When Should Children Learn Chess?

Chess is a game which anyone can learn and many of the great players started playing as young children.  Bobby Fischer was six when he first learned the moves and seven when he started playing it seriously.  Magnus Carlsen started at five and began playing in tournaments at eight.

But that does not mean that your child must start early to learn chess, nor that it is too late to start when one is a teenager or older.  Chess can be enjoyed and learned at almost any age, although there are some practical limits on how early you can start. 

In our online chess academy we accept students aged five to 15 and our Elite Academy for advanced players accepts students aged eight to 18. Here are some thoughts on what you can do to introduce your child to chess and at what ages are best.

When is it Too Early for Kids to Learn Chess?

So how early is too early when it comes to chess? The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. We have seen four-year-olds who can truly understand not just basic concepts of chess, but true chess strategy. We have seen kids as old as twelve fail to understand simple concepts like castling. Most kids fall between these two extremes. Some signs that your child is ready to learn chess are:

• Does your child play other multiplayer games? Even sports like soccer or t-ball are fine.

• Does your child follow the rules, even if they may seem strange? Some rules in chess may seem odd, but it is important for kids to follow them instead of throwing the pieces everywhere.  

• How good is your child with abstract thinking? If your child does not know what left, right, forwards, and backwards are, it can be difficult to explain basic movements, let alone chess rules and strategy.

If we had to pick a single number to answer the question “At what age should my child learn chess?”, the consensus would be about seven. But if your child likes games and you think they can learn chess, it is okay to start earlier from four to six.

Someone this age might struggle to reach any chess goals.

When is it Too Late for Children to Learn Chess?

If a child should start learning around seven, does that mean that ten or older is too late? Hardly. Chess can be learned at any age, no matter how young or old you are. Plenty of masters, including world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, started learning chess as a teenager. Although we don’t currently teach adults, it’s ok to start as an adult too! 

There are a few challenges that can happen learning chess as a teenager. A teenager could either end up playing kids around the same level who happen to be significantly younger, or could play kids around the same age who happen to be significantly more skilled. Both scenarios can be difficult for a teenager.

But a teenager should be able to pick up basic chess concepts faster than a younger child, and with effort can improve more quickly. Teenagers are better at memorizing moves and focusing than younger kids. Younger kids will often get tired of chess and want to move on after about a half hour to an hour, while teenagers are able to concentrate for hours.

Teenagers are better able to read and study chess books and positions that a younger child would not be able to understand. In general, teenagers are more capable of independent study and better able to take advantage of online resources to support that study. For these reasons, teenagers should not worry too much about getting a late start.  It is never too late to start learning chess. 

Many people first learn chess from parents or grandparents

Do I Need to Learn Chess Too?

Even if you are an absolute chess beginner, you can help your child start learning chess in a few ways.

First, your child needs to play. Many kids will start with chess books, and this is in fact how many of our coaches first started to learn to play. But there is no substitute for playing games and trying moves. If you know only the basics of chess, that is okay. There is nothing that spurs a kid on to start learning chess than the thought of “I beat my parents (or older siblings) at something!”

If you know absolutely nothing about chess, you can learn along with your child by taking advantage of online resources. For children, the best choice by far is ChessKid. This is a safe app where children can play against other children and take lessons about chess tactics and strategy. These lessons include videos, puzzles, and workouts. They are well-animated, entertaining, and let children practice and reinforce what they have learned on ChessKid and through our online classes. Adults can find a wealth of educational material on chess.com in the "Learn" section.  

Should My Child Join a Chess Club?

Apps, books, and boards all have their uses. But the question you may be asking is if your child should join a local chess club, whether at school or elsewhere. Should a novice join, or is it better to wait until your child has gotten better?

In our opinion,  it is better to join.  Chess clubs, especially those at schools, are used to dealing with new children who want to play. They can help teach your child in a personalized way that an electronic app or a book cannot. Silver Knights has a long history of teaching chess in school-based clubs and we have carefully adapted that successful program to create our online academy.

Furthermore, chess is fundamentally a social activity. That may seem odd for a one-on-one game. But competing against the same people week after week is a great way to build up friendships. In addition, there are cooperative chess games that children can try such as a simul or a popular chess variant called bughouse.

You can look around to find a local chess club. But an excellent alternative is to use an online chess club like our academy program. Online chess clubs let kids compete against kids from across the country. We group kids into eight different skill levels to make sure that kids are playing against, and learning with,  kids at roughly the same level. Even if your child is a novice, consider signing up for a chess club as soon as possible. 

Chess and Stress

Chess is fun, but there is no denying that it can sometimes be stressful. Our coaches are here to help make sure that every kid has a great time. For new players, there are some very common sources of stress. 

Indecision

First is indecision. A child looks at a board with 32 pieces and countless possible moves, knowing that the wrong move can result in a lost piece or worse. As a result, children often become paralyzed, afraid to make mistakes.

One of the first things that we teach children is that even a bad move is better than no move. We all learn from mistakes. But if we make no moves, then one cannot learn which moves are good or bad. If the child is making moves, progress is being made.

Dealing With Losses

Playing chess entails losing at chess. Learning how to accept losing is part of the process of growing better at chess, and children should learn that losing can teach you to be a better player. Children should learn good sportsmanship, to be respectful towards opponents throughout a game, and shake hands after the match has concluded. “Learning From Your Losses” is part of our teaching culture at Silver Knights. 

Chess Fatigue

We should remember that chess is a game. And like any game, there will probably be times where kids get tired of that game. A common pattern that we often see is that kids will learn how to play chess and become really fascinated by chess. But after playing for a while, improving rapidly, and going to a tournament, the child will get tired and move away from chess for a bit. After a few months or even years, the child starts playing again.

Conclusion

Our goal at Silver Knights is to make sure every child who wants to learn has a great time and explores the details of this wonderful game. We group students by skill level not by age.  If you think your child is ready to learn, consider signing up for our Chess Academy Program or taking a Trial Class today.