Did you know that October 9 is National Chess Day? I had no idea until this past Monday. But better late than never, right?
We’ve been talking about teaching the kids how to play chess for some time, but we’ve just never gotten around to it. A big part of the problem is that we don’t know how to play chess either! (That’s pretty important if you’re going to teach it to someone else.)
The Internet is just great, though. Rather than having to hunt down someone we know who can play chess, we can learn just by using several great websites that feature online chess lessons. Here is a roundup of some of the free online chess lessons for kids we’ve found on the Internet!
Free Online Chess Lessons for Kids
- ChessKid – This site is perfect for young chess learners. The graphics are kid-friendly and the site has a basic chess lesson page that is full of helpful illustrations and directions. Kids and parents can work together by reading articles, completing chess puzzles, and watching chess video tutorials.
- Activity Village – Don’t have a chessboard? We don’t either! But this site has a free printable chess board with printable “pieces” to help kids get used to navigating the board right away! We’ll be printing these out to get started until we get around to buying a set of our own.
- The Chess Website – This site is more geared to older kids and adults, but it’s full of resources for chess newbies and those who are already familiar with the game. A few sections require membership, but most, including online chess practice, chess strategy lessons, and chess opening tutorials are available to the public.
- Chess Magnet School – If you’d like a visual walkthrough of basic chess rules as you play, this site is perfect. When you enter this site, which is available through the U.S. Chess Federation, you can run a Java-powered tutorial that explains the rules and allows you to make moves yourself.
- U.S. Chess Federation – Once you understand the game, you’ll have to play by the rules if you want to become a serious chess player. The U.S. Chess Federation website offers a great explanation of basic chess rules and decorum, which are required at most matches.
Chess Books and Games for Kids:
Want even more ideas for teaching chess to kids? Try these kid-friendly chess games and books!
1. No Stress Chess Game – Winning Moves
2. Chess for Children: How to Play the World’s Most Popular Board Game – Murray Chandler
3. Chess Teacher Game – Cardinal Industries
4. The Kids’ Book of Chess and Chess Set – Harvey Kidder
5. Chess for Kids – Michael Basman
We’ll be trying these resources out with the kids in the coming weeks! If you decide to try these or any other chess lesson websites, let us know how it goes in the comments!
That’s cool that there are chess classes online for kids. I loved playing chess as a kid. I played in several tournaments and it really taught me how to problem solve. Thanks for the list of different sites! I’m going to register my kid for one of the classes!
Thank you so much for all the great suggestions. I’m sure our daughter will enjoy learning chess.
Cheers,
Melissa