Need Help Getting Kids To Take Chess SERIOUSLY...

First, thanks for taking the time to read this!

I need help/advice.

I am a high school science teacher, and also coach the Science Olympiad team and run the Chess Club.  I'm NOT a chess expert, and would not feel comfortable saying I'm a chess coach, as my knowledge of the game is still quite amateur.

The kind of chess club I envision running at my school is one where the students take the game seriously and want to improve their game.  However, 90% of the students that show up only want to play the game and don't seem to care much about learning (from their mistakes or otherwise).  I occasionally get a student or two per year that are somewhat interested in improving, but even then, they don't care much for loads of extra work (having plenty of homework already).

What recommendations might some of you have as to how to better spark their interest in learning more?

Do you know of any good books that perhaps have lessons that include some homework that could be given to the interested students?

I've tried giving chess puzzles, but the students tend to look at them for about 5 minutes tops, and then prefer to play a game than work out the puzzle solution.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Rich Lund

I'd say save your energy, its pretty much impossible to teach chess to someone that doesn't want to be taught.

Is it really so bad that they just have fun playing chess in the chess club? 

I would say to host some tournaments. It won't make everyone interested, but it will most likely spark the competitive side of a few. I was the captian of my high school chess club and was in charge of it since our teacher didn't know anything about chess. The people above me are correct when they say most people just want to play, but incentives to win increases the desire to learn. You should get some funds for clubs which the school usually gives. Use it for some cheap medals or trophies.

Don't force work onto them, if they ask to improve give them a very general outline  and let them choose how much they want to work. If it becomes too much of a hassle, they won't want to play. Hope it helps, and thanks for taking the time to help your students.

Thank you paK0666 for the reply.

"Is it really so bad that they just have fun playing chess in the chess club?"

Absolutely not bad at all.  I have some solace in knowing that at least they are interested in the game, and perhaps I'm planting a seed that will grow in them later in life.  So, I am pleased that we have interest in the game at all.

However, I see some potential in many of them, and feel that if I could encourage that more in them, they could become some very good players for their age.  If anything, I'd just like to try some new ideas and see how it goes.  If they take to it, then excellent.  If they reject the new things I try, so be it.  At least I tried and they had the opportunity. 

As long as they are chess fans, I'm pleased either way.

Thank you chessfa1 for the advice.

I do have two tournaments per year.  I do a fall and a spring season.  Winter is my Science Olympiad season, so chess club goes on hiatus during that time.  I have many of the same students in both, so it makes sense.

Anyway, I do a Round Robin in the fall with them and a Mini Swiss in the spring.  Trophies and prizes (chess sets, programs, books, etc.) are available.  It's an interesting dynamic that happens around tournament time.  Some students do get competitive, but others go in with the attitude that because "insert good player's name here" is signed up, they have no chance of winning anyway.

I definitely don't force the work on them.  I agree with you on that one.  I would hate taking something that's fun and turning it into just another class.  So, I do have weekly puzzles that are available.

For additional, optional work, though, does anyone know of a good book/resource that has decent lessons for amatuers that they'd recommend?

free candy would motivate me :P but in seriousness maybe if you offer some sort of reward for just noticable improvement .. for example offering extra honors points to students you see improving ... you could calculate their improvment based on their rankings and how well they are playing against higher ranked players

The problem is that they start thinking they can sacrifice Queens whenever they feel like 

Hello Mr. Lund! I teach chess  in 11 different schools as well as coaching teams and you are facing a problem every chess teacher and coach faces. I would say that 95% of my students take their chess classes seriously. There is an art to teaching chess to kids. It starts with selecting games that are interesting to watch. For the first half of each of my classes, I present a 30 minute lecture based on a master level game. However, you can't just use any game because a boring game is akin to watching paint dry. You also want to use a game that isn't too many moves long. The game should illustrate the point you're trying to make. There's a easy method to presenting lectures but it's a bit to long to write out in this post. Message me and I'll be happy to break the system I use down for you.

You also have to make the learning process fun. I use the Socratic method in which my students participate in an active dialog as I'm lecturing so there is a back and forth conversation with my students. Message me and I'll fill you in on it...Hugh

Try giving them an incentive to improve. For example, a "ladder" system is an interesting idea. Every player is randomly placed onto a ladder, and any one position can challenge a higher position. If the challengee wins, the two positions are switched. If there is a draw or a loss, nothing changes.

You can allow for a small number of 'ladder challenges' to be issued per week, to make these matches serious. The competition between the children (desire of a higher spot on the public ladder) should increase their desire to win. When they don't they'll realize that the only way to win (and earn a higher ladder rank) is to improve, so your lessons will become more important to them.

Self efficacy is important in growing children (and everyone else for that matter), and if you set up a barrier ('you have to learn and improve!") they'll kick back against it just to establish identity. However, giving incentive to improve (in this case public admiration) is likely to be more successful with time.

I don't know where the 90% figure came from (probably it's just an opinion) but I can empathize with the sentiment here. I'm with Felix and paK0666   on this one.

You should consider joining USCF both for getting deals on equipment (although don't automatically assume USCF has the best deals) and for gaining access to an organization that promotes chess in schools and probably knows a thing or two you may find helpful.

BUT if you come across students who do want to improve check out articles (right here at chess.com) by Dan Heisman and Jeremy SIlman and maybe a few of my blogs might also be helpful

http://www.chess.com/blog/NimzoRoy/chess-opening-principles?_domain=old_blog_host&_parent=old_frontend_blog_view

http://www.chess.com/blog/NimzoRoy/beginner-chess-book-recommendations

http://www.chess.com/blog/NimzoRoy/endgame-faqs?_domain=old_blog_host&_parent=old_frontend_blog_view

I teach in a couple of after-school programs.

I face the same challenges. One of the methods I have used is to give them all accounts on chesskid.com (requires a little pocket money from me but its not too bad) and then keep running scores of their tactics ratings so they have another competition vector.

Also, we have 4 computers in the room and I discovered they all want to play on chesskid during the class, so I reward whoever has done the most tactics that week with a seat at the computer for that day.

I have been trying different things. Sometimes a tactic works for a little while, then I have to change it up. Its a constant battle and easily the most challenging aspect of running a class for kids that level, but a good sense of accomplishment when it works.

Mr. Lund....Mr. Jag here..... I am also a science teacher slash chess club sponsor at my middle school.  I have a very similar issue that you do.  Right not at the age I work with I simply try to get kids interested in chess and to play more often.  Chess.com has become a great tool for some of my kids and I have seen drastic improvement in their game since they have started playing more turned based games instead of faster paced bullet type games.

I think the first step for you is something that you have already accomplished which is to create an environment where chess is fun and cool.  Second you need to create a sense of competition, which is the current impasse we find ourselves in.  I love the ladder idea that was suggested earlier.  I would place a few restrictions though.  Such as only being able to challenge no more than 2 spots above you and only one ladder challenge per week.  I would also suggest that any official ladder challenge matches must be recorded. This way all ladder matches can be reviewed and learned from.  

As far as books go.  My brother in law gave me "Chess Tactics for Champions" by Susan Polgar.  It has been great for me because it gives a great deal of themed puzzles so that the kids know what tactic they are working on.  

Overall I am so glad that you are searching out help with your chess club and continuing to push kids.  We are definitely soldiers fighting the same battle.  

Thank you all for the many helpful replies!

Hugh, I have messaged you and await your advice.  Thank you for offering it!

xAsnl, thank you for your ladder suggestion.  While I haven't considered such an approach before, I have tried a different incentive.  I do have an "Honors" program that they can be part of.  They do not have to participate, so if some just want to come and play chess, they can.  But for others, they have shown some interest.  The way it works is I offer points for various tasks.  If they play a time controlled game (20 min each clock minimum) AND record it, they receive 1 pt.  I have weekly puzzles, which if they find the best move AND explain the full reason why it is the best, they earn 1 pt.  Then, there are points for participating in our tournaments (2 per year) and points for taking 1st or 2nd place.  If a student earns 50 points in their four years of high school, they are considered an "Honors" Chess Player, get their name posted on the list in the classroom, and receive a chess pin to represent their commitment.

With the ladder system, I like the idea, but the first part that I could see potentially causing an issue is, who is on the bottom step.  In addition to that, there are some students who I think would stay very near the bottom or at the very bottom.  Being at the bottom level might discourage them from continuing to come to the meetings.  For those students, or for any, I would hate to have anything in our system discourage them from participating.  I'd rather have them showing up and not improving than feeling ashamed at being visibly posted as low man on the totem pole and then not showing up any longer.  Have you encountered any of this with your ladder system?

NimzoRoy, I have joined the USCF.  I did it primarily so that I could do tournaments, learn about them, and then have some knowledge that I could pass on to students who want to start doing USCF sanctioned tournaments.  That way, I've been there before and could offer advice.  (Up to this point, though, no students of mine have wanted to take it seriously enough to pay for USCF registration and then also pay to enter tournaments.  They also feel, I think, intimidated that they'd pay that money and probably get squashed in their games.)  Thank you, though, for those blog links.  I will definitely check them out!

Ubik42, I appreciate your ideas.  However, I'm at the high school level, and wouldn't necessarily be able to do what you speak of, as far as giving students time at computers.  I have, however, encouraged students to get an account here and play turn based games.  If I get enough students, I'll upgrade my account and make a team for our school, so that students can play each other throughout the years, over the summers, and even after graduation.  So far, though, I have perhaps three students who activiely use this site.  I'm hoping for many more.

JaggedEdge03, thank you as well for your reply, and for being on the "front lines" with me.  Perhaps you might want to try my "Honors" system that I speak of in this same post.  Perhaps your students will eat it up more than mine have.  I'll see if I can score that book and delve into it this summer and get some lessons ready for them.

Thank you all again for the time to read my post and offer thought out replies to it!

It looks like you're taking this very seriously and will do all you can to interest your students in taking chess seriously (God forbid!) 

Anyways...GOOD LUCK!

Kids get bored of rules/games played/explained in their entirety.

Kids love puzzles/problems and visual-media! (video) 

This is the way to begin.

Are you really?  I'm definitely getting a mixed message from your reply.  After all, "solace" doesn't make it sound like you're terribly pleased; nor would you need to feel you are "planting a seed" if you were truly content to see them not taking the game seriously.

I dont know how familiar you are with chess 960, but i think it would be a fun thing to introduce... I ve been playing chess on and off my whole life and just got into 960, i havent even tried corner chess, or double 960! On this wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960_starting_position it tells you how to use a die to figure the starting positions... just using the die adds some excitement... kind of like unwraping a christmas present... or reaching into a box of chocolates blindfolded 960 will definetely teach them profilaxis *probably the strongest skill that can be taught" and then if you add my favorite book "how to beat your dad at chess" 50 most deadly checkmates... shoot within a couple months they'd be killers... the reason i make this suggestion is i was just thinking the other day "why didnt my high school chess coach show us how to play 960?"

brettregan1.... I strongly disagree with you about chess being a waste of time.  My guess is that you are not an educator nor do you have kids yourself.  Simply put, I think Mr. Lund is trying to encourage his kids to continue learning and through the process of trying to improve themselves at chess, they gain confidence in themselves as students and young adults.  One of the main goals of any educator is to help kids to strive to reach their potential.  I do not believe that Lund's main goal is to urge his students to become grand masters but simply learn how to apply themselves.  Such a skill and experience will only benefit them as they meet new challenges in college and the work world.  He is asking of his chess club no more than any coach of a sports team would ask of their players: Do your best and learn to be better.

Kids are more interested in "fun" chess, like blitz. The more you grow, the more you like slow chess and studying chess.