Chess for Children

This book is an excellent place to start teaching children chess. I almost gave it four stars because I don't think children under 7 or 8 will be able to tackle it themselves without an adult. It would still serve as an excellent guide for older children and teens and with an adult's help any younger child would love it. It has great outlines and pictures of how the pieces move, the rules, special rules (en passant for example) and can be referenced easily by anyone. Great job by Mr.Chandler.

I have seen countless books on chess aimed at youngsters over the years, but this is probably the nicest introduction I have ever seen, aimed at primary school children. The problem with so many books is that they are too ambitious, too wordy or just downright boring, but such criticisms in no way apply to this latest addition. The game is taught through the medium of a cartoon character, George, and his pet alligator, Kirsty, a self-proclaimed Grand Alligator of Chess. The large format pages and large diagrams are easier on the young eye, and the language is readily accessible to a young age group. The book consists of six parts. Part One covers the basics of how the pieces move, then subsequent parts take the young beginner through a succession of easy, welldefined stages, until by the end of the book you are able to play through and understand a complete game. The book is also very much inter-active, as there are tests interspersed at regular intervals throughout. As I said earlier, over-ambition is the main problem with so many beginners books, but here the authors have set out with the very limited objective of getting the child started on a very basic level. Opening theory, middlegame strategy and endgame technique have no place here. The emphasis is on learning the basics in an enjoyable manner. If you have a young child or relative who wants to learn chess, then I can thoroughly recommend this book, which in addition to everything I have already said comes at a very reasonable price. This review first appeared in the magazine En Passant.

We took the extended family on a trip to Florida a couple of months ago, and picked up a plastic chess set together with this book for the children. We hoped they might learn, but we could hardly predict they would become besotted. The book was a mega-hit. Although both my father-in-law (from Switzerland) and I had played a fair bit of chess in our younger days, neither of us were completely up with the rules. Having this book was useful as both a refresher course and to consult in case of dispute. I had expected CHESS FOR CHILDREN would be at least an adequate book, as a local chess coach had steered me towards it, but it was better than that, which has prompted me to do this review. The content is brilliant, and I can only agree with other reviews that this has the clearest lay-out of any chess beginner book. Another unexpected bonus was that the kids were able to follow everything in the book without the help of an adult, even learning chess notation. Visually the book scores well, being a solid hardcover with a good mix of chess moves and illustrations. The book divides nealy into six parts, starting with setting up the chessboard, and progressing to how each piece moves and some elementary advice on strategy. The first holiday where arcade games were almost forgotten! Highly recommended.

Finally! A book that teaches all the basic moves of chess in a clear, simple way, in a hardcover format where the level is consistent all the way. It sounds a reasonable ask and yet so few beginner books achieve it. Any child will enjoy this well-presented book, and frankly, if you are an adult wanting to learn, wrap the cover in brown paper and read away! When you are learning chess from scratch then simplicity is the key. On feature I appreciated was how the covers ALL the elementary topics. I have seen some starter books not including things like the en passant capture, or ways that draws can come about. This book proves that these are not too complex for youngesters. If these topics are explained and illustrated with care and clarity, they are well within the grasp of the average 6 year old. My son was so captivated with the chapter on notation that after a few minutes he came rushing in to show us how he could now write a move down! I'm so pleased that my yongest has taken up chess, as I'm convinced it can help later in life with logical thinking. It even gets him off the computer every now and then!

I gave this book to my son, aged 5, and was impressed when he sat down and read it for two hours straight. As an elementary school teacher as well as a chess player, I would recommend this book for teaching a child how to play. It is well-organized and starts with the basics - the name of each piece, how each piece moves, how to set up a chessboard. The format is large and the diagrams and arrows are attractive. My son was particularly excited by the Terribly Tough Tests that were set every few pages, with solutions at the back of the book. The authors have got the level exactly right, which in my experience very few beginner books achieve. There are sections on chess notation, draws, basic checkmates and some simple tactics, but these are all extras - the primary aim is to teach the rules and moves of chess to a youngster, and in this the book succeeds well. The benefits of chess in teaching logical thinking are well known, and it has even been proved that chess can improve a child's skill at maths. As a genuinely instructional primer, this is easily the best I have seen.