👪 How to teach a child chess
Teach one piece at a time with a mini-game for each, starting with pawns only. Add the next piece when the last one is easy, and play the whole game only when all six are known. Most children are ready for the full game after a few weeks of short sessions.
Start with the pawn game
Set up only the pawns. The first to get a pawn to the other side wins. It teaches how pawns move and capture, and it's a real game with winners and losers from day one.
Add one piece at a time
- Rooks: add a rook each. The rook can be a pawn's bodyguard.
- Bishops: add the bishops. Notice that each stays on its colour.
- Queen: add the queens. She's a rook and a bishop together.
- Knights: the tricky one. Practise jumping a knight to every square of the board.
- King: add the kings, and the idea of check. Now it's the whole game.
Teach checkmate with fewer pieces
Set up a king and queen against a king, and practise forcing checkmate. Then a king and rook. These two checkmates are the first real chess skill.
Play little and often
- Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday.
- Do the puzzle of the day together.
- Let them play the computer at an easy level.
- Win sometimes, lose sometimes. A child who always wins learns little; one who always loses stops playing.
Then openings
When a child knows the rules, teach the three opening rules: center, develop, castle. The Italian Game is a good first opening that follows all three.