5 Tips To Find a Good Chess Instructor For Children

Looking for a solid chess instructor for your talented, intellectually curious child? Here’s a no-frills, foolproof guide that will connect your child with the most suitable chess teacher. 

1. Identify what qualities you’re looking for in a chess instructor 

2. Decide between private and group chess classes 

3. Be thorough when vetting chess instructors for your child 

4. Consider your child’s chess-learning platforms

5. Find a chess instructor who’s pleasant and easy to work with 

Maybe your child has recently shown interest in learning how to play chess. Or maybe they’re a bona fide chess prodigy who reminds you of teenage Magnus Carlsen–who, in 2004, famously went head to head with the formidable Garry Kasparov, one of the greatest chess players of all time. 

Whatever the case, your child can definitely elevate their chess game with some professional chess mentorship. And if that’s what you’re looking for, this page is exactly where you should be. 

If you want a high-quality chess teacher who’s knowledgeable about chess and has your child’s best interest at heart, you, as their parent, will need to do your due diligence. 

Your child, no matter their chess level, deserves a great teacher who can nurture their curiosity and guide them to the next level of chess achievement. So, without further ado, here are 5 things to keep in mind when finding your child a good chess instructor. 

What Qualities Make A Great Chess instructor?

If there are only 2 qualities you need to look out for when finding a chess instructor, it’s their level of chess knowledge and how fun they are as a teacher! 

You need to remember that chess is a game and that games are supposed to be fun. That means if you want your child to make any reasonable amount of progress as a chess player, they should be enjoying the learning process. 

A great chess instructor sparks a love and enthusiasm for chess. And kids who are enthusiastic about chess learn and accomplish more than kids who are less excited about the game. 

It’s also important to have a chess instructor who exhibits a decent amount of knowledge about chess. Does your child’s chess instructor have to be a grandmaster? Probably not, unless your child is already a very strong chess player who wants to seriously improve their game. 

Chances are, you just need an instructor who possesses a solid understanding of chess rules, tactics, and strategies and can cater to your child’s level.  Not all grandmasters are great teachers and there are many great teachers who will never be grandmasters.  

At Silver Knights, we have chess instructors for all levels who make chess fun for kids. Try a chess class to see if Silver Knights is where your child belongs. 

Private vs Group Chess Classes?

One of the most important factors to consider when finding a chess instructor for your child is whether you want private or group chess lessons. 

While both formats have their pros and cons, at Silver Knights, we don’t offer private lessons because we believe group chess lessons are more fun and provide more social opportunities for our students. After all, kids need to learn through play, and what better way to achieve this than by playing alongside peers of similar levels and ages? 

In addition to being more fun and social, group classes are typically more affordable than a private lesson with a similarly rated instructor.   Because we have many instructors teaching at all levels,  we have already found the perfect instructor when your child is ready to move up.  With private lessons, it can be time consuming to find the next instructor as your child progresses. 

We offer group lessons because we genuinely believe they’re the most fun and effective way for your child to learn chess. You can even take a trial chess class and see for yourself! 

Vetting Chess Instructors For Children

Let’s be real: there’s a lot of chess instructors out there. But, sadly, not all of them are very good. By this, we mean not all chess teachers possess a solid understanding of chess tactics and strategies and have a knack for teaching kids. 

That’s why it’s important for you to have a rigorous, thorough vetting process when looking for a chess instructor for your child. 

Thankfully, we’ve made this step easy for you. At Silver Knights, our coaches have been carefully screened to ensure our students receive top-notch chess instruction. 

There’s a reason we consistently receive positive reviews online and boast high retention rates among our students. If you’re interested in trying out a program that chess parents and students alike have been raving about for so many years, take a trial chess lesson. 

Where Can Kids Learn Chess Online?

Different coaches use different chess-learning platforms.  While the chess may be correct, kids will be more engaged if the platform is fun and interactive. 

There are many decent platforms out there that can help your child level up their chess skills, but few are as dynamic, interactive, and comprehensive as the classroom tool created by Chessable.com.  With this platform, kids can touch and move the pieces rather than just watching and listening to the teacher. 

As the main teaching platform used by coaches at Silver Knights, Chessable Classroom allows coaches to engage with their students in real time. In addition, it also provides kids the opportunity to complete chess puzzles, play in tournaments, and analyze chess games, among other things. 

Silver Knights coaches also supplement their teaching material with exercises and puzzles from websites like Chess.com and ChessKid.com. These sites also happen to be enormously popular platforms for playing live online chess games, where your child can get extra practice. 

In this day and age, your child has the luxury of having a wealth of online chess resources right at their fingertips.  This instant availability of chess information is a huge part of why kids are advancing so quickly at chess these days. Understandably, as a parent, you’re probably very careful about the websites and platforms your child can access. 

At Silver Knights, we’re well aware of those concerns, and that’s why we’ve selected the specific platforms we use for teaching chess to kids. 

Find An Experienced Chess Teacher For Kids

With your child going to school and possibly being involved in other extracurricular activities, life can be busy and stressful. That’s why, when finding a good chess instructor for your child, you want the whole experience to be as easy and seamless as possible. 

By using a monthly payment system that allows cancellations at any time, Silver Knights ensures a hassle-free experience for chess parents and kids alike.  Our excellent coaches are supported by full-time program managers.  This means that you will always be able to contact someone friendly and helpful to sort out questions about billing, scheduling, makeup lessons and more. 

And because our Chess Academy boasts a large number of highly qualified chess coaches, you can rest assured you’ll be able to come up with a chess class schedule that perfectly suits your needs. Furthermore, we always have substitute coaches available, making sure you’ll never have to deal with annoying class cancellations or schedule interruptions. 

If you want a coach who prioritizes fun when teaching chess, provides a safe and inclusive group class setting for kids of various ages, enjoys positive reviews from parents and kids, uses comprehensive chess-teaching platforms to maximize your child’s learning, and goes above and beyond to provide you with a stress-free experience, look no further than Silver Knights Chess Academy! 

Online Chess Lessons for Kids with Silver Knights

Founded in 2006, this well-known chess academy has taught chess to students in all 50 states as well as outside the US. Silver Knights reaches more than 10,000 students each year through its summer and school-break camps, weekend chess tournaments, and online classes. 

Your child can be one of our students. And an easy way to get them started would be to enroll them in a trial chess class to see if Silver Knights is a good fit. A real online class with real students, the class starts with a 25-minute chess lesson and ends with chess games between students, which your child can participate in if they want to. 

We wish you the best of luck!