Excercises for children (or beginners)

Hi,

I'm going to be teaching chess to a class of children (ages 7 to 11) from September. I was wondering if anyone has any advice about simple exercises which I can get them to do which will help them improve. Here's what I have so far:

1) Start with an empty board. Put black pawns on c3, c6, f3 and f6 and a white knight on a1. Using legal knight moves get the knight from a1 to h1 to h2 to a2 to a3 to h3 etc. but without taking a pawn or landing on a square which is attacked by a pawn. This one is good because they can do it on their own without an opponent.

2) Black pawn on e2, black king on d2. White queen on h8, white king on a8. White to move should be able to win.

3) White pawn on e2, king on e1. Black king on e8. Practise trying to win as White and draw as Black.

I'm not a big fan of chess problems as such, though sheets containing a series of positions with a similar theme, e.g. backrank mates, forks etc. will be used.

I appreciate any help or advice you can give, particularly from those who have experience teaching chess.

Jon

Originally posted by Fat Lady
Hi,

I'm going to be teaching chess to a class of children (ages 7 to 11) from September. I was wondering if anyone has any advice about simple exercises which I can get them to do which will help them improve. Here's what I have so far:

1) Start with an empty board. Put black pawns on c3, c6, f3 and f6 and a white knight on a1. Using legal knight move ...[text shortened]... lp or advice you can give, particularly from those who have experience teaching chess.

Jon

I reckon your theory with pieces on the board of say black and they have one major white piece and have to work out how to take the pieces
i.e. set up three black pieces and a white knight and get them to take all three with the kight on every knight move. This can the be increased to 4 and five pieces getting them to see how a knight moves, think ahead as to two or three moves etc
This can then be done with a bishop, rook then queen
My logic being that kids tend to have problems thinking more than one or two moves and tend not to have a strong understanding of how pieces move until they have played several games.

Put both kings and 1 queen of either color (doesn't matter) and place them in the middle of the board. Have them work out the mate til it eventually reaches "the kiss of death" as my coach would call it. Then do the same with the rook (a bit harder but essential to master especially at a scholastic level). The concept of discovered check or "hidden missile" is also easy to teach and learn.

Along with that, just teaching about developing toward the center and making your pieces active should help. Once you know where your pieces are supposed to be and how to attack with them (such as discovered check), they should start picking it up if they're interested.

set up some forced attacks... and some sacrifices

i am teaching my daughter chess,she has just turned seven .
I got her a cd rom called fritz and chester plays chess from amazon.
Its aimed at this age group.
There are some great exercises you can take from this cd rom.

A great thred by the way!!

Try setting up the board with just King and Pawns vs. King and Pawns. Or set up symetrical and assymetrical positions. For example: Set up positions with four connected pawns vs. three connected pawns or positions with four vs. three on one side and three vs. two on the other side of the board. Do the same but add one Rook for each side. Change the disposition of forces by dropping in a Bishop for one side and a Knight for the other. These exercises simulate actual play and will be useful later on when the players encounter these positions over the board in an actual game.

Ive read that the book "chess for juniors" is used alot in schools to teach children chess.

bump

I've seen suicide chess go down well with this age group. Starting position as with normal chess but the object is to lose all your pieces.

Another fun variant good for this age is team chess...in groups of 4...when you win a piece you pass it to your team mate (who is playing the same colour as your opponent). Now your team mate can "use a move" to place this piece anywhere they like on the board.

Also, synrchonised moves for the whole class: white moves (all players on white have to make there move) wait 10 seconds then blow a whistle or ring a bell and black moves etc.

Also, set the tables / boards up in a circle (no chairs) and play a simul against pairs of them i.e. two of them play white against your black etc....encourage them to discuss what they are doing as you charge round taking 5 seconds to move on each board. At the end get them to think about the discussion they had with their partner and suggest they use an internal dialogue with them selves next time they play.

You can make a huge chess board with black & white kitchen floor tiles and make the pieces by drawing newspaper style pieces onto paper plates...a quick coat of varnish will help them last.

Have fun

Originally posted by Fat Lady
Hi,

I'm going to be teaching chess to a class of children (ages 7 to 11) from September. I was wondering if anyone has any advice about simple exercises which I can get them to do which will help them improve. Here's what I have so far:

1) Start with an empty board. Put black pawns on c3, c6, f3 and f6 and a white knight on a1. Using legal knight move ...[text shortened]... lp or advice you can give, particularly from those who have experience teaching chess.

Jon

I suggest to teach them you get a beginner book like the abc's of chess, the novice chess player's manual, chess for juniors.

Also, I recommend chess tactics for beginners( but only about the first 100 problems)

Good Luck teaching!

Originally posted by Mahout
I've seen suicide chess go down well with this age group. Starting position as with normal chess but the object is to lose all your pieces.

Have fun

Is really suicide chess a good idea to young people learning chess?

I think you have to teach them the correct rules and nothing but the correct rules.
If you teach them that it is good to lose a King, then no one should be surprised when thy suddenly is mated in a normal game. Young people learn incredibly fast, even wrong rules, and they stick in memory.

On the other hand it is fun with suicide chess when you know chess, played it a lot already, and can differ from normal games and other forms of chess with different rules.

In tournaments you have to rely on your brain and that the brain use de correct rules and nothing else.

Suicidal chess is suicide for beginners.
And those who teaches it is driven by homicidal urges.
That's my humble opinion.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Is really suicide chess a good idea to young people learning chess?

I think you have to teach them the correct rules and nothing but the correct rules.
If you teach them that it is good to lose a King, then no one should be surprised when thy suddenly is mated in a normal game. Young people learn incredibly fast, even wrong rules, and they stick in me ...[text shortened]... r beginners.
And those who teaches it is driven by homicidal urges.
That's my humble opinion.

I think it can be a useful device if you have a group of children of varying abilities who have been studying hard in school all day and don't appear to be in the mood for chess, as sometimes may happen...it can provide a change of tempo and some fun for a short part of a session. The rules I've seen used don't allow you to be in check, you just have to lose all your pieces to win. The other rule being that if you can take an opponents piece you must. I couln't give a properly researched answer as to if this is a real benefit in itself but I've seen a group of kids (of this age group) have their focus and concentration appear to improve after 5 to 10 minutes of suicide chess within an hour & half session. I agree it's for kids who can already play.