Make him study some good tactics book.
kid stuck in ratings rut - advice?
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Aug 24, 2016
0
#3
Is he like 7 years old? God... Let the kid enjoy whats left of summer and play with friends anything other than chess. Don't know how long he is playing this dificult game but if he did not show potential and talent i advice to give him brake from chess.
Aug 24, 2016
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#4
He is 6 and he is doing tons of fun stuff outdoors. He just plays chess at night before bed. Question is there a way to use that time most wisely? And to answer your other question he has been playing since the spring.
Aug 24, 2016
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#5
Plateaued for 3 weeks huh?
Progress in chess is like anything else... stair step. No one's performance improves week to week. It alternates between improvement and plateaus.
At higher ratings I've seen kids plateau for a whole year before improvement starts up again.
Aug 24, 2016
0
#6
dcb1970 wrote:
 It seems just playing games no longer helps him advance.
Learning the basics is usually the next step. Mate with two rooks and king vs lone king, recognize basic tactical motifs like fork and pin, recognize basic strategic elements like piece activity and king safety, know (and follow) the opening principals.
The difficulty as I see it (as I'm not a teacher of kids)Â is how to effectively give a 6 year old this while keeping it enjoyable for him.
It may be for very young ages that simple tactics are the way to go for a year or two, I don't know.
Aug 24, 2016
0
#7
Thanks all. He definitely has the basics down on forks, pins, etc and also basic endgames, which is why he is beating beginner adults on chess.com live games (1100 rating). He's just stopped improving. Will probably have him do tactics and try to get that tactics rating up. Should see pull through to his game performance.
Tactics are the most important aspect of his game, giving his rating. Â Do some tactics with him, then do some more. Â When you're finished with that do ten more.
Honestly, tactics are the most important part of my game too.Â
Sco64 wrote:
I agree that tactics is probably the most important, but one cannot neglect the other aspects of the game if they wish to improve.
True. Â There are other aspects. Â But in dealing with all the various aspects, to find the most effective training plan, one most prioritize. Â
He may be getting bored. I would let him start going over the basic mates, then once he's gotten that on to basic and intermediate check mating patterns and positions. Then more about piece coordination, and pawn structures. Finally more end game knowledge. Then let him go through the different type of openings to see which he favors, for white and also black.
Of course this can take years, let him progress at his own pace, don't force it upon him. If he gets to around 1800 by 12, You may want to get him a coach, which might even be sooner for him, depending on him.
What specifically would you advise for him to take it up another 100 -200 points? All tactics? Or does he need to so something else? It seems just playing games no longer helps him advance.
Thanks!