There has been much written about the health benefits of chess for everyone, but especially for children. Benjamin Franklin even praised the game, which inspired him to write The Morals of Chess. You can see online chess lessons for more information.

Since the age of seven, chess has had the ability to improve concentration and teach teamwork and patience. It also improves reading and math scores.

Make Chess omnipresent

Your child should be taught chess from a young age.

When I was growing up, guitars were everywhere in my family. My grandparents, aunts, and uncles were professional musicians and singers. They were my role model. Being able to play the guitar whenever I passed by, naturally led me to it. It was always there if I felt the need to try a new chord. Every small success made playing guitar more enjoyable. You can use the same learning method to learn chess.

Be a role-model

Play chess with your child. It’s much simpler than you think. A working chess set should be kept in a central area of the home, so that curious children can see it as they go. You can have instructional books on chess at home. If chess is your favourite game, you can display chess-inspired art. Support or start a chess club in your child’s school or community. Get him or her involved. Host chess parties with friends and family and invite them to play chess at home. Encourage your children to play chess on long car rides by keeping a travel chess board in their cars. Make chess an everyday activity in your child’s life.

Begin to teach your child basic forms of the game, such as these, and, like reading, help them grow in understanding and complexity.

The Pawn Game

* Put the pawn pieces on the chessboard. See which player gets the most pieces from the other side.
* Pawns move forward in one square. Except for the first move, they can choose one or two squares.
* Pawns can only capture opposing pawns diagonally. When confronted head on by an opponent’s pawn, the pawns are “stuck”, and will not move until the adjacent diagonal option is available.

This is a great way learn how the pawns work and to benefit from the cooperation of the other pawns. A pawn special case is called an “en passant” (in passing) and is not required here to play this simple game.