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Can a Girl Play Chess?

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Written by Laura Sherman of YourChessCoach.com

As a young girl growing up in rural Connecticut, it was hard to find many chess tournaments – certainly there were none for kids. My father had to drive a ways to find one and I was usually the only girl.

I remember the adult males being very supportive of me, allowing me into their fold. It was a very positive experience for me. One would think there would be a lot of sexism in chess. Really there isn’t.

Today many girls play in scholastic chess tournaments around the country. As a chess coach, I can tell you that our classes have an equal number of boys and girls.

I have never seen any prejudice amongst our students. Why would there be? It just doesn’t occur to them.

One of the plus points of chess is that you can sit down and play anyone, and you are on equal footing. Think about it. You both start with the samechess pieces, which have the same rules of movement. It all comes down to who creates the winning position – who best uses their intelligence and imagination.

There are no gender, racial or economic barriers. Even age doesn’t matter. The color of your skin, your gender, your job, all don’t matter.

One of the things I always loved about playing in chess tournaments was that you’d find the room filled with people from all walks of life. A doctor might play a stay-at-home mom, a teacher might be paired with a construction worker and a rocket scientist could play a high-school freshman.

Who wins? Really it boils down to who plays the better game, who makes fewer errors. Bottom line, chess players respect a good game.

Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. Together they teach children to play chess through various schools in Pinellas County, Florida, as well as online. You can learn more about YourChessCoach and other local and online chess instructors on our Chess Instructors page.

If you would like to ask Laura a question about chess, you can ask the question in the comment space below, leave your email, and Laura will respond directly to you – OR – you can always find YourChessCoach on Twitter or visit her new blog.

Tags: chess pieces, chess players, chess tournaments, yourchesscoach
Posted in Chess Learning Center | No Comments »

Chess Teaches Good Manners

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Parents often tell me that their children don’t like to lose. Well, that’s natural. I don’t like to lose either. I don’t know too many people who do. However, it is valuable to learn to handle losses with good manners.

We teach our students from the start that when you win or lose you should always shake your opponent’s hand and say “Good game!” Many games will be played and no one can expect to win every game.

I tell our students that good manners is important. It is part of being a chess player. We talk about the right way to handle a win, too. Jumping up and saying, “I WON, YOU LOST!! HA HA HA!” is not polite. Neither is bursting into tears and running away from the chess board, if you lose.

Kids get this. They laugh and nod in agreement.

Last week I was very pleased when a mother of one of our 5-year-old students called me. Her son had been home from school sick for the day and they had played chess.

That on its own was pretty cool!

Written by Laura Sherman of YourChessCoach.com

Then she had told me that she always had trouble with her son when he lost at Candyland or some other game. But when they played chess, he was different. When he lost a piece, he actually said, “Good one, mom!” to her with a smile. She was astonished and very pleased.

I love hearing these stories back from parents!

Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. Together they teach children to play chess through various schools in Pinellas County, Florida, as well as online. You can learn more about YourChessCoach and other local and online chess instructors on our Chess Instructors page.

If you would like to ask Laura a question about chess, you can ask the question in the comment space below, leave your email, and Laura will respond directly to you – OR – you can always find YourChessCoach on Twitter or visit her new blog.

Tags: chess board, chess boards, chess player, learning chess, yourchesscoach
Posted in Chess Club Corner, Chess Learning Center | No Comments »

Misconception: Is the King Ever Taken?

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Written by Laura Sherman of YourChessCoach.com

One common misconception that I hear a lot, is that in a game of chess, the king can be captured. It makes sense, since every other chess piece can be taken. However, during the game, the king is never removed from the board.

Sometimes a student of ours will become puzzled because their parent or grandparent will insist that the king can be captured. After all, it was how they were taught.

After I ran into this problem a few times, I started offering to give parents a free 1-hour lesson. The purpose was so that they could play with their children in between lessons, and we’d all be on the same page.

When I hit on this concept, I was pregnant, so I would stipulate that they needed to buy me coffee and a scone (I’d get hungry at the drop of a hat). It was a hit and I’ve kept it in as a tradition. Even though I’m no longer pregnant, I still ask for a scone. I like scones.

One father pointed out that sometimes people knock the king over. Perhaps that helps to create a confusion.

Knocking over the king is more of a dramatic statement than a true ritual of chess. It looks good in a picture or movie, but you rarely see the gesture in a tournament. Certainly you wouldn’t knock over your opponent’s king (that would be very rude).

One friend pointed out that throughout history, when a war was won, the losing king was often permitted to live, out of respect. Perhaps this is the reason that the king isn’t captured in chess – it mirrors life.

Whatever the reason, trust me, you do not remove the king from the board. He stays on, through to the very end. If you have any questions on this, buy me a coffee and a scone, and we can talk about it some more.

Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. Together they teach children to play chess through various schools in Pinellas County, Florida, as well as online. You can learn more about YourChessCoach and other local and online chess instructors on our Chess Instructors page.

If you would like to ask Laura a question about chess, you can ask the question in the comment space below, leave your email, and Laura will respond directly to you – OR – you can always find YourChessCoach on Twitter or visit her new blog.

Tags: chess piece, chess pieces, learning chess
Posted in Chess Learning Center | No Comments »

Chess Develops Teamwork

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Written by Laura Sherman of YourChessCoach.com

Chess develops a sense of teamwork amongst children. After all they are a general in charge of 16 chess pieces, marshalling them all toward the enemy king’s defeat.

Each piece has benefits and weaknesses. If you only play with a favorite chess piece, you will learn how limiting that piece is. Even the queen doesn’t work well by herself. She needs other chess pieces to really launch a successful attack.

When you use pieces together, they become more powerful.

In life, teamwork is essential. As a mother of three I can attest that the family doesn’t run well when there’s no Sherman Team concept. When we are all on the same page, channeling our efforts in the same direction, we can accomplish a lot!

I’ve seen our chess students become more interested in team sports after they learn chess. Soccer, baseball, football all become more fun.

In school there are many activities that require your child to work with other children. Whether they are part of a school play or they’re creating a science project with a class, teamwork enters in.

As children grow up and enter the workforce, teamwork will become a point of survival. Those who add to the group, work well with the other members, will most likely keep their jobs and get promoted, becoming leaders in their field.