What is the right age to teach chess to a youngster?

@MeadMaker -- Majestic Chess is indeed a great game for kids, and I keep waiting for some programmer out there to take that kind of "storied character chess game" to another level.

My oldest son is 4. Even though his dad (me) has obviously devoted the majority of his life to the "game of kings", I don't really invest a lot of time trying to teach him to play. He loves it because dad does it, and he knows how to move the pieces. However, I didn't start until I was 10, and I was still able to achieve a lot of success, and also experience the "educational benefits" chess has to offer me.

So my perspective is if/when my kid shows a speical interest in anything (chess or anything else) then it is time to instruct and push the child towards excellence. I am not sure that chess really teaches any special life lessons that other games/sports can't teach, if the sport is given dedication by the pupil...

Danny

With appologies to Waylon Jennings....

Mamma's, don't let your babies grow up to be chess players.
Don't let them en passent and learn to fork rooks
Let them be Doctors and Lawyers and such.

Momma's, don't let your babies grow up to be chess players.
'Cos they'll stay up too long, trying to queen pawns,
even against someone they love.

Obligatory cute kid learning chess story.

I taught my kid checkers when he was 3.  About half way through his 4th year, I hadn't taught him Chess yet. (I would a few months after.)  We played a game of checkers, and had the Chess pieces available when he said he wanted to play Chess.  I said that maybe we should play something else, because I didn't think he knew how to play Chess.  His only exposure to the game, as far as I knew, was watching the first Harry Potter movie. He assured me, "I know how to play Chess, Daddy."  I expressed my doubt, but he insisted.

I handed him the white pieces, which he didn't know how to set up.  Still, he insisted he knew how to play, so I helped him set up all the pieces.  When all the pieces were in place, he said, "Checkmate!  I win!"

I congratulated him on a game well played.

I have twin sons and I began teaching them the basic rules of chess when they began to show some interest in the game. Their main passion right now is not chess, but fishing, and that's ok too. However , they have played in a few tournaments with me, in Spain, Portugal and in the USA !

How can i teach how the knight moves?

I'm not sure if your question refers to the age of the teacher or the student. If it's the teacher, then it's definitely more fun to educate someone older than you, heh heh. And if it's the student, well then, why not record an audiobook of history's best games and play it next to the womb?

like an L shape, my 3 yo sister can't figure out how to move the other pieces, but the knights she has down.

"before their third birthday" - László Polgár (pedagogue)

well she wanted to play when she was 2, but i deemed her too young

I played with my 2 1/2 year old grandson because he had watched us play Chess . . .

He can still play and just graduated from UCLA in 3 years . . .

I tried to teach my 3 year old granddaughter but she put the pieces all laying down and got her kids bible and read to them the pictures while they were sleeping. . . .

So it can be any age if the child wants to learn . . .

I learned around 13 years old because we were bored in the 1950's . . .

I started my son the day he came home from the hospital his crib had a chess piece Mobil above his crib. I played a Horowitz how to play chess in his swing before he could walk. He would set in my lap and watch me play chess on my fidelity elie a/s at 2 and 3. I taught him early it was just as beneficial to lose a game because you tend to learn more from the game. I taught him to have fun regardless of winning or losing. I never forced him to play up in tournaments but let him play at his current level. He kept his interest up through high school in chess won many events played top on the top highschool team won back to back state tem championships, varsity letter in chess. A banner for an overall team state championship. Never played in college, bachelor of science degree, went on to become a doctor of dentistry. Well rounded ked played all sports growing up, chess was what made him smart and got him there.

As soon as it cannot swallow pieces.

I think you should be at least 16 before you start teaching chess to youngsters. 

Go to knight school.

I think that from the age of 5 they can already learn to play chess and if they have great aspirations, start working more seriously at the age of 8.

“Just take some old records off the shelf…” throw on some Bob Seeger and work on those night moves. 

I learned at age 4

iam teaching my niece at 5years old, but she's already beating me,.. she knows the pawns are babies, and the horses jump, and can set up the board, and im happy with that, but then she has so many special powerful pieces that can move everywhere and just dominates me.

:( :)