finally a queen" and give encouragement to the little sisters to come and join her on the last square.
apatzer 06-Mar-17, 06:38	If you wish I could narrate the other pieces, just let me know if I can be of service.
penguin_ 06-Mar-17, 06:49	Probably worth Googling to see if there are any good books for kids or teaching chess to kids, but apatzer is right about keeping it fun for her. There is plenty of time for her to get serious as she gets older. My opinion.
deeper_insight 06-Mar-17, 08:29	There are plenty of chess books for children.I am no expert on kids books.Beginners,yes,but not young 6 year olds.However,I asked a parent at the chess club and they said they have the book below book,which their 7 year old found interesting.... www.uscfsales.com USCF sales have many other books for children: www.uscfsales.com I would also invest in a chessboard and pieces that glow like either of the examples below.Usually glowing things keep a child fascinated,draw their attention to the board and pieces and give them something more to dream about in a darkened room while you talk about castles,ancient renaissance times,Kings and Queens,honor and those valiant times of battles and sacrifice. www.amazon.com www.etsy.com
petemellor 07-Mar-17, 03:03	Thanks all. Chess advice AND birthday present advice.
bhidragon 07-Mar-17, 15:44	When working with really young kids I tell them the pawns are princesses who get to grow up to be queens at the other side of the board. Very much like Patzer's approach.
baddeeds 08-Mar-17, 08:18	In fact, I studied a similar example of what happens in Polgar University, and how they set up the teaching process. GM Judit Polgar uses a very similar method, to teach them how it blends in with academics using the same idea that bhidragon just mentioned.

GameKnot: play chess online, free online chess games database, chess clubs, monthly chess tournaments, Internet chess league, chess teams, online chess puzzles and more.