My son is 5 and pretty advanced for his age. He is asking me to teach him chess but I'm afraid that even though he's advanced he will get bored and lose interest. Any suggestions? I had been thinking about that game "No Stress Chess" because I have heard that it is a great beginner's game.

That's a great question.  I have an autistic nephew who is 11.  He is very bright and high functioning.  I thought about teaching him chess.  My other nephew is 4 and I'm contemplating teaching him in a year or so.  

I was planning on finding an age appropriate book to guide me.  I was hoping to teach the rules of the game and how the pieces move...but then move on to simple tactical puzzles and mating patterns...and try to keep it fun.

I too am interested in what the strong players on here think about teaching children, because I don't really know all the good child appropriate methods.

If he actually went up and asked you to teach you, then I guess the most logical approach would be to teach him as much as he asks you to.

P.S. Just my opinion; No Stress Chess kinda sucks.

my son is 7.  i taught him the rules and some ideas.  he's only semi-interested but we play a bit. he loves to play.  besides it gives the two of you something to share. if he wants to play, then play.  bored with chess?  what?  haha

There's no rule that says if he learns the game he must immediately fall in love with it and devote his life to it, earning titles at record ages and earning enough to enable his poor but doting parents to retire and live the good life, now is there?

Kid wants to learn, teach him the basics.  He gets bored or frustrated, so be it.  Let him come to the game at his own pace - encourage, but don't push.

If you really want him to get good at it, though, wait until he is about 13 and then absolutely forbid him to play it at all.

I have a 5 year old daughter who loves chess.. she picked it up when i taught her elder brother how to play. Try to find a way for him not to get bored (by loosing to you all the time for example). I have both kids in the local chess club where they can meet equal opponents and get a first taste of theory and do simple chess problems.

Thanks for your input everyone!

I think you just should teach him. I know a 4 year old kid, witch is very good of his age (as good as 7-8 years old playing school chess club to), and really like to play, and play on the net everyday and so.
And the last to years, i've been teaching kids playing chess, one of them is 5 years old, and he's good and have the interest. I dont think there's a bigger chance he will lose the interest, than there is teaching him later. I learned chess when I was 6 years old, and i remember always being happy monday - because there was school chess club!

Teach him!

I'd say go ahead and teach him if he's asking.  I have a 5-year-old nephew who we taught how to play, and every time he comes over he wants to play.  Of course he doesn't win when we play by standard rules, so after a game I'll let him make up his own rules just to keep him interested.  But then we go back to real world rules.  But I think I probably should let him win a game or two so he doesn't get discouraged.

Personally, I believe that a child must be treated like an adult, and so if you teach your child chess, you need to ask if your child wants to, and if not and you're a bit set on the idea, ask your child to give the game a try, even try a chess variant or two to start the idea that a board game can be fun (and not a bored game). Just playing with an adult makes the game much more interesting to young children.

You gotta go easy on him if you want him to stay interested in chess. Don't go 100% on him, leave openings for him to exploit and don't jump all over him. When he starts to get better, then you can step it up a peg but if you just crush him fast game after game he is gonna get bored.

Maybe start out playing Latvian and King's Gambit, both fun and a bit dubious, and not SO bad that you teach your child the wrong ideas early--I have always been angry with my first teachers who taught me bad school practices, and so I would be with any chess teachers who'd led me far astray with things like the Fred.

Sounds like your question has more to do with than just chess. If you show him chess and he looses interest, he is a normal kid. If he sticks with it, he is a normal kid, too. But if you do not at least show it to him, he will never have the experience and you will never know one way or the other. My opinion is to let his curiosity take him where it may... under your supervision of course. Chess is not going to turn him in to a sociopath.