Teaching my girlfriend chess

So, I have a wonderful girlfriend who has taken to chess. She joined chess.com the other day so we could play on the internet when conveniently too. 

My question: How can I help her improve the most? She is actually gifted at the game, although she doesn't understand that she is herself. Simple mates I have taught her, as well as some principles, etc. We play training games where I try to give her a commentary on every move, and point out why some moves are bad. Her tactical awareness in not hanging pieces, for her level of experience is very good.
Generally, she plays the opening fine too, ones that are normal for a good few moves.

So, she wants to learn, but in which way should I teach? Books are probably out of the question, because the main idea is time together. 

And if you're reading this Honey, I love you :3 

Dump her if she doesn't already know Grunfeld theory 20 moves deep.

Na I think basic mates, simple pawn endgames and all the basic tactics is a good start. Basically everything that's taught here:

http://www.chesstactics.org/

Basic tactics, i.e. pins, forks, backrank mates, etc.?

That comment was pretty much inevitable.

Good luck. It's cool. 

I see I need to choose my words more carefully  The mating attack ... that uh... is on the... back rank...

 @grandbrother: thankyou :)

Baby, that's.. :3 not necessary, I just can read books in Russian about chess if you want me to, and play with you? so you'd be not worried how to teach me and I'd have been improving

and I love you too :*

I thought all Russians could play chess as babies?

My  wife always tells me that there is nothing more boring than watching me play chess. On the other hand, I keep seeing her looking at the board and trying to figure out what's going on. I think she has a secret desire to understand the game better, but is afraid to jump in. I'd bet that if she took it up, she'd already have a fairly good positional feel for a beginner just through osmosis. 

Yeah, it's like a prerequisite to being Russian.

Perhaps not the best choice of words... But good luck to you :)

Nah, I beat my Russian neighbor like a rented mule. ^

Funnily enough the reason I started playing chess is because my boyfriend was (still is) obsessed with it and I thought it would be nice to understand what he talked about and as a way to spend some extra time together.

Speaking from experience what really improved my game was as simple as just finding chess interesting. The more interesting I found it, the more I wanted to play, and later even study it.

So perhaps the most important thing is to make sure she stays interested by making sure she enjoys it, be patient and just let the chess bug take a hold by itself, it's not exactly hard to get addicted to this game once you start playing it.  

I have tried to teach my girlfriend chess, but at the moment have given up as I don't really feel she is that interested. Taught her a few bits about basic mates, opening principles etc. but there would always come a point where she was unable to find "anything" to do, and refused to move!

In the end, I tried playing games where she could opt to switch colours instead of playing a move, but that didn't work either. Meh, I guess if she doesn't enjoy it, then too bad. vowles_23, you are a lucky man!

Interesting, that's cool! And do you still play frequently with him?

And @-waller-, hard luck, but I can imagine that fairly easily if someone just simply isn't interested :) Yeah, I know it ;) 

Good luck in teaching your girlfriend chess, Vowles.  And if you or she needs help on something, I love to help folks out. 

well that's a stereotype haha. Actually almost not everyone knows how to and we don't study it at school either, tellmeaboutit. Sooo.. I didn't even have a chess set and I don't have now, we just use V's, but I hardly knew how do pieces move until this summer (I thought it's something like checkers) and I highly doubt anyone from my friends does! :D

"although she doesn't understand that she is herself."

Misunderstood this the first time I read it and nearly fell off my chair laughing. I took it to mean that she didn't know who she was, despite being gifted at the game 

Was laughing with pure joy, at the idea that someone was more concerned with teaching his girlfriend chess, than her temporary loss of memory of herself. If this were true then priority issues have been unearthed here. 

I of-course understand how it was meant now and was just wanting to say you made my day. Best of luck my friend.

Hahaha lol :D I don't understand how you managed to understand it this way, but hilarious nevertheless!

@mapearson, haha!

@Yuska, yeah I do know one Russian actually and she doesn't know chess at all so I guessed it wasn't taught in schools.

Your game didn't look too bad (until your 29th move ), don't forget you don't always have to move the king from check, you can block the check or capture the checking piece.