News & Updates
A rosewood storage chess set.
So you want to buy a chess set? That is a smart decision for three reasons:
- There have been several studies that show that playing chess helps improve cognitive thinking, problem solving skills and memory.
- Even if you don’t get any smarter, your friends and family will think you are smarter because you have a nice set in your home or office.
- Chess is a lot of fun! However, be forewarned that it can be a somewhat addictive.
You have probably started some basic research on the internet or even talked to that smart looking friend who has a chess set but you might be feeling a little overwhelmed with all the choices and options. Maybe the set is not for you but a gift for your favorite grandchild or niece. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone you have a favorite) Either way, we hope this guide will be of help to you. If you don’t find what you are looking for, give us a call or email us and we will be happy to answer any questions you have. We love chess and live chess, so we can probably help with any questions you might have. Our phone number and email are listed at the bottom of this article as well as the “Contact Us” page on our website.
There are thousands of chess sets in the world today and we try to carry several hundred of the most popular. To help narrow down the selection, let’s start with three questions:
- Is this set for display and the occasional game or do you want a chess set that is intended for regular use and may even be travel around with you to the park, club or on your next airplane ride?
- What is the age and skill level of the individual who will use the set?
- What is your budget?
Let’s dig a little deeper into these questions.
Is this set for display and the occasional game or do you want a chess set that is intended for regular use?
I have a nice Italian Alabaster table at home and wanted some nice wooden pieces to compliment the table. This was an expensive set and I knew it would primarily be used as a piece of furniture so I selected the Florentine Series – Bud Rosewood pieces to compliment the table. The set looks beautiful and I do play games with my kids on occasion with this set, however, when we are going to play some serious chess I pull out my Heavy Tournament Chess Set Combo.
If you want a set that is primarily for display purposes, a stone or metal set is probably the way to go. We sell a variety of stone themed chess sets and a few metal pieces as well. There are a lot of cheaply made stone and metal sets but we don’t carry them as they are difficult to repair or get replacement pieces.
If you want a set that looks great but can be played as well, I would recommend a nice wood chess set. We have a wide selection of wood sets that include the board and pieces. Prices vary based on size, wood type, etc.
If you prefer to buy your pieces and board separately, start with the pieces and then go from there. There are several types of wood used in the production of chess pieces and the cost and quality can differ significantly from wood to wood. Here is a brief explanation of the more popular wood types.
Bud Rosewood – A dark, rich grain with lots of mahogany or red in the piece. I think these pieces are have the best color but also are generally the most expensive. You will also see the terms Blood Rosewood and Red Sandal wood used to describe these pieces.
Rosewood – Like Bud Rosewood, these pieces are dark and have a rich grain, but are more brown in color. The color of these pieces is very versatile and easy to match with a board.
Golden Rosewood – As the name suggests, these pieces are in the same Rosewood family but are golden or honey in color.
Ebony (not to be confused with Ebonized) – Ebony is a very dark or black hard wood. These pieces are beautiful pieces on the right board. The downside to ebony is they tend to crack easier than the other wood types. Keeping these pieces at the right humidity level will help. Ebony is an expensive wood as well.
Ebonized – Because Ebony is so expensive, many sets are also sold as “Ebonized” sets, which really means they are boxwood pieces that have been stained black to look like Ebony pieces. When done properly a good ebonized set is difficult to distinguish from a true Ebony set and is a fraction of the cost.
Sheesham – Sheesham wood is an expensive medium brown wood. In some Sheesham pieces you can see the grain to it but not like the Rosewood sets. Most entry level wood sets will have Sheesham for the dark pieces.
Boxwood or Whitewood – The light pieces on most sets are made from Boxwood or Whitewood. It is a very light colored wood, generally with no visible grain.
After you have picked your pieces you will want to pair those pieces with a board. Use the following guidelines:
3.75” is the standard king height in tournament play. A 20” board is the standard board size. Depending on where you want to play and store your set, you might want to go up or down from there. Most of the higher end wood pieces have a 3.75” to 4.5” king height but we sell wooden pieces as small as 2.5” king height. More important than king height, is the width of the base of the king. The king is traditionally the tallest and widest piece on the board and the rest of the pieces are proportional to the king. When you buy a board you want to fit it to your king to the square size and then you know the rest of the pieces will fit well. The total dimensions of the chess board are good to know but the square size is even more important. As a general rule you want the base of the king to be about 75% of the square size. So if your king has a base that is 1.75” wide, you would want a board with squares that are about 2.3”. Of course you can go up or down from that number a little but don’t go too far or the pieces either get too crowded on the board or look too small. If you will be using the set in a USCF tournament, be sure to check with your tournament director or the USCF rule book to make sure your board and pieces meet all regulations. You can see more sizing suggestions at the bottom of this guide.* It can be a little confusing so give us a call if you have any questions. We can help you make sure your pieces and board fit well together.
If you like the look of wood but want to be able to travel or easily store the set, you might consider a folding wood set. They come in sizes from 7” to 20” in a variety of wood types.
If you decide that you want a set intended for the rigors of regular play, I would suggest a good plastic tournament set. There is a wide range of pieces, boards and bags in these sets to fit all budgets.
What is the age and skill level of the individual who will use the set?
Do you remember the nice set I have at home that I mentioned above? What I did not tell you is that it is not as nice as it used to be. When my youngest child was starting to toddle around the house he often found himself at the chess table. While I daydreamed about raising the next chess prodigy, he was actually putting the tips of the pawns in his mouth and sucking off all of the lacquer. As best as I can tell there was no adverse health effects to him but it was not good for the set. Since then I have lost an ear or bridal on each of the knights. This was not a good set for the kids to pay with.
For a young player I would suggest you start with an un-weighted or lightly weighted club or starter chess set. These things are almost indestructible and easy to carry and store. Also, on most of these sets we offer a lifetime missing pieces replacement which comes in handy if your young one misplaces things like mine does. These sets come in a lot of fun colors, are inexpensive and you can always upgrade to a nicer set down the road.
For the brand new player, we do have a Chess Teacher Set that includes pieces with the moves written on the back of the piece. However, I am not a big fan of the pieces and would recommend getting a basic club set along with a Buddy Board. You will still be saving money and the buddy board is made from the same material as our vinyl chess boards with makes it easy to roll and store. In addition, the pieces are standard pieces which will allow you to use them in regulation play.
Lastly, if you have no friends to play with or want something to help you learn the game an electronic chess set is a great alternative. You can study openings, play a game, study tactics, work on your endgames, etc. Most chess computers play at beginner and master levels, and everything in between.
What is your budget?
This is the million dollar question. Well, maybe not literally, but it is an important question. Like most everything else in life, generally, the more you pay, the nicer the set. However, there is no reason to pay a lot for a set you don’t need. We want you to buy the best set for you…..not the best set for us. We carry thousands of chess sets and supplies and you will receive our same great service when you buy a $10 set as you would if you bought a $1,000 set.
Most of our club and tournament sets average between $10 and $40. Generally, the heavier and larger the piece, the higher the price. Also, the bag makes a big difference. Our tournament bags have many extras including separate pockets for each color of pieces, a padded clock pocket, room for the board inside the bag, etc.
Our wood sets range in price from $20 to several thousand dollars. To get a nice entry level wood set (board and pieces) you should plan to pay $80 to $200. Of course you can find some for less than that and you can quickly get much higher as well.
Since we are discussing price, let me let you in on an insider secret about wood chess sets. Almost all of the nice wood pieces you find available for sale on any site are made in the same city in India. There are several companies there that all they do is make chess pieces to ship to the rest of the world. The same companies that make the $29 wood sets make the $1,000 wood sets as well. So why the difference in retail price? There are three primary reasons:
- The type of wood. As discussed above, some wood types are much more expensive than others.
- The knight. The biggest cost of producing chess pieces is the knight. Each knight is carved by hand and the more ornate knights can take two or more days per knight to carve.
- Branding. Two identical pieces might leave the factory at the same cost but by the time you see them available on a retail site one might be 2x or 3x the cost because a brand name has been attached. That is the case with most industries and there is nothing wrong with that. We sell both branded sets as well as non branded sets. You can decide how important the brand is to you.
Well, if you have stuck with me thus far I am impressed. There is a lot that goes into selecting the right chess set and we have only begun to scratch the surface. We could go on but I think both of us would rather be playing chess than reading or writing about it. If we didn’t answer your question, give us a call at 1-888-582-4377 or send us an email to info@wholesalechess.com and we will help make the selection process as easy as possible.
* Additional Sizing Information
The USCF ruling is the king’s base diameter should fall into this range:
0.78 x [SS – 0.125] <= KBD <= 0.78 x [SS]
Where: SS = square size
KBD = king base diameter
Units are in inches
Wow….I’ll bet you wish you had paid more attention to your high school algebra teacher now. Here is a little cheat sheet for some of the more common sizes.
2” chessboards, the king’s base diameter should fall into the range of 1.46” to 1.56” (3.71-3.96cm)
2.25” chessboards, the king’s base diameter should fall into the range of 1.66” to 1.75” (4.22-4.46cm)
2.50” chessboards, the king’s base diameter should fall into the range of 1.85” to 1.95” (4.70-4.95cm)
Laura Sherman
Last week we took a minute and had some questions answered by Laura Sherman. Laura is the author for the popular chess book, Chess is Child’s Play. You can purchase a copy of this book by CLICKING HERE.
WSC: What is your chess background?
Sherman: My father taught me to play chess when I was nine years old. When I could beat him he took me to a large city about an hour away for lessons with a Russian chess master. It was very exciting. Soon after that I began playing in tournaments.
I took several breaks from active play growing up and rediscovered chess in high school, when I joined the chess club. At that time my rating put me ahead of the teachers who played, which was a confidence booster.
I left for college and got a degree in Civil Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. I was engrossed in study and didn’t find time for chess, but when I graduated I joined a small club in Upland, CA and started studying again.
I took off some time from work to play in tournaments and study. I would play in various Open tournaments around the country. The New York Open was always my favorite. It was fun to watch the grandmasters from around the world sing at the karaoke bar at the hotel where we all stayed at the end of the day, too.
My rating reached 2000 at one point, which put me at Expert. That’s when I met my husband. He had the exact same rating as I, which I found to be romantic.
Chess has always been a part of my life, but now I focus on teaching the next generation. My goal is to get all children learning to play chess before they enter the school system, because I firmly believe that chess helps make children smarter.
WSC: What long-term benefits will kids get from playing chess?
Sherman: I’ve written many articles on this subject, because I feel very strongly that children get a lot from learning to play chess. The list of benefits goes on and on.
When asked, most parents would say children become strong problem solvers when they learn chess. Others will tell you that they become more logical in their thinking.
As a chess instructor I can tell you that I have seen a child’s ability to concentrate improve remarkably, sometimes even after a few lessons. Even children with attention problems will sometimes learn to focus and can study better in school as a result of learning chess.
I have also witnessed a remarkable boost in self-confidence amongst many children who learn to play the game early on. There is nothing better than beating a grown-up at chess when you’re a kid.
WSC: What prompted you to write this book?
Sherman: When I was a teenager I had a dream of teaching the world to play chess. I could see gang members sitting down across a board to “fight” rather than resorting to violence.
This basic goal never diminished over the years, but the purpose changed slightly. When my son turned four I started teaching him to play chess on the beach. I wasn’t sure how it would go or how successful I would be, but when he learned the game quickly and easily I realized I was on to something.
I then worked on my techniques, improving them with his classmates and friends. I even went into the preschool to teach the two- and three-year-olds. I fine-tuned my methods, working with Bill Kilpatrick, my co-author, to create a workable strategy that anyone could follow.
It was important to Bill and me to make the book accessible to everyone, even parents who didn’t know how to play chess (or who were intimidated to learn). However we also wanted to appeal to the experienced player. In the end I believe we accomplished these goals.
WSC: Why did you choose this particular format/style?
Sherman: I’m glad you asked that question, because we spent a lot of time with formatting and style. The layout is very “user friendly,” incorporating the use of large diagrams. We also feature “Coffee Talk,” which highlights fun and humorous stories told to us by parents and “Coach’s Corner,” which shares important tips on how to conduct a lesson.
We make sure to define all the terms that might be new to a parent unfamiliar with the game, giving them guidance in how to explain the words to a young child.
Chess Is Child’s Play also has a troubleshooting section at the end of each chapter, giving the parents additional tools to use if they run into trouble.
We were careful to format the book so that someone new to chess would feel comfortable with the text and diagrams. Most chess books have very small diagrams that are hard for beginners to read and understand. We wanted to avoid that.
WSC: How did you choose the photographs and why?
Sherman: Kristy Mann, a Los Angeles based photographer, conducted several photo shoots, capturing fun, artistic shots of children playing chess. These are featured at the start of each chapter.
WSC: Will this book help coaches and/or parents and how?
Sherman: Chess Is Child’s Play is very different from other chess instruction books. Anyone can apply these techniques, whether they are an experienced player or completely new to the game.
We have broken down the basics into very easy, step by step techniques. To give you an idea, the chapter “The Rook,” which simply goes over how the rook moves, is 11 pages long.
The Rook has seven steps, with four “mini-games” (exercises designed to teach a certain skill to the child). At the end of the chapter there is a detailed Trouble Shooting guide which answers questions such as, “When I ask my child to move the rook, he only moves it one square at a time. What should I do?”
Chess Is Child’s Play will teach a coach or parent to teach a young child the basics of chess, in a way where the child will win with each exercise, mastering an important skill.
WSC: The trailer is really cute. How did you come upon that idea to market the book and how was it made?
Sherman: Our publisher, Mongoose Press, suggested that we create an animated trailer. They asked me to write the script, which was incredibly fun! They found an amazing animator who breathed life into my words.
I would invite people to embed the trailer in their blog or on their sites, if they like it. We’re hoping to spread the message that anyone can learn to play chess, regardless of their age!
The Cover for Chess Is Child's Play
One Novice Chess-Player’s Quest to Become an Instructor at the Game of Chess
Studying chess each and every day for the past two years is quite an accomplishment. During this time, I’ve used my primary source for competition and learning materials to be chess.com.
I’ve grown very fond of working with beginners and developing their knowledge of the game. I have several friends who are where I was two years ago; they know how the pieces move but have never really given much thought into improving their skills.
In doing so, word has reached several people that I may be able to foster their children’s love of chess even if they’ve never played before. I took on my first “official” student about a month ago & things are going well.
Here are some great reasons why YOU should become a chess coach:
- You have the opportunity to change someones life through CHESS!
- You don’t have to be an expert to teach a beginner.
- Your chess motivation will never be higher.
- The “AHA!” moments are measurable & very rewarding.
- If they are a younger person, you will help them in developing patience & attention to detail, among other valuable skills.
- You will look at positions from another very unbiased perspective.
- You will improve right along with your student.
- You have the opportunity to make a little bit of extra money.
- It’s cheaper than getting a pet.
The best coach is not always someone ranked several levels above yours. An experienced novice will make a great coach because you know what it takes to learn the game & improve from the beginner’s perspective. If you have a passion for the game & have a firm grasp of the rules of chess, you are ready to start teaching.
I decided to give my first month of lessons for free so my student was able to order his “starter equipment” from wholesalechess right away. Here are my gear recommendations for a beginner:
I like these chess pieces because they are heavy & tournament-approved. They are very basic/standard & fit the board I recommended. *Note: I have noticed the durability is not top quality, but with the Wholesale Chess piece replacement plan, getting the economical set is the right choice.
This chess board is nice because unlike the vinyl roll-up boards, it folds once to close & stays flat. I’ve had mine for about 2 years & it is as good as new. Durable, washable, and has all of the proper annotations used to reference the squares.
This chess bag is high-quality & is an appropriate size to carry everything except the board, which I carry separately. Again, very durable & room for supplies like pencil/pen/paper/book etc.
This chess clock is easy to use & appropriate for all tournaments I’ve entered. The clock is an essential piece in order to train for tournament games.
Today is a great day to become a chess instructor! For ideas on how to teach your first student, contact me, Coach Ben, at: d2@chess.com Good luck & keep it fun!
This article was contributed by Tessman. Interesting in writing for Wholesale Chess? Contact us today at (801)544-4242.
Considered the most dangerous and versatile piece on the board, the Queen chess piece is also one of the most important. Unless you are an expert chess player, losing your queen piece can easily be the final blow before falling to your opponent. Most players are willing to sacrifice just about any other piece on the board in order to save their queen. So why is the queen so important?
How A Queen Chess Piece Moves
The queen chess piece is like a combination of the Rook and Bishop chess pieces. Each player starts out with one queen piece (although any pawn that makes it to the other side of the board can be traded in for another queen, which is why some chess sets come with extra queens). The queen can move forward or diagonal in any direction. Here are a few notes:
- The queen can move in any direction on a straight or diagonal path.
- The queen cannot “jump” over any piece on the board, so it’s movements are restricted to any direction of unoccupied squares.
- The queen can be used to capture any of your opponent’s pieces on the board.
Basic Tactics
Most players try to keep their queen defended because of it’s ability to move. It is a very useful piece in any chess game and is often involved in endgame strategy. Experts try to get the queen piece toward the center of the board as soon as possible in order to help defend that space and gain an advantage over their opponent. The queen can be used in a variety of defensive strategies and works well to defend the King no matter where the King is on the board, so long as the queen is nearby. The most dangerous piece to a queen is the opponent’s knight pieces. The queen may not be able to attack a knight piece directly that is attacking the queen, so players try to be wary of their opponent’s knight pieces. Advanced players may be more likely to sacrifice their queen in an attempt to win a game, though this is quite rare.
Favorite Chess Sets
The queen piece is often a very beautiful chess piece and in more expensive sets, it may feature a very beautiful crown and piece shape.
St. Petersburg Sheesham Chess Pieces ($109.99)
Zagreb 3″ Ebonized Chess Pieces ($59.99)
Fianchetto Ebony Chess Pieces ($279.99)
Siogne Bud Rosewood Chess Pieces ($289.99)
The Bishop chess piece is easily the most forgotten piece of all the chess pieces. From the beginners’ perspective, the piece cannot do a whole lot to help out your game, considering each piece can only cover half of the board at a time and is quite vulnerable to attacks from straight on. But the bishop does have his place in the game of chess. In most chess sets, the piece is very traditional. It is a tall, slender piece with a pointed tip that has a strange cut made into it. Usually, the design doesn’t change much, unlike the Knight piece, which has a lot of flair in it’s design.
How A Bishop Chess Piece Moves
The bishop chess piece is stuck moving in diagonals. Each player starts out with two bishop pieces, each one residing on it’s own color of square. Between both pieces, you can cover the entire board, but one piece can only cover one half of the board, only the colors of squares it started the game on.
- The bishop can move in any direction diagonally, so long as it is not obstructed by another piece.
- The bishop piece cannot move past any piece that is obstructing it’s path.
- The bishop can take any other piece on the board that is within it’s bounds of movement.
Basic Tactics
Bishops are usually considered stronger pieces toward the end of the game. Often, though, the pawns make it difficult to use the bishop piece during the early parts of the game. The bishop is considered excellent in defending a castled King, though and can be used to help pin pieces into areas of the board. Most experts would agree, though, that giving up a Bishop is better than giving up a Rook.
Favorite Chess Sets
Here are a few of our favorite chess sets with good bishop pieces:
By John Skelly
The noble art of chess has become very popular with parents when it comes to educating their children about the various principles of life. Nowadays, there are many parents who find that the game of chess lends itself ideally to be used as a teaching tool for what they want their kids to learn. Although playing chess encourages a great deal of concentration and interaction, the best part about using chess as a teaching method is that children find it fun to play.
By nature, children are very competitive so playing chess is not something that they will give up on easily. They do not need to be physically strong or exceptionally gifted mentally, they simply need to know how to play the game and play it well. Children love challenges and this characteristic in itself bodes well for their success in the game.
The environment in which chess is played introduces children to a great amount of discipline; they learn how to take on the challenges that life can bring, and how to be gracious losers and magnanimous winners. Another great benefit gained from being exposed to the chess playing environment, is that children also develop social skills and establish creative ways to assist others. Overall, playing chess allows them to practice precious life skills in the early part of their lives, which is perfect for creating strong mental skills for when they get older.
Taking part in a corporate environment, perhaps representing their school or college in competition, also hones life skill qualities that will help them in their later years. Coupling with others will help them nurture a sense of responsibility and a caring spirit. Helping others learn the game also encourages a compassionate spirit and a sense of community in your child.
Another principle that children learn, while playing chess socially, is that children of other genders races and ages, should be treated with mutual respect. They understand that when they are fair and kind to others, it is usually reciprocated. Opposing this, they also discover the negative effects of treating others in the wrong way.
From playing chess, children often learn about the value of hard work. They discover that nothing that is worthwhile in life comes without hard work and that laziness is a big “no-no”. They recognize the value of persistence, never giving up, and cultivate important characteristics needed for success in life.
When it comes to teaching life skills, the game of chess is a wonderful tool to aid you in your parenting efforts. Playing chess will expose your child to new attitudes and abilities that will put them at the forefront in life and give them a solid foundation so that they may share their knowledge with their friends as well as their children and their children’s children. The skills that children learn from playing chess are also the skills that will stand them in good stead when they approach adulthood. It would be hard to think of a board game more useful in this respect than chess.
John Skelly is owner of Quality Chess.net, an online store where you can view a variety of chess products, so you can find that unique set of handcrafted chessmen or that elegant glass chess set. Check out his blog where you can find articles and videos on the latest chess strategies and tactics.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Skelly
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Great-Benefits-of-Introducing-Chess-to-Children&id=3673417
Great Teaching Tools From Wholesale Chess
by guest author Greg Delaney for Wholesale Chess
Let’s state the obvious right from the beginning: losing chess games is not fun! Okay, now that we are past that, we can now move along to the real subject of this article – how to handle losses and make them work for us. I recall reading somewhere long ago a statement by a tennis coach that went something like this: “Tennis must be a great game, because half the players who play it lose – and they keep coming back.” I think our wonderful game of chess is no less “great.” Everyone who plays chess loses sometimes, but we keep playing anyway. Two important aspects of chess learning that have taken me awhile to accept (albeit grudgingly) are that losing chess games is okay, and that it can help us become stronger players.
One of the strongest roadblocks in my own path to chess progress has been the thinking error that my worth as a person rides on the result of every chess game I play. This irrational belief has led me to do the following: 1) put tremendous pressure on myself to win or, barring that, not losing, 2) play cautiously and passively – “not to lose” rather than trying to win, 3) avoid playing at times so as not to risk a loss, 4) feel so ashamed of my losses as to avoid post-mortems and replaying the games for understanding, 5) criticize myself unmercifully for errors and blunders, and, 6) fail to share losses with strong players who could point out patterns of mistakes and thinking so change could happen.
I know that I cannot be the only chess player who has done some or all of these things, so I’d like to share a few tips about losing that I’ve learned the hard way. First and foremost, there is no connection whatsoever between our level of chess strength and our value as people. This sounds self-evident, but I have witnessed numerous times tantrums and unsportsmanlike behavior from players who have lost a game. Some people have a hard time losing any competition because they tie their self-worth to winning. Secondly, all that self-criticism does is to undermine confidence, which is a vital characteristic of a good chess player.
The third one took me awhile to understand: playing passive chess and thereby forfeiting the initiative is effective – only if you wish to lose! Chess is a war game and the object is to “kill” the opponent’s king. I have learned that the opponent will gladly take the initiative if we kindly hand it over. Making threats is what chess is about, and if we don’t make them, our opponents will. My fourth idea is tied to the tennis coach’s statement above: the possibility of losing is not a reason to not play chess. Personally, I have not yet died from a loss, and I imagine no one reading this has, either.
Finally, we need to look over our games with players stronger than ourselves – not just to learn from our mistakes, but to have pointed out to us all of the errors and blunders our opponents make. It is reassuring to see that our opponents are not perfect and that we may have simply not seen and taken advantage of the mistakes they make. Moreover, Mikhail Botvinnik was insistent that objective, thorough, and critical evaluation of one’s play in each game is essential to improvement. How else to not keep making the same mistakes over and over? I have begun to let go of my shame and fear about losses by sharing them with my chess coach, IM Yelena Dembo, and listening – really listening – to her constructive feedback. By viewing our losses in these ways, we can use them for improvement, rather than feeling bad about them and ourselves.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of Wholesale Chess. We welcome open discussion on all aspects of chess on the Wholesale Chess Blog. If you would like to be a guest author on our blog, please contact us at marketing@wholesalechess.com.
This article was written by P.N. John for Wholesale Chess
Once the child has reached a FIDE rating level of 1500-1800 the right attitude towards effective study and practice are needed for further progress to mastery. The fun element has to be given top priority so that the child develops a passion to win at chess and acquires a learning mindset. World chess champion Viswanathan Anand said recently, “I enjoy working on chess. I try playing different openings, learning from other players. My curiosity in chess has remained unchanged since the time I started playing.”
It is very important to have drills to practice repeatedly the fundamental chess concepts-basic tactics, (WSC note: see Chess Tactics for Students) must-know endgame positions, various basic mates etc. This should be done daily with a chess clock attempting to solve within lower and lower time periods so that correct technique comes naturally and automatically over-the-board while playing. This can be done under the guidance of a good chess coach but the child should do it on his own as soon as he can do so. Only with this basic foundation can the child proceed to creative and more advanced chess.
Victor Korchnoi, a great Grandmaster has said, “Chess you don’t learn, chess you understand”. From this stems the most important tool available to the child to attain mastery- critically analyze by himself the games he has played to identify and learn from mistakes made. More time should be spent on games lost. When the coach goes through the games and analysis afterwards he can give the feedback needed to improve and identify the weaknesses and strengths of the child and suggest specifically what to study and which chess problems to solve. It is good for the child to have a large collection of chess books and chess software to refer to as suggested by the coach to overcome weaknesses and enhance strengths. Analysis with Fritz, Rybka should be done later to understand and learn from opportunities humans missed.
The child should go through as many Grandmaster games as possible using different approaches suggested by chess trainers-slowly, quickly, guess-the-move, analyze the moves before looking at the annotations etc., to get diverse benefits and enhance overall understanding of the game of chess so that he can play better and improve the quality of annotating his own games.
It is a good idea to start off with a good games collection book like Steve Giddins’ “50 ways to Win at Chess” which is focused on good technique. Going through Grandmaster games like Chessbase 11 or Chess Assistant 11 alone, with friends or a coach is a great way to absorb different ideas in chess.
A child should be encouraged, if he enjoys it, to record his thoughts on his improving chess experiences in a journal every day. Also, special notebooks can be kept to classify and then record important tactical and positional themes from his own games .Writing speeds up absorption of chess ideas and periodically reviewing the notes will help the child to apply the knowledge over-the-board.
Apart from serious chess study the child should play with chess players of varying strengths under different time-controls but mostly slow chess games of at least an hour each. As far as possible games should be analyzed with the opponent immediately or at least the same day itself on his own as immediate feedback is very important for improvement.
More than just chess skills are needed to attain mastery. Physical and mental fitness are important for success in tournaments. This idea was well put by Anatoly Karpov, the former world champion, “To be champion requires more than simply being a strong player; one has to be a strong human being as well.” So it is important to have a balanced approach. Academics should not be ignored. The child should be encouraged to take up other interests like physical sports and reading. He should learn to take losses in his stride even as he strives to improve and win. The goal should be to improve at chess at least a bit each day.
P.N.John lives in India and has been totally involved in the stock market for past 25 years. He used to play chess only casually but for the past couple of years he has been studying chess seriously, played several tournaments and got his FIDE rating. Not surprisingly perhaps, improved chess thinking skills have helped him to take better decisions in the stock market.
Copyright 2012 Wholesale Chess. All rights reserved.
