Make Chess Interesting for Beginners with Online Chess Classes

The problem with most people who are hesitant to learn or even try their hand at chess is that they think that ‘chess skill’ directly relates to ‘intelligence.’ As a result of this mistaken impression, they fear that losing in chess makes look dumb—and no one wants that. It is also common for people to undermine their own intelligence, leading them to believe that they won't be any good at a brain-game that they will most likely lose to. While it is true that chess is a game of strategy, being unskilled in it doesn't make one stupid. After all, chess skills and expertise are gained through years of practice, study, and competitive/non-competitive playing. If you want to introduce someone, especially a young kid to the world of chess, the key is to break this common misconception. This way, you can encourage them to learn and start seeing the beauty of the game, which is oftentimes invisible to non-chess-players.

If you want to make chess interesting for a beginner, show them how to win. Basic moves and principles are easy enough to learn. In fact, anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the game can teach another person how to move pieces around and communicate what the object of the game is. What's difficult is figuring out how to overcome the opponent. Showing a beginner how to win by letting them in on some simple principles and techniques will not only add to their skills, but also improve their self-esteem, when they actually beat you.

This however, doesn't mean you should go easy on them (at least not that they know of), unless they tell you to do so. If you want someone to learn to love the game that you are also passionate about, teach him or her how to win by showing them simple, yet useful concepts that go a long way as they inch through their chess journey. Some useful concepts you can introduce include the pin and the fork, the principle of the king net, opening systems, knights in pawn holes, what good/bad bishops mean, and simple patterns like the back-rank mate, rook roll, etc. Once you have opened that door to the excitement of outwitting chess opponents, it is easier to convince them to take the game seriously and learn further. Online chess classes are also a great approach to adding even more interest to beginner chess. Here, they can learn the game at their own pace and time and meet other beginners who are in the same stage of the learning process.

About the author:

Albert Fishman has been involved in teaching chess since 1996 and is part of the IchessU coaching staff.

IchessU stands for International Chess University. We are an online entity that specializes in chess education. We teach chess openings, chess strategies and more about the chess game in detail to kids.