Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Getting to Know the Board and Shapes
• Method 2 of 4: Games for learning moves
• Method 3 of 4: Learning More Difficult Moves
• Method 4 of 4: Be a Good Teacher
• Tips

Chess is a great game to teach your child to think strategically and analyze different situations. Start with basic concepts such as the differences between pieces and how they move. When your child has mastered this information, start playing different types of chess. Do not rush the child, constantly encourage him and be patient. Thus, you can instill in your child a love of chess, and he will perceive it as an exciting and interesting activity.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Getting to Know the Board and Shapes

1. 1 Introduce your child to the chessboard. The board has 8 horizontal and 8 vertical lines. It consists of 64 cells in total. Half of the cells are light colored and half dark. If you don't have a chessboard on hand, you can draw it on a piece of cardboard or a chalkboard.
   • If you draw the chessboard yourself, number the horizontal rows from 1 to 8, and the vertical rows with the letters of the Latin alphabet from “a” to “h”. In this case, with further training, you will be able to use the coordinate system.
2. 2 Start exploring the shapes. Introduce the child to the pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, queen and king. Note the differences in their appearance. Arrange the pieces on the board so the child can see how they are in the starting position.
   • The horse, as the name suggests, usually resembles the head and neck of this animal.
   • The elephant looks like a tall pointed hat.
   • The king is the most important piece, as the goal of the game is to capture the opponent's king.
   • Point out the differences in appearance between the king and queen.
   • Rooks usually resemble fortress towers.
3. 3 Continue describing the shapes. Tell about each shape and explain how it walks. Make sure your child memorizes this shape before moving on to the next one.
   • A pawn can move one or two squares from the starting position, and only one square if it has already moved. A pawn can only beat those opponent's pieces that are on the adjacent square diagonally, and it cannot move back.
   • The knight is the only piece that can jump over other pawns and pieces. He walks with the letter "G". The knight can move two cells horizontally, and then one vertically, or two cells vertically and one horizontally.
   • The bishop moves diagonally to any number of squares.
   • The rook moves any number of squares forward, backward or horizontally. She cannot walk diagonally.
   • The queen can move in any direction (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) to any number of squares. This is the strongest figure.
   • The king moves one square in any direction, and two kings cannot stand on adjacent squares.
4. 4 Place all the pieces on the board. Place the shapes on the board and ask your child to name them. After that, consider how each piece moves. If you are using the coordinate method, you should place the shapes on the following cells:
   • Each player has 8 pawns that occupy the 2nd and 7th ranks.
   • Rooks are placed on the 1st and 8th squares of the files A and H.
   • Queens are on the 1st and 8th squares of file D.
   • The bishops occupy the 1st and 8th squares of the C and F files.
   • The knights are located on the 1st and 8th squares of the files B and G.
   • The kings occupy the 1st and 8th squares of the file-file E.

Method 2 of 4: Games for learning moves

1. 1 Play with pawns alone. Place only pawns on the chessboard. The goal of this game is to transfer as many of your pawns as possible to the opposite edge of the board. If two pawns hit each other and cannot move further, they stop. Remind the child that the pawn moves one square forward until it collides with the opponent's pawn. A pawn can capture an opponent's pawn if it is located in front of it on an adjacent square diagonally.
   • Another goal of this game may be to be the first to bring your pawn to the opposite side of the board.
   • Remind the child that White moves first, and on the first move, the pawn may move two squares forward.
   • This will help the child learn how the pawns move.
2. 2 Add elephants. When the child learns how the pawns move, supplement the game with bishops. In this case, the goal of the game will remain the same. Remind your child that elephants walk diagonally. This game will teach your child:
   • use pawns to protect bishops;
   • determine the optimal moment for bringing the bishops out of the pawn chain;
   • keep the bishops behind the opponent's pawns;
   • understand the limitations imposed on elephants by their ability to walk only diagonally.
3. 3 Enter the rooks. Place rooks, bishops and pawns on the board. The goal is still to bring the pawn to the opposite edge of the board. Remind the child that the rook can move any number of squares horizontally or vertically, but that it cannot jump over other pieces.
   • The child must learn how important it is to keep the rooks until the end of the game.
   • In addition, at this stage, the child should begin to understand the difference between capturing an individual opponent's piece and winning the whole game.
4. 4 Place your horses on the board. Let the child walk like horses on an empty board. The “L” move is rather unusual and may take some time to master. Select the square on the board to which the child needs to get with his knight. This will teach your child to think several moves ahead.
   • When the child is comfortable with the knights, add pawns and play the same game as before with the other pieces.
5. 5 Play with knights, rooks, bishops and pawns. Place all these pieces on the board. The goal is still to be the first to advance your pawn to the last rank. This is a rather difficult game, but after previous training, the child must master it.
   • The child will begin to explore different positions and how the figures interact with each other.
   • If your child has difficulty, return to one of the simpler games. Take your time and allow your child to gradually learn at their own pace.
6. 6 Play with queen, king, pawns and rooks. With this game you can introduce your child to the concepts of checkmate and checkmate. Check means attacking the king, and with checkmate, the king has nowhere to hide from the check. Use only 4 pawns per player.
   • Remind the child that White always moves first, and that a move is considered perfect as soon as a player takes his hand off a piece.
   • Concentrate on the moves of the king and queen.
7. 7 Play chess with all the pieces. When the child learns how each piece moves, play a regular chess game with him. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king. Remind your child that when the last rank is reached, the pawn becomes a queen.
   • As before, if the child wants to return to simpler play, allow him to do so.

Method 3 of 4: Learning More Difficult Moves

1. 1 Explain how pawns are promoted. When the last rank is reached, the pawn turns into another piece. She can become a queen, rook, bishop or knight. As soon as the pawn reaches the last rank, it can be replaced with a piece of your choice. Most often, pawns are turned into queens.
   • More than one queen of the same color can be on the board at the same time.
   • You can say the following: “If your pawn reaches the opposite edge of the board, it can turn into another piece. You can select this shape. The queen is most often chosen. "
2. 2 Explain the capture of a pawn on the pass (enpassan, anpassan, from fr. en passant - "on the way"). Such a capture is possible if the pawn makes the first move and moves two squares, and the opponent's pawn is located nearby. If your opponent's pawn beats a square through which your pawn has passed, it can take a similar pawn on the next move. If the capture on the aisle did not occur immediately after the first move of the pawn, it becomes impossible in the future.
   • This move is rarely seen in a regular game. Arrange the pawns appropriately and demonstrate en route capture.
   • A pawn can never turn into a king.
3. 3 Explain what the term castling means. Castling consists in the simultaneous movement of the king and rook. If there are no other pieces between the king and the rook and they have not moved before, you can castle. In this case, the king moves two squares towards the rook, and that one jumps over it to the square next to it.
   • Before castling, the king and rook must be in their original positions.
   • Castling is impossible if the king is in check.

Method 4 of 4: Be a Good Teacher

1. 1 Make sure the learning process is fun. Talk about the figures as fighters in war and describe the game as a battle. You can also come up with an entire battle story to further interest the child. If your child is no stranger to modern technology, there are computer games, video games, and applications that can be used to teach chess.
   • These games also help to improve the learning process and introduce the child to the different positions that can arise during play.
   SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

   

   Vitaly Neimer

   
   
   International Chess Master Vitaliy Neymer is an International Chess Master and a certified professional chess coach with over 15 years of coaching experience. He was a member of the US national chess team SPICE (Webster University) and twice became the champion of Israel.

   Vitaly Neimer
   International Chess Master

   Expert advice: “To involve the child, turn the moves into a story or a fairy tale. For example, we can say that the pawn moves two squares forward, and the trampoline helps it in this. Get creative! "

2. 2 Encourage your child. Reward your child for learning something new, no matter how great the next achievement. This could be the announcement of a check to the king or the correct placement of the pieces. Encourage your child even if something doesn't work out for him.
   • You can say, “It's nothing that you haven't won. During the game you made some very good knight moves. "
3. 3 Let your child make mistakes. Play and teach your child while playing. Correct him if he walks incorrectly. Let your child change moves to encourage them. Make intentional mistakes and give your child the opportunity to win multiple games.
   • Once the child has mastered the basic rules, he will begin to learn by playing and acting out various positions.
   • Emphasize that people learn throughout their lives and that there is always room for improvement.

Tips

• Do not scold your child, otherwise you will discourage him from studying further.
• Chess is a difficult game. Take your time and gradually move on. Chess books can be of great benefit. Encourage your child to read children's chess books.
• Consider teaching two children to play chess at the same time. They will be able to play with each other and thereby improve their skills.
• Teach your child on weekends or during vacations, as the rest of the time he can be very busy at school.
• Buy a chess set that has clues for moves on the pieces.
  • The queen on the crown has precious inclusions in all directions, which is why he can move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, that is, in all directions.
  • The bishop (officer) has a diagonal cut because it moves diagonally.
  • The rook has vertical and horizontal slots on top, since it moves both horizontally and vertically.
  • The pawn is small in size, since it moves only one square at a time (except for the first move).
  • The king has only one cross on top, and this is because he can only move one square in any direction.
  • The knight resembles the letter "G", as it moves with the letter "G".