By Stacy DeBroff

Chess teaches logic based on strategic planning of actions and reactions. It also helps your child anticipate the consequences of his actions and think creatively.

• It improves concentration, focus, self-discipline, calculation, and critical thinking skills.

• Chess enhances memory skills as a player must remember prior moves and strategies to plan an attack and also because there are so many moves one can make in the first 10 moves of the game.

• As players must be keenly aware of position and an opponent’s responses, reactions, and strategies, chess develops awareness and analysis and teaches pattern recognition.

• When played competitively, chess helps children make quick decisions under a great amount of pressure.

KIDS WHO TEND TO EXCEL

• Typically, children who excel at chess have the ability to concentrate extremely well, and many are either music or math-oriented.
• Children tend to be equally split between introverts and extroverts.

BEST AGE TO START

• While a child can be taught the rudiments of chess as young as age 5, most children join a chess club or start lessons around age 7, which is when most kids develop the ability to focus and concentrate on the game.

• The younger a child starts, the more difficult it will be for him to understand the complexities of the rules and strategies.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN GETTING STARTED

• Chess can be engaged in on many levels from casual, social play through organized scholastic and club play, to local, state, national and international competition.

• Find an instructor with the patience to teach children, especially younger ones. There’s a common tendency among chess teachers to teach over the heads of students, resulting in both your child and teacher becoming frustrated by the lack of progress. If you are considering a private tutor for your child, look for an instructor willing to adapt to your child’s needs and skill level.

• Seek out recommendations from parents of children who have been taking lessons from a specific teacher for at least a year, and interview the instructor to see if his personality complements that of your child’s. Many chess club programs offer free help for beginners from older players.

• In a group lesson, look for a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 8 students.

• Instruction time should balance teaching basic strategies and tactics with playing time. Ask whether instruction takes place, in the form of short lessons or individual help. In some programs the children simply come and play for an hour or so while the instructor only works with a few of the kids.

• It is highly recommended that children always play touch-move and touch-capture, as this rule applies to all tournaments. If you touch a piece with your hands, you have to move that piece as long as it has a legal move. This rule enables your child to understand true cause-and-effect thinking, which leads him to be a skillful and mature player. The difficult part of touch-move is if the piece touched has no good moves, then the player is stuck, has to move it, and will most likely lose the piece.

• At chess clubs, children usually begin by playing others their own age or skill level, but your child can meet many different kinds of players with a wide array of styles. Because of the variety of players, your child will meet stronger opponents who will help him improve. Also, your child will have the chance to make friends who share his interest in chess.

• The decision to enter tournaments depends on your child’s emotional maturity. The first time your child plays, he will likely be up against more experienced players. Try to find an instructor who is actively involved with chess tournaments.

• Most tournaments are timed, except for beginners, to ensure that each round starts on time and games do not extend too long. A chess clock, comprised of two connected clocks, has two push buttons on top of each. When one is pressed, the other button is pushed up and causes that clock to begin ticking. The added time pressure makes the game more challenging because if your clock runs out, you lose. Common time controls are either 30, 60 or 90 minutes, during which specified time each player must complete their moves or lose based on running out of time. Games with time controls between 10 to 29 minutes inclusive fall into the separate category of “Quick Chess” for rankings purposes.

COST CONSIDERATIONS

• Depending on an instructor’s credentials, private chess lessons range from $15 to $50 per hour.

• Depending on your child’s age and if he wants to play tournament chess, membership in the U.S. Chess Federation has an annual fee of $13 to $40 a year.

• In addition to membership fees, tournament fees range from $10 to $50 per tournament. National fees run more expensive than local fees.

• If your child wants to play competitive chess, he will need a chess clock. While chess equipment is typically cheap, the chess clock ranges from about $25 to $120.

• Traveling expenses for away tournaments can become quite costly due to the hotel and meal expenses.

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