Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources chess variants

Probably y'all already knew about such things, but I didn't!

Harpo has recently discovered Xiangqi and Shogi (Chinese and Japanese versions of chess, respectively), and loves them (and now has even more games in which he can easily trounce his mumma!).

I just thought some of the other junior chess fiends around here might enjoy these games, too.

mm

Minniemarx

Little'un has played chess for a long time, and beats me (not his mum)

I'm going to take a look at these. Have yours tried Go?

Thanks

Also IMHO Go is a wonderful game for little ones, because they can begin to play so quickly and early on in the game-learning process.

minniemarx, I have played Shogi but not Xiangqi in younger days. Check out the chess variants here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_variants

I also enjoyed playing several of the listed variants, including Capablanca Chess, in younger days (okay, let's be honest, decades ). Your son might enjoy the ChessV program, free chess-variant-playing software:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChessV

And, of course, there is the most challenging variant of all:
http://media.fukung.net/images/7571/71_pics_145759.jpg

Little'un leared from me - at 5 am one winter morning which was the time he used to get up. Honed his skills on Lego Chess program. Not sure if you can still get it, but well worth a $few if you can finds it and want your little'uns to learn.

Thanks for the suggestions, gentlemen! We haven't tried Go, Raddy--I'll put it on the list. And thanks for the link to the other variants, lucounu (he's been trying to talk me into learning Alice and Ultima so that he can beat me at those, too--but now I see that there are dozens of others--oh my, oh my; software might be just the ticket for getting mum off the hook...)

Your last link made me laugh, lucounu.

Thanks again to you both,
minnie

And, the Internet Chess Club (yearly membershiip) has variants WILD, LOSERS, CRAZYHOUSE, along with bullet, blitz, chess 360, standard, and "straight" chess games at 1,3,5,15,and 45 minute time controls. All of these games are played against adults and children around the world. There are chat options, though, that, of course need to be watched.