Chess for Kids

by Michael Basman

With the help of step-by-step illustrations, a former international grandmaster explains the basic moves, strategy, history, and gamesmanship of chess, making this ancient game accessible to younger enthusiasts.

Genres: Chess, Childrens, Nonfiction, Games

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me: (to librarian) I’m trying to see this game through the eyes of a child.

Librarian: (rolling her eyes & scanning it in) That shouldn’t be too difficult.

[David Natiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a difficult task to make a game like Chess approachable and interesting for children under the age of about 8 or 9. I think "Chess for Kids" does an admirable job with lots of colorful pictures, a good outline, and logical steps from total beginner to beginner Chess Player.

It seems to me that many Chess authors because of their high skill level (or else they wouldn't be writing a book, right?) are sometimes challenged when trying to keep everything on a beginner level. They'll put in "examples" or "tests" which are quite difficult, but probably seem simple to them. I didn't find that here, but rather a good mix of beginner and slightly challenging examples.

The one thing I felt could be improved on is the style & size of the tests. They are rather small, and the black & red contrasting pieces is not standard Black & White. I felt it made it harder to read than it had to be, and seemed like a non-standard approach.

But overall, I'd recommend this book to the beginner chess player. It's readable by an 8-year old, and can be used in conjunction with an adult for those kids picking up the game even younger.

[James Weakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

From providing a brief but complete history of the game to including overviews of the individual pieces, Basman uses this short book to its full effect. He prepares young players to explore strategies for defence, attack, and concluding each game, while providing examples of how to gain experience through playing multiple games with a variety of people. Chess for Kids is an excellent resource for new players and a wonderful refresh course for more experienced players.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

45 pages. Great book for beginners and higher. There are very nice photos and diagrams of the basics of this game, as well as moves. The author includes lots of chess problems to solve. The answers are given at the end of the book. I learned a lot about this game that I did not know. I think it would be a great book to have on hand for chess club members or just in a good library collection. Highly recommended for Grades 3 and up.

[Shu · Rating 3 out of 5]

One can tell the author is someone who loves chess and loves teaching chess to kids. My 5-year old enjoyed many of the “It’s your move!” chess puzzles. The layout is classic DK Publishing, multicolored and nonlinear, which doesn’t seem to match the classic aesthetics of chess, IMO.

[Andy Fiedler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, easy to follow, and engaging.

[Srinivasan Nanduri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential chess guide for kids

[Lewis & Luther Bark · Rating 5 out of 5]

my 5 year old's favorite book.

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son & I learned a lot from this book!

[erin g · Rating 4 out of 5]

joy came home from australia enamored with the life-sized chess game she saw there and wanted to learn how to play. this book was a necessary reference, as i'm a bit rusty. no little kid is gonna read it themselves, i don't think--it's a bit advanced for her at 6--but the big pictures are great, and there are little fun-facts on each page which were interesting and entertaining to her as well as me.

[Christy Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this was a good overview to a complex game of strategy, though parts of it were a bit weighty in description even as an adult reading it who is unfamiliar with the game play. I did find the diagrams and pictures helpful and the additional resources section at the bank was well done. The encouragement to try out moves and answer questions and play rounds was handled well given the limitations of book format.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

we've borrowed this a couple times from the library since the kids have become interested in chess. I would love to buy it for our library. It has little situations to figure out. It would help me with my chess!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

While originally for Ian, I learned quite a bit from this book.

[Rebekah Sheppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent visuals of tactics well explained.

[Haley Hoenke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Math