Chess for Children: How to Play the World's Most Popular Board Game Hardcover – April 1, 2004

Bought this for my first grade grandson who want to joint the chess team! His mother reports that he is fascinated with the book and very focused on the diagrams.

I am using this book to teach my two older children (6 and 4) and my wife (who never learned) how to play chess.It is WELL done at having bite sized lessons followed by exercises. (I add some additional ones of my own.)I was concerned about the algebraic chess notation lesson with my four year old, but he did great!The best part about this book is that it isn't just a "here are the rules" book. Last night we went through the lesson on the value of pieces and talking about whether a swap is good or not. Some other really good lessons are the ones showing common checkmates, that talk about what to do when in check, and the chapter on forks, pins, and skewers.This is a great book, but understand that it is for the absolute beginner. I think it is going MUCH better using this book than if I had tried to teach the kids just by myself.

I bought this to teach a kindergartner how to play. As I worked through it, I found it easier and more effective to just teach him straight ahead.In other words, I walked him through the name and function of each piece. I explained the board and piece layout. I explained castling and en passant. He got it.The exercises are good, but I used the book for ideas and for a sense of curriculum. That's why I give it four stars.While the book may have been used differently than I expected, it served my goal: to teach a young one chess.Anthony Trendlanthonytrendl.com

My 6yo son got into the chess club in 1st grade and I felt this book as the wisest 1st book. I still agree it is the best 1st book most people should get, BUT his chess instructor thinks he should just be having fun playing the game. I'll probably be sneaking him through this book, but in as playful a manner, as possible. It is a tough call. I tend to overdue things and I don't want him burnt out, because of my expectations for his success. It is more important to have fun than to win, although most people find winning extremely fun... LOLAll in all, it is a great book covering ALL the general basics... 5 stars!

This is a great book for children learning to play chess. I have a 7 and a 4 year old. The tests in the book keeps my 7 year old motivated to learn the lessons and earn "points" (That's how the book structures it). My 4 year old isn't old enough for the in-depth lessons, but is captured by the cartooned portions of the book as he learns basic names and moves. My 7 y/o will likely continue to learn strategy from this book for several months as he practices what he learns. All in all this is a great book that will help them advance over at least a year, if not more if they are younger. I recommend it.

I just received this book and have spent about an hour looking through it. I'd been intending to give it to my niece and two nephews (11, 9, & 5 yrs old) but after being initially charmed by the illustrations and impressed by its comprehensiveness, I'm now having second thoughts. As has been noted in some of the other reviews, there's a real disparity between the book's packaging and its reading level. The illustrations, typeface, and page size certainly look like those of a children's primer, but the text actually reads like a CliffsNotes guide to the game, with liberal use of "i.e." and chess jargon that is often under-explained, or as in the case of "control" and "develop", never defined at all. The problem is most acute in the final 20 pages, a rushed, confusing, and (I imagine) intimidating introduction to openings and strategy. Pedagogically, what really differentiates much of this book from more adult-oriented tutorials is its terseness. Topics that would typically rate four or five pages in a book like "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" are condensed to one, with most of the explanation appearing as captions to arrow-filled diagrams.I suspect that publishers of children's books feel a need to keep their page counts down. Perhaps they think that expecting a nine-year-old to read more than a hundred pages about a topic like chess is just too much to ask. They might be right -- I don't know -- but the answer in that case is to market something that covers less of the game and in a more gentle fashion.

I want to teach my nine year old granddaughter to play chess but I haven't played myself since high school, so I needed my own refresher in order to be able to instruct her correctly. This book teaches the game so much better than I could do on my own. It introduces the moves of the different pieces and the game strategy in small bites; never more than a young person can grasp at once. And it has abundant illustrations, so your young player can visualize the concept being introduced. And the sequence of new material makes perfect sense. So logical! Really glad I found this book. It's a bargain, and fun to boot. Highly recommend.

I started teaching my son chess when he was almost 4 and got this after his 4th birthday. It's fun, easy to follow and perfect for a beginner since it starts with the very basics and then goes into more complicated topics all while maintaining a light, conversational tone that is not intimidating for a child. In fact, I think that this is also a good book for any adult who is not familiar with the game since so many instructional chess books are unbearably dry and dull.