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chess for 6 yr old- Xpost


Alice
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I don't often post here and I'm don't really think my son is gifted the way many of the kids here are but I thought people here might have an answer for me. :)

 

My almost 6 yr old is really interested in learning to play chess. I have no idea how to play. Dh knows how to play and is willing to teach him, but he isn't the most natural at teaching at 6 yr old. Not bashing dh at all, he's a very good teacher...but just not used to teaching young kids.

 

I was wondering if anyone knew of any materials out there that either dh or I could use to teach ds. Something fun...I'm not trying to push ds to learn this but he's mentioned many many times that he wants to learn so I figure I should try it.

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Try No-Stress Chess. When you first start playing, you use a side of the board that shows how to set it up, and you play with cards, which teaches you how each piece moves. (Also useful if the two players are of very different skill levels, as there is quite a bit of luck involved.) When you're ready, turn the game board over and play a regular game of chess.

 

Within a few weeks of playing this game, the 5 year old could play a regular game of chess, and the 3 year old could set up a game board perfectly (though he couldn't move the pieces). I would guess that once your dc gets started, your dh will have an easier time teaching him.

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Try No-Stress Chess. When you first start playing, you use a side of the board that shows how to set it up, and you play with cards, which teaches you how each piece moves. (Also useful if the two players are of very different skill levels, as there is quite a bit of luck involved.) When you're ready, turn the game board over and play a regular game of chess.

 

We also purchased No-Stress Chess.

Mandy

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We are using Quick Chess for our 6yo: there are about 10 different games, you start using only pawns on a board with fewer squares, then each game introduces another piece until finally you turn the board over to use the full sized one and play 'real' chess.

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I tried WinterPromise's "Knights of the Square Table" with my oldest when she was 5. It's a good program for learning chess but she never really got into the game (and to be honest I don't care much for it either). So we shelved it a couple months into the year.

 

As a FYI, WP is a Protestant Christian company, but the chess program appeared to be secular.

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My boys really enjoyed the CD-ROMs "Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster." They also liked the Chesskids website that somebody else mentioned. They both took in-person chess classes at around that age.

 

I enjoyed it when they played chess. I wish they still liked it.

 

Have fun,

Jean

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Highly recommend Kids' Book of Chess by Harvey Kidder. I picked up a copy at a book sale for 50 cents. It didn't have the chess set that comes with the new copies on Amazon, but the book taught our children (ages 7 and 9) easily. It helped that we were doing Ambleside Year 2 at the time, which is medieval history, and the book comes at chess telling the story of the medieval battlefield the chess board represents. Not big on strategy, but perfect for learning chess basics.

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DH had me hunt down a copy of White King, Black KingMy girls have loved it. We've also borrowed Checkmate at Chess City from the library many times. DD is sitting next to me as I type, and having seen it on amazon is now pleading with me to buy a copy!

Edited by freerange
edited because the underling went a little doolally!
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I second the suggestions for Lego Chess and Fritz and Chesster. (There are two different Fritz and Chesster games, and while both are good, my ds seemed to prefer the original one.)

 

If you buy Lego Chess, be sure it will work with your computer's operating system. The game has been around for a long time, and many of the ones I've seen for sale have been the Windows 95 version, which may or may not work on your computer.

 

Cat

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Our kids started with the DVD/workbooks from Championship Chess.

 

We also use the materials to teach a chess class at co-op. I highly recommend them.

 

 

 

My daughter did this class for two years at a co-op and she loved chess using these books. She also got her books signed by Steve Schneider when he was in town, a really nice guy. You might check your cable tv, I have seen his classes show up every now and then on Direct TV.

The books /dvd are worth their weight in gold to learn chess.

 

Before that class she used Fritz and Chesster which are great.

 

Chess is really alot of fun, and I think it is great he wants to learn.

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