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Chess for Kids: Make Your Move

by Kelvin Smith and Daniel Macdonald

Not all children are born with the prodigious talent of a young Bobbie Fischer. Since there is no “chess junior,” children have to learn the same rules and strategies that have preoccupied adults for centuries. So how do you teach an eight-year-old problem solving and logical thinking and make it fun? Enter Chess for Kids, a book and chess set with everything a budding master needs to learn – and love – the game.

Chess for Kids introduces the young player to each piece individually, creating personalities for them as a way of explaining their function within the game. For example, the king is portrayed as a nervous, skittish ruler who can barely muster the courage to move one square at a time. By contrast, the knight leaps and bounds over the heads of his opponents in a showy display of power. These descriptions effectively reinforce certain characteristics of the pieces so that the player begins to associate their moves and rules with their basic nature.

A short history of chess is also included in the book, along with proper chess notation and popular strategies. A useful glossary provides a quick reference for the chess terminology explained in the text. The moves for each chess piece are written and illustrated on the board itself, so inexperienced players can keep themselves in check. This is one of several good ideas that went into the packaging of this game, which displays well and even looks good on the shelf. The board folds into a neat rectangular box, held together by a magnetic strip. The pieces are made of fairly cheap plastic, but they’re a good size and have felt bottoms to keep them from slipping around. Best of all, they come with their own reusable plastic pouch, which can be tucked into the board.

Chess for Kids is an enjoyable and affordable introduction to one of the world’s oldest shared pastimes.

 

Reviewer: Hadley Dyer

Publisher: Somerville House

DETAILS

Price: $19.95

Page Count: 64 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 1-895897-94-7

Released: Nov.

Issue Date: 1998-2

Categories:

Age Range: ages 8+