Chess at Four?

I admit it, I'm trying to teach chess to a four-year-old.

I was inspired by a mama-friend at my parish . . . well, inspired by her gentle, kind-spirited, artistic, brilliant brood of children (all of whom play chess). Recently I saw on her blog that her #5 child was competing in a chess tournament amid a sea of other players . . . and this child is all of seven or eight years old! So I asked her when a child can be introduced to chess: her answer? She starts exposing them at three years old and they start learning the maneuvers at four! She said that some four-year-old players are already good at the game. This mama waxed poetic about the benefits of learning chess (teaching patience, the ability to sit still, strategic analysis) and I decided that I wanted to discover if John has an interest.

At my friend's direction, I bought Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster. The program arrived, I installed it, and I introduced John to it today . . . and then I could not peel him away for two and a half hours! The program works by teaching the kids seven arcade-style games, each one of which teaches how one type of chess piece moves. (For example, we learn how kings move by playing a game with sumo wrestlers trying to shove each other off the mat.) By the end of mastering these seven games, the child should have a solid foundation for and interest in starting to play actual chess.

John has almost never been allowed to touch the computer, so he was simultaneously learning the computer games and learning how to use a computer at all. I was fascinated to see that a computer was intuitive to his child's mind. I could say, "Click on the icon" and he could figure out what "click" and "icon" meant. He learned how to maneuver through menus and maps that were rather complex. Now he can scroll, drag, double click, and so forth.

Interestingly, the games themselves have the feeling of teaching by the Socratic method--if I'm remembering my one year of law school well. The computer doesn't spit out a bunch of instructions. Instead the player has to take his mouse, click around, investigate, see what pops up, and figure out the rules by trial and error. I could hardly tear myself away from watching how the child's mind worked, how he could learn the rules of a game by giving it a try blindly, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes. John would ask me how the game worked and I'd answer, "I don't know, why don't you try clicking around and find out what happens?" And then he'd learn it! I was also somewhat reminded of how lab rats learn . . .

Also I bought a tournament-style chess board, as recommended by my friend. The board is a mat that rolls out. The pieces are nearly indestructible, even by a teething baby or mischievous toddler. And it all comes in a neat carrying case. Part way through playing the computer game, John spotted me unpacking the new chess set and he stopped, "WHAT IS THAT?" He was so excited that he ran over, set up the pieces in a random way, and insisted we start playing.

I had to tell him that I don't know how to play chess yet! But I could help him set up the board properly as a first step, so we did that. Then we went back to the computer game.

I have to say that I think I exhibited keen strategic skills in my ability to sit with John at the computer for two and a half hours, and do my laundry and dishes, while juggling a two-year-old and a five-week-old!

I am really excited to learn chess myself. I will report back if the computer program is a success in helping teach chess to my boy! The box says that Fritz and Chesster is for ages 8 and up . . .