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At the risk of totally hijacking your thread (sorry), I'm wondering when/how you all introduced your kids to chess? DD3 keeps asking me to teach her, but I can't imagine that she'd have the patience yet.

In K. Our area has a very strong tradition in chess, many kids learn and compete in tournaments regularly. Most kids (that I know of here) who are good chess players started in K because schools have chess clubs. A few started before going to K. It really depends on the kid.

I forget exactly how we got started. I'm sure his interest had to do with Harry Potter and the first book/movie where Ron plays wizard's chess. Ah yes! That was it! He asked me to teach him "wizard's" chess :-) I got him a checkers/chess board and then later and got him Chesster and Fritz.

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Play-Chess-Fritz-Chesster/dp/B0000950SM

Lately, for whatever reason, his interest has really grown. That's pretty typical for DS. It's like an idea stays dormant for a little bit and then he dives down deep with zest!

JB

Harpo and Groucho like this book: "Chess: Easy Steps to Play Your Best Game" (Dorling Kindersley, 2007).

It seems to me we got started in the first place because the kids are so wound up about medieval history! Anything involving knights, castles, and kings was bound to grab them. (smile)

peace
minnie

Glad you're having a good summer, JB!

Hi JB - if your son is still into Wizard's chess, you can play it on the Wii game Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I believe you can give your level of play at some point. http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-...videogames&qid=1249404434&sr=8-1

(I have heard a rumor that the next Lego wii game will be HP; so maybe that will have wizard's chess too!)

Do you happen to know whether the chess game is for casual play or can actually take good players?

Sorry - I don't know. We're just casual chess players here, and DS hasn't used it for awhile (and it was on pretty easy mode then.) But it was very fun to watch DS5 waving his wii-wand and shouting "expelliarmus!" during the other parts of the game.

no5no5, there's a board game that my two DSs (at 3 or 4) enjoyed and it was a good introduction to chess. It's called No Stress Chess. Around here, it's always at Barnes and Noble, and I've seen it in various toy departments. It is basically chess with playing cards. You set up the chess board as usual, and draw a card from the deck. The card tells you which piece you must move. If I recall correctly, you can choose from moving what's on your card, or what's on the last card your opponent picked.

It has a somewhat different strategy than chess -- aggressive moves generally fare better in No Stress Chess. It simplified things enough, though, when DSs were just learning, so that they didn't have to review every single piece on the board to determine their next move. With the element of chance, it also levels the playing field somewhat when kids who are in their early learning stages are playing with an adult. It results in much shorter games than an actual chess game as well.

I hope this helps.

I've heard good things about No Stress Chess as well. Just haven't used it personally.

JB

We got No Stress Chess after someone here recommended it. The good thing for us is that on one side of the board, there are pictures showing you where the pieces go, and on the other there is a regular (blank) chess board. When we haven't played for awhile, DS will use the side with pictures. He played with the cards once, but then just wanted to play "the real way." But I think it's a great concept.

I believe Grinity suggested that you give new chess players a change to switch sides if they find themselves in a pickle. Then they get all your extra pieces and you don't have to always play all the way below your own level when teaching your child. My DS5 recently did this while playing chess with his older cousins (10+). He still lost, because they played their regular game, but he got to play longer!