Teaching chess to kids.

My older daughter is 8 years old.  She is a bright 8, tests above her grade level in both reading and math, and generally an eager learner.  A few months ago I taught her the moves and basic rules of chess after she told me she had seen some kids at school playing.  She seems to like the game, we play at home and our local library has all ages chess on Sundays that we sometimes attend. 

I would really like to help her improve, but I am at a bit of a loss on how to try to get her to start planning.  I have been stressing things like piece development in the opening, looking for threats, etc.  She still sometimes hangs pieces(of course, I still sometimes hang pieces), but at other times she surprises me with her understanding of two and three move combinations (In a game today when I doubled my rooks and she immediately understood the threatened breakthrough.  She was counting how many times her pawn was attacked and home many times it was defended, something I have never showed her how to do, she just seemed to grasp it on her own).  Like many kids her age, her middle game play can be a bit aimless. and of course she has only the vaguest understanding of what an endgame is.

Can anyone recommend a good book that would either be something a smart 8 year old could read, or something she and I could work through together?  Most of the things I have looked at are either to basic, teaching the moves and the rules but not much more, or are written for adults.  I need something that is understandable by a beginner, but still start to help her understand strategy and tactics.  Any suggestions?

Thanks for the reply.  (plus this is a shamless bump to get this back on the first page.)

=> www.ChessKid.com :)

Question for he above. Does the kid's site have Chess Mentor?

im in the same boat

Disney's Chess Guide.

And for once I'm not being sarcastic. It's a good book for a child under 10 years old, and is written by none other than Anatoly Karpov.

 Thanks!  I will see if I can find it.

Careful, she'll beat you soon like mine did! :)

http://www.gad.net/Blog/2010/04/14/my-daughter-beat-me-at-chess/

http://www.gad.net/Blog/2010/05/11/my-other-daughter-beat-me-at-chess/

I spent several years volunteering as a chess teacher for kids.
And during that time, I learned some valuable ideas.

When working with someone who is new to chess, the most important thing is to instill within them a love for the game.
Once this love begins, a passion will grow and they will seek out ways to improve on their own.
But until this true love is there, lessons and lectures risk frustration and could cause a child to turn away from the game.

So the first step is to find a way to teach the child some chess ideas while creating this love.
How do we do that?
Well, what is the most enjoyable part of playing chess?
Probably check mating the opposing King!

So in my lessons, I usually begin by exposing the kids to some very basic checkmate puzzles.
They view them as a fun game to play.
And I watch them light up when they discover the correct answers.
(Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is probably the most basic of these books.)

If the puzzles turn out to be too easy for the kid, this is actually a good thing!
Because the experience is showing them that chess books and puzzles are not scary or intimidating.
They can be fun!
And this will make it easier to expose them to more advanced, instructional books later on.
(On the other hand, if you force upon them an overly complicated book at the beginning, they may run from them forever.)

I have a book collection of 400+ in my library.
As you are a fellow Portlander, you would be welcome to borrow some for your child if you would like.
I can send you a list if you are interested.

--CM

Here's an idea, if you ask her a question and she answers you you should respond.