Chess Scotland Noticeboard

sigrun · King Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 307 Location: Europa

Have you ever thought why so few children follow in their parents' chess footsteps? In any other profession it's quite common for the son to follow the father. One reason could be that most professions are learned later on in life, not in early childhood. And so the parents can't remember what was so appealing about chess when they started.
Here is lesson number 1: Don't ever criticize a beginner's moves! I've given handicap games to many beginners - just my K & Ps against all the family on the other side. The first thing they learn is to respect my pawns, since I'm not only taking some of their pieces but also get a queen & win.
Now, why don't I want you to talk & take moves back during a game? Well, it's not nice - it interrupts the flow of the story. After all, when you talk to a 2 years old, you don't criticize their way of speaking?
Once they know that your pawns are dangerous, they'll gobble them all up & then they learn about stalemate, cause that's what they're helping to create next.
Don't be tempted to show them how to get # quicker because this will spoil their voyage of discovery! You've got to be patient at this stage!
You wouldn't show a 2 years old how to construct complicated sentences, so why do this in chess?
Here endeth the first lesson. Exclamation

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''All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.'' Voltaire

Craig Pritchett · Queen Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 114

See "Chess for Rookies", which comes highly recommended for family learning (not just by me, of course)!! Link below:

http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/Chess_for_Rookies%3A_Learn_to_Play%2C_Win_and_Enjoy%21

admin · Site Admin Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 1386

Then of course there is the Star Wars version, Chess for Wookies....

I'll get my coat...

Stuart Blyth · King Joined: 11 Sep 2008 Posts: 209

Hi
I think Sigrun's post is good. Though nothing works for all kids, and I think you just have to judge things depending on the kid/kids. Sure the important thing is for them to enjoy it, but even here, this'll mean different things to different players. And even the anology with learning to read (which is a sound one) suggests the same - kids learn in different ways here, too.

The real problem is how to keep them playing! That of course, might still be relevant to how we teach them in the first place - though I suspect it's much more to do with other factors - other interests, the time chess requires to play, chess not being cool enough, etc.

sigrun · King Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 307 Location: Europa

I shall definitely buy the rookie book for any aspiring teenager or adult who's starting out.
But my concern at the mo is to do with enjoyment & learning by discovery! When beginners are stopped in their tracks & corrected for bad moves, it is not enjoyable. I think that nobody should look at their own games until they've got a grade of 1100!
Making mistakes is part of being alive. But it's the creative bit I'm trying to draw attention to. Making moves is fun & being stopped by someone who tries to get you to play the perfect game before you're ready spoils this.
The mistakes we make are usually characteristic of the level we're at. Again having such mistakes pointed out to you is not very nice.
On the other hand some mistakes have to be made in order to improve.
Here is an example from a toddler learning English: When they're at a certain level they'll talk about 'being teached' & ignorant parents will correct them & even make fun of them, when in fact this mistake shows that the wee mite has discovered the rule of the general past tense: ed added to the verb. So the kid should be congratulated, not told off!
_________________
''All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.'' Voltaire

sigrun · King Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 307 Location: Europa

Once kids win against me with a handicap of q & 2 rs, they're already winning prizes at kids' comps! At the chess club I asked the other players to give them a handicap. One of them said that if they lost to such a handicap they shouldn't be in the club at all.
But adults don't like to play against a handicap. Fortunately I've got a computer which you can't buy in a chess shop, only in Argos & such. On the lowest level it never takes pieces! AND you can set it to play an endgame with k & ps and then add q or rs or bs or ns. This is good for letting them find out how to checkmate & learn about stalemates quickly.
It's not enough to show them how to #, they've got to find out for themselves & what quicker way than in an endgame? I didn't learn about # until I was ~ 1500 except in an incidential way because either I lost or my opponents gave in since I'd taken their pieces.
But I'm sure chess is more fun if you know where you're going, just as it's more prudent to know your destination when you set out on a journey. Very Happy

_________________
''All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.'' Voltaire

AMcHarg · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:00 am Post subject:

Interesting points Sigrun, you can you teach my little sister! Whenever I try to teach her things she loses interest, so I must be going wrong somewhere; or is it just that girls are rubbish at Chess? Laughing

Anyway, she's 10 - I think she could be a good player if she played properly.

sigrun · King Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 307 Location: Europa

what do you mean 'play properly'? We all make characteristic mistakes at the level we're at & if you allow her to make the 'right' mistakes you'll get on better with her & may even help her!
I've taught kids at a few primary schools. At two of them I managed to teach some girls privately & after an incredibly short time they beat boys & girls quite easily! Some of the parents knew how to play chess but not competitively. Rolling Eyes

_________________
''All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.'' Voltaire

Craig Pritchett · Queen Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 114

Sigrun, you are absolutely right about the central importance of playfulness, experiment and fun in learning to play chess (or, indeed, anything). My inspiration for the Rookies book derives largely from the example of Emanuel Lasker, whose famous "Manual" resonates that spirit in absolute spades.

If you click on the link to (and read) the Introduction to Rookies - at the Everyman link to the book in my earlier post (open the download sample pdf) - you'll see exactly what I mean.

As a youngster, I was given a copy of Lasker's Manual by Scotland's first IM, W A Fairhurst, to whom the book and particularly Lasker's spirit was also dear ... but don't use his "Manual" as a beginner's teaching book, as it's a much, much more ambitious work, and one still worth reading in many of its parts by world champions.

Enjoy!

sigrun · King Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 307 Location: Europa

Phil Thomas · King Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 758

sigrun · King Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 307 Location: Europa

AMcHarg · Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:12 pm Post subject:

Stuart Blyth · King Joined: 11 Sep 2008 Posts: 209

The reason why more women don't play chess is, I believe, down to a lack of intelligence.

Women are simply too stupid to want to give up whole weekends to sit in stuffy, sweaty halls with a bunch of middle-aged, sartorially-challenged blokes. They want their heids looking at.

AMcHarg · Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:18 am Post subject: