How Chess Can Make Your Child a Genius

Good parents will make sure that their child is not only physically healthy but mentally fit, too. There are many ways to develop a child’s mind, and playing certain games like chess is one of them. In fact, chess is known to make geniuses out of children. Chess has always been associated with people who excel in critical thinking, but it can be played and enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age or mindset.

Many studies show that chess can improve a child or an adult’s critical thinking abilities and memory because it helps stimulate the prefrontal cortex and dendrites that are in charge of coordinating self-control, planning, and judgment as well as conducting brain signals. Students in an NYC chess program were found to have better reading scores compared to non-chess playing students, and another study showed that 4,000 students in Venezuela showed a marked improvement in their IQ scores after four months of being taught how to play chess.

The brain is like a muscle that requires exercise to prevent degradation and injury, and chess is a way to keep the brain active and stimulated. By introducing your child to chess at a young age, he or she is likely to do better in school and become a better team player way into adulthood. Research also showed that chess could boost a child’s problem-solving, math, reading, and critical thinking abilities.

Chess experts and coaches typically recommend getting your child started at chess by second grade, but some kids may be ready to play by the time they are four or five. Chess may help turn your child into a creative genius, too, since it keeps the right brain active. Apart from turning your child into a genius, chess may help build his self-confidence, as well, especially if he gets to play with like-minded kids and older children of different skill levels.

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Advanced Chess Strategies

Learning chess is like learning a new language. You need to play it regularly so you can improve and grasp the skills and strategies needed to win. Chess ‘strategies’ involve setting long-term goals in every game and achieving them, while ‘tactics’ focus on immediate moves. Both aspects go together, since a strategic goal can typically be achieved with the right tactics, and a tactical opportunity is based on the strategy of play you used previously. Signing up for online chess classes can help you understand advanced chess strategies and learn how to use them well. Here are some of the advanced chess strategies you should know about:

• Do not let your opponent open a file on your king if you castled.

• Once you have developed a piece, try not to move it again until you have developed other pieces.

• Develop pieces with the goal of making them coordinate properly with one another. Otherwise, you may find your attacks weak, and you could end up in a losing situation.

• Eliminate communication between the pieces of your opponent.

• Seize the center for control, so you can attack better and gain more play.

• Find a weak spot in the position of your opponent. Knowing and taking advantage of your opponent’s weakness is crucial in chess.

• Avoid any premature attacks on your opponent. Do not attack unless you have enough force in the field to make it successful. Premature attacks typically cause the player to lose.

• Avoid making exchanges that can develop another piece for your opponent.

• Exchange an active piece with an active and similar piece from your opponent.

• Do not be greedy. There are times when you may find it easy to take your opponent’s pawn, but beware—it could be a trap designed to give your opponent the opportunity to become more powerful.

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Chess Glossary – 10 Chess Terms

Part of learning and improving in chess is familiarizing yourself with the most common terms used by players. Referring to a chess glossary is a good start, but you might be surprised to find that there are more than 250 terms to learn. The good news is that you do not have to memorize all them. You can learn them as you play, or you can start by learning the most commonly used chess terms. Whether you are a beginner or an average player, it may help you master the game better by knowing the 10 most commonly used chess terms:

1.  Tiebreak – The method for differentiating the places between two players who have the same score. It is typically based on how well opponents did in the event.

2.  Sudden death – This is the time control period where all moves must be played within a given amount of time on a player’s clock.

3.  Pin – The attack of a Queen, Bishop, or Rook on a piece that should not or cannot move because a worthier piece behind it is along the line of attack.

4.  Touch Chess move – This is a rule that states three points: (1) You touch a piece, you move it, (2) you let go of that piece, you leave it, and (3) you displace the opponent’s piece, you take it.

5.  Doubled pawns – Two pawns in the same color in one file as a result of capture.

6.  Annotation – To show the moves of the game and provide extra moves and text describing the detail of what could have or what has happened.

7.  Attack – Moving a piece to the square to capture the opponent’s piece next move. It may describe having the initiative and placing pressure on a specific square, such as when you intend to attack the kingside.

8.  Blitz – Fast chess, which is typically five minutes per player in the entire game.

9.  Desperado – A piece that will be captured anyway, so it can be sacrificed at a high cost.

10.  Double attack – Attacking two or more pieces with a single move.

Once you familiarize yourself with these 10 chess terms, you can visualize better and imagine your sequences of actions before executing them. Likewise, knowing the terms from a reliable chess glossary may help increase your cognitive skills, boost your memory, and enable you to communicate better with teammates, coaches, and rivals.

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Alternate Rules for Chess Game

Chess has certain rules and standards that players must follow to ensure a smooth gameplay that makes sense. However, some chess games can be played using alternative rules that may involve removing certain pieces or adding more pieces, and various time limits. Knowing these alternate rules can help you become a more versatile player while expanding your knowledge and ability. It can also make playing chess with your friends more fun.

Odd chess is one of the alternate ways to play chess. It lets unevenly matched players enjoy a fair game. Hence, it does not matter if you are playing an amateur player with a master and vice-versa. In odd chess, the more experienced or skilled player receives a handicap, which can vary from minimal (i.e. the less skilled player going first) to extreme (i.e. experienced player eliminates his pieces in the queen’s side). Some players add other chess rules. For instance, the strong player delivers mate on a particular square or piece.

Los Alamos is another alternate version of chess, and it is played on a six by six square board without the bishops. This type of chess game was invented for early computers, back when they lacked computing power for a full game. Capablanca chess is a game that is played on a 10 by 10 or 10 by eight board with additional pieces, such as an archbishop that can move like a knight and a bishop, and a chancellor that can move like a knight and rook. Blitz chess is a form of orthodox chess but considered a variant due to its rule, where you are allowed to play at different time limits (usually five minutes for every game). Some orthodox chess games may require you to be blindfolded. It can be a test of how much you know the board and the pieces.

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4 Tips for Selecting the Best Chess Classes Online

One of the great challenges people face is to be able to adapt. Yet, change is the one constant in a world that is always evolving. This applies to people as much as it does to technology. We live in a world that would have been the envy of visionaries of the past – any information we seek is always at our fingertips. How we use this resource is up to us. Among other things, it provides a novel approach to pursue a desire or improve your skill. Online chess lessons is a bit of both, and then some more.

If you are a beginner and want to take chess lessons, then you do not have to hire a personal coach. You can easily learn chess by studying it online. Many professional players and institutions share various strategies and tactics of chess on their websites or other online forums that you can access through your laptop or phone from the comfort of your home.

But in the abundance of choices, it is not easy to choose the right institution or coach, especially online. It is not easy to trust someone you have not met in life. When it comes to teaching, the skills and services offered by the person or institution become a serious matter. You must invest time in learning only from the best.

You should consider these pointers before choosing the best chess classes for you online:

Take the Free Trial: Many online institutes and coaches offer a free trial period in which you can join the classes for free for a certain period of time and see if you are comfortable with the information provided by them. Then you can sign up with them and pay the cost of the course. In that trial period, you can evaluate their approach towards the game and their students. If you find them considerable, enough you can move ahead in the process of selection.

Take Them into Consideration: When you are satisfied with the teachings of an online coach or institute in the trial period, you can look for their credentials and see how they are treating their students. If they are attending to their students and properly addressing their issues, you can keep them on your list. Do not forget to ask for the complete information related to their charges, timings, schedule, and other small things. It will help you find out if their services will suit your schedule and preference or not.

Perform a Background Check: You should do a proper check on your online coach or institution regarding their experience, course structure, and qualification. Not every grandmaster is a good teacher, but they certainly carry a lot of experience with them that can be useful to you. Also, ask from their students for their experiences with them, it will give you a clear idea about whether to choose them or not.

Charges: The price charged by any coach or institute can be a deciding factor in your selection process. Before paying upfront, try making a budget for your training and proceed accordingly. It will help you save some money and to help you choose better.

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Learn Perfect Chess Openings by Remembering These 3 Steps

Chess is among the few games that do not discriminate between people. A chess match can be played between opponents regardless of age, gender, color or creed. In many ways, it reflects the true essence of humanity even as two people compete to gain the upper hand. Chess does not care if you are powerful or weak. The great leveler of human nature is a humbling reminder that talent and qualities matter more than the confines dreamed up by those too nearsighted to see the truth. The only thing that matters is skill – the skill to anticipate your opponent’s moves or bear the loss.

In every game, basics matter a lot, and same applies to chess. If your openings are not sorted, then no amount of tactics and strategies can help you make a comeback. Some basics about chess openings are mentioned here that can be useful in making yourself perfect in chess openings.

Learn the Principles: If you are new to chess, it is better to memorize all the principles of opening a game. One of the basic principles of opening a game in chess is to develop your pieces on the chessboard. It means that you have to position your pieces as fast as possible so that you can secure many positions on the board. After that, you should see that your minor pieces such as pawns, knights, and bishops move forward first. Do not be in a hurry to open your ‘big guys’ first. Another important thing is to develop the pieces in coordination with each other. This can open so many opportunities for you in the middle-game.

Use those Principles in the Game: When you have a clear understanding of the opening principles of the game, you should try to implement them in the game. Most of the players try different openings and tactics for the different stages of the game when they sit down to evaluate their performance after a game. This helps them to find out the strategies that work best for them and also identify the mistakes to avoid in the future.

Learn Some Professional Openings: Experienced players have a specific set of openings that they use interchangeably in different games. Their list of openings automatically grows as they gain more knowledge and experience. You should also develop a unique style of opening the game. That will help you choosing the openings better.

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Control the Course of the Game with the Best Chess Opening Strategy

Chess opening strategies are crucial to win a chess game. Good strategies allow you to gain a quick control of the center, safeguard your king, create positions to mount an attack and prevent any weak links in the pawns. Moreover, pieces are placed in such a way that they protect each other.

There are quite a few chess opening strategies and the best one for you will depend on two factors: your strategy for the game and the expertise of your opponent. There are essentially two popular types of openings, viz., king's pawn openings and queen's pawn openings. Here are some famous chess opening strategies that you should know if you are into chess:

King's pawn openings: Each of these openings start with the move: e4 where the white pawn in front of the king moves forward two places. Some important king's pawn openings are:

• Sicilian Defense
• Alekhine Defense
• Caro-Kann Defense
• French Defense
• Scandinavian Defense

Queen's pawn openings: Here the opening starts with the move: d4 where the white pawn in front of the queen moves forward two places. Some famous queen’s pawn openings are:

• Stonewall Attack
• Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
• Trompowsky Attack
• London System

These openings are sometimes also divided into open games, closed games, semi-open games, semi-closed games and flank openings.

Here are some of the famous opening strategies classified according to the above categorization:

Open games: White plays e4 and black counters with e5

• King's Gambit
• Ruy Lopez
• Scotch Game
• Italian Game

Closed games: White plays d4 and black counters with d5

• Queen’s Gambit
• London System
• Slav Defense
• Torre Attack

Semi-open games: White plays e4 and black plays anything other than e5

• Sicilian Defense
• Caro-Kann Defense
• Alekhine’s Defense
• Modern Defense
• Scandinavian Defense

Semi-closed games: White plays d4 and black counters with a move other than d5

• Indian defense
• King’s Indian Defence
• Queen’s Indian Defence
• Nimzo-Indian Defence
• Black Knights’ Tango
• Dutch Defense
• Benoni Defense

Flank openings: The opening moves are played with the white starting with flanking moves

• King’s Indian Attack
• Réti
• Bird's Opening
• English Opening

These are just a few of the many opening moves in chess and mastering even a few of these will make you a strong chess player. Start with one of the many options and get set on your way to becoming a chess master.

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A Brief Introduction to Learn Chess Strategy and Movements

Chess is known for its various strategies and movements. From opening moves to ones for checkmate, there are countless game plays that you can use to outwit the opponent and win the game. Most of these plays have been perfected by the grandmasters and the experts, and there are innumerable arguments in favor of each.

These strategies and movements are important as:

• They give you a better command of the game, and you have control of the board
• You can dictate how the game develops and how it ends
• Keeping to the strategy and refining it as the game progresses help counter attacks
• You can end the game sooner than what would have been otherwise possible
• You significantly increase your wins-to-losses ratio if you know your strategies and moves well

Here are a few chess strategy and movements that have helped players win across the years

Opening strategy:

There are quite a few famous opening strategies and deal with the first few moves that you make. The end goal of these opening moves are:

• Control of the center
• Safeguarding the King
• Development of the opening moves
• Avoiding any pawn weaknesses

There are a number of opening strategies. These include the Sicilian defense, the Alekhine defense, Kings Indian attack and the Dutch defense, among others.

Middle game strategy:

As the name suggests, these strategies and movements are for the middle game when some pieces are gone, and players are moving on to consolidate their position. The idea is to maximize the opportunities offered by one’s own pieces and whittle down the opponent’s strategies by attacking their weak pieces. Some of the common mistakes to avoid are isolated pawns (that will definably come under attack) and a playing a passive game with moves determined by the opponent.

End game strategy:

Here the goal is to simply win. There are now very few pieces on the board and the idea is to give a checkmate with the least number of moves. Some of the more common end games involve the kings and 1-2 pawns through there are those that involve other pieces such as the rook and / or the bishop. However, having an unequal number of pieces is rare unless one party has outmatched the other completely.

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