Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Chess resources thread

I'd like to start a thread where we can collect all the chess resources people know about in one place. I am just starting to learn about what is out there in this area. Here is what I know about. PLease add!

Physical Games

Solitaire Chess

This is not "real chess" and has some aspects that are sort of strange, but if your child is constantly begging to play chess and sometimes lacks an opponent, it can be nice. We find that the rating of the problems is a bit inconsistent. Should be fine for bright kids ages 5 and up, even without much chess experience.
http://www.amazon.com/Think-Fun-340...83745735&sr=8-1&keywords=solitaire+chess


No Stress Chess

We have not tried this but many people seem to like it as a basic intro to the game.
http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Moves...83745855&sr=8-1&keywords=no+stress+chess

Computer DVDs

Learn to PLay Chess with Fritz and Chesster

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Play-Ch...and+chesster+learn+to+play+chess+-+vol+1

We have this and my DS5 loves it. It is engaging but NOT dumbed down. You have to finish the challenges to proceed all the way through, and some are hard. He has finished vol 1 and is halfway through Vol 2. Note that it appears only to be available for Vista/7/XP. There are some other versions, I think.

Websites

http://www.chesskid.com/

DS loves this website. However, it is frustratingly limited unless you pay the steep $50 membership fee. Activities will be snatched out from under your nose. I dislike the bait and switch aspect, but the material is good enough that we are considering paying. You can play online for free with other kids here, but I worry about the seemingly unregulated chat. (It may be monitored somehow) One VERY good feature you CAN get for free is the "chess curriculum" in PDF form.

http://www.kidchess.com/

I have not explored this much yet, but it looks to have some good puzzles.

http://mateinone.com/

Mate in One puzzles. DS found some of them easy but then got frustrated by others. Would like to find a site where you can set the difficulty.

http://www.chessmagnetschool.com/

Here you can sign up for a year of chess training for $30. DS did the trial and did not find it extremely engaging. He may be just a little too young, or too used to the bells and whistles of Fritz and Chesster.

www.chess.com

Grown-up version of chesskid. Some good articles available here: http://www.chess.com/blog/webmaster/free-chess-mentor-courses A vast world I have not yet really explored.


Books

Chess Tactics for Kids

This was recommended to us but we don't love it. It's a bit advanced for our purposes and DS has a hard time reading notation at this point.

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics...1&sr=8-1&keywords=chess+tactics+for+kids

Apps

ChessKid
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=chesskid&hl=en

Has daily free puzzles (limit 3, I think) and ability to play online with a short time limit.

Chess Free

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.aifactory.chessfree&hl=en

Nice artificial intelligence engine allows you to play the computer on levels of difficulty from easy to very hard. An advanced beginner child should be able to beat the engine on easy levels. You can also play 2-player chess with a friend in person (nice if you're somewhere w/o a board), but no online chess.

Tactic Trainer
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thecvsi.tactictrainer&hl=en

Short puzzles. Will adjust to your performance. These are hard, and we don't always agree with the solution, but it's a nice little distraction and surely good for one's game.

Chesstempo.com

Untimed tactics practice that presents progressively harder puzzles.

Majestic Chess

CD computer game that offers tactics practice in a fun, game based adventure setting.

My son practices on chess.com since the time control on chesskid.com aren't adequate.

Yes, we don't like the limited time on chesskid.com either! What's with that? But I didn't think he could really handle chess.com yet with random opponents. It also seems like a risky place to set a child loose--no? He does play there with his grandfather.

Gabalyn, what do you use on chesstempo? My son is still only 5 so he is not too advanced yet.

My son is 9 and plays on chess.com almost every day. Usually, no one chats. Many of his opponents may not even speak English. I am always close by. There is a way to turn off chat, I think. But I haven't found it necessary.

Just for fun, check out iPad or iPhone app 3d Magic Chess. Not great for practice, but stunning.

Chess.emrald.net is another tactics server.

On chesstempo.com, he does the tactics training, where he is presented with puzzles, and has to choose the move that wins material. It might be too advanced for a five-year-old. Have you taken a look at zoomChess.com? Same curriculum as chessmagnetschool.com, but presented in a more appealing way. As I recall, it was fairly expensive.

chessclub.com is good for playing games online.

For someone wanting to play games 45 minutes or longer, it is best for ratings under 1500. But for blitz games even higher rated players can find opponents quickly.

The rating question is still pretty mystifying to me, so I don't know where DS falls on this. We struggle with knowing whom he should be playing in online settings. It's discouraging to him to be completely obliterated. Obviously he needs to avoid players over 1000, but other than that I am unclear if we should be looking for 400 and under, 600 and under, or whether these ratings are not really useful in the end. He was given a rating in the 600s after his first tournament, but he only played 4 games.

Ultramarina, Kidchess.com has something called "kid chess evaluator" maybe that can tell you what rating? Also it has "Flash Chess" child can choose the level and paly against the computer. My son was doing that yesterday and enjoyed it...