Check Mate: Chess for Kids

Chess as a game always intrigued me but I could somehow never put myself down to learn it. One day at the library I saw a lot of young kids playing chess in a class and some of them as young as 4. I was curious and as always wanted to know what was the right age to start and what are the benefits of playing chess for a child. While I know that it sounds kind of serious for a 4 year old but it is a very structured  logical game so it would mean almost enrolling her for a mind gym. But think about it Vishwanathan Anand started at age 6, taught by his mother, Susan Polgar, first woman Grandmaster, started winning tournaments as early as 4, Parimrajan Negi of DPS, Delhi became the youngest Indian GM at teh age of 12 years so what age should I start with my daughter is a question thats hovering around me?  I think we are so caught up in just academics that this does not take priority over the various activities we would like to introduce to our child at this point. Are our choices very academically inclined?

Here is what I found. Sanjay Thakurel, an internationally ranked player lists the advantages of this mental sport:

• It helps children to plan better
• improves concentration and nurtures their ability to understand theory
• Chess calls for several fairly complicated calculations over its 64-square board
• It develops the memory, besides encouraging children to always think ahead

A faculty of the Ecole Mondiale International School in Juhu he believes Chess is like life, is a great learning process of combinations of strategies yet to be discovered.â€_x009d_

To these benefits G Balaji, who teaches at the South Mumbai Chess Academy along with his brother G Nagesh, adds logical reasoning and the ability to take responsibility for one’s own actions and their consequences. I am kind of linking his reasoning about action  consequence that concepts sounds familiar to me and to our children considering we keep telling them if you do this I will take this away or not give you this.

Balaji represented India in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Mumbai in 2004. “There’s more fun to chess than mere movement of the pieces,â€_x009d_ he said. “Once kids taste the thrill of capture, we try to infuse in them a passion to keep improving their game.â€_x009d_

“In chess, as in life, you’ll clearly see how it’s all about making sound decisions,â€_x009d_ said Shrikhande, a former captain of the Bombay University chess team who has coached children since he represented Maharashtra in the national championships in 1989. “I  teach kids to analyze positions and think very carefully before going forward.â€_x009d_ Do also visit his website www.chesstrainer.com from where he coaches students across New York, London  Mumbai. Wow the internet could also get you an online chess trainer.

Why Play Chess?

Chess is a game of imagination and strategy, one that provides rules, order and opportunities for intellectual growth. A group showed a significant advancement in spatial, numerical and administrative-directional abilities, along with verbal aptitudes versus a controlled group.

Research studies demonstrate the positive impact of chess on academic performance and emotional intelligence. Students receiving chess instruction showed statistically significant gains in reading on a nationally standardized achievement test than did the control group. The gains were particularly impressive among children who started with relatively low average initial scores. Evidence also indicates that children develop:

• An improved attitude toward school and improved attendance
• Increased self-confidence and respect for others
• Enhanced problem-solving, logic and reasoning skills
• Organized work habits and increased patience and persistence
• Improved emotional control and mood management
• Sustained efforts to achieve personal goals

Why does chess have this impact? Briefly, there appear to be at least seven significant factors:

• Chess accommodates all modality strengths.
• Chess provides a far greater quantity of problems for practice.
• Chess offers immediate punishments and rewards for problem solving.
• Chess creates a pattern or thinking system that, when used faithfully, breeds success. The chess playing students had become accustomed to looking for more and different alternatives, which resulted in higher scores in fluency and originality.
• Competition. Competition fosters interest, promotes mental alertness, challenges all students, and elicits the highest levels of achievement (Stephan, 1988).
• A learning environment organized around games has a positive affect on students’ attitudes toward learning. This affective dimension acts as a facilitator of cognitive achievement
• Instructional gaming is one of the most motivational tools in the good teacher’s repertoire. Children love games. Chess motivates them to become willing problem solvers and spend hours quietly immersed in logical thinking. These same young people often cannot sit still for fifteen minutes in the traditional classroom.
• Chess supplies a variety and quality of problems. As Langen (1992) states: “The problems that arise in the 70-90 positions of the average chess game are, moreover, new. Contexts are familiar, themes repeat, but game positions never do. This makes chess good grist for the problem-solving mill.’‘

While the Bombay Chess Association at Prabhadevi puts young chess buffs in touch with reputed coaches, the Bandra-based Chanakya Chess Club is the only one in Asia to organise regular under-6 championships. It also hosts events like pitting chess buff Aamir Khan against aspiring Grand Masters. Interestingly all chess academies also send their students to so many international meets held globally that the exposure the kids will receive will be outstanding.

This is what G. Nagesh, CEO of the South Mumbai Chess Academy has to say about a game that depicts war and how it can be done:

The right time to start…

We take in students as young as 3.5 years. We find that kids are already attending several interview training and other classes and are already mentally ready. In fact, we have a 4.5-year-old who can actually check mate.

The best way to learn..

Since chess is basically a game depicting war, we use the fantasy of fairy tales to teach the young ones and make it exciting. The first year or so, we spend assessing the interest and aptitude of the child for the game while the child learns to enjoy it. Serious teaching starts only after the age of 6 years. Then they gear up the child to pursue the sport effectively, with a drive to win and hone his/her skills.

The best way forward..

Initially kids may join a hobby class or if serious, join one of the chess clubs in Mumbai. There are over 40 of them in Mumbai. There are also appx. 60-70 chess coaches who give home tuition. They have several internal tournaments. They then progress to the city level and then the state, national and international levels. We have found that Indian kids have a far higher level and greater potential and ability in this sport than other countries such as Singapore. The main reason why we have still not reached the level of countries such as Russia is the lack of funds. Sponsorships are hard to come by and government aid is almost nil. It is only the top 2 players at the All India Chess tournament who are likely to receive government assistance. Hence one has to fend for oneself either through personal resources or by managing corporate sponsorships. The highest level of course is to become a Grand Master.

To reach anywhere in the international chess arena, one has to have international exposure early on as well. If you compare the situation in China who started out in 2001 with their first Grandmaster, today has over 100 GMs. On the other hand, India who had their first GM way back in 1987 has a maximum of 25 GMs today. This is because of the monetary aid form the Chinese government who ears the expense of training. But India has great potential. If the funding were to come in, we could produce over 500-600 GMs in no time at all. Getting up to the State and National levels is affordable enough and the entry fees are appx. Rs. 2000. Also conveyance costs can be minimized.

Pursuing chess seriously

Once a player is serious, he/she needs to dedicate at least 4 hours a day training himself through online chess (www.chessclub.com) solving games and under the guidance of an adept personal coach.

Chess helps..

Chess helps children develop mental agility and gives mental stimulation. It makes them sharper and facilitates better memory, powers of concentration, judgement and patience.

Shining knights..

Parimrajan Negi of DPS, Delhi became the youngest Indian GM at the age of 12 years. Today he is 14 years and continues to excel. And of course, everyone knows Vishwanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy who have done our country proud.

So if you feel this is a sport you want to introduce to your child then below are the details of some of the best chess classes for your child.

Chess classes

BFY (Better Fitness for You)
Flexible vacation dates & timings.
Rajeev Goenka’s BFY academy, which holds year-round fitness counselling and diet workshops, offers training in chess through the school vacations. Rs 500 onwards. Age 6-16. Call Rajeev Goenka (2240-8320/22413636/www.bfysportsnfitness.com)
Seksaria Building, 74 Marine Drive.

Bombay Chess Association
Mon-Fri 6-9pm.
This organisation will put young chess enthusiasts in touch with a number of coaches. All ages. Call PB Bhilare (98690-17221) or Dhananjay Ramraje (98701-93193/ 93225-00048).
Zandu Pharmaceuticals Canteen Hall, Sayani Road, Prabhadevi. Check fees.

South Mumbai Chess Academy

Mon-Thur 4-6.30pm (thrice-weekly).

The two coaches here are brothers who are convinced that chess serves as an effective educational tool. Age 4+. Call G Nagesh (93227-71044) or G Balaji (98214-93956). Rs 600 onwards per month.

White House, Ground Floor, Walkeshwar Road, Walkeshwar.Beetroot at Worli.

Also at GD Somani School, Primary Section, Second Floor, Cuffe Parade. Rs 500 per month

Chanakya Chess Club
Sat noon-1.30pm.
The club is said to be the only organisation in Asia to organise regular under-6 chess championships. Age 4+. Call Dhananjay Ramraje (98701-93193/93225-00048) or Geeta Punjabi (98216-67678/dhananjay_chess@ yahoo.com/ www.chanakyachessclub.com). Rs 600 onwards per month (in a group of six), Rs 1,200 onwards (individual coaching).
43 D’Monte Street, Bandra (W). Classes at PJ Club, Bandra (W).

Dhanesh Shrikhande
Flexible dates & timings.
Dhanesh Shrikhande tutors young chess buffs online. All ages. Call 95251-2451467 or Dhanesh Shrikhande (93234-69703/ www.chesstrainer.com). Flexible fees as per batch for Dombivali classes, Rs 500 onwards per hour of online training.
Samaj Mandir Hall, Second Floor, Tilak Nagar School, Dombivali (E).

Kuldeep Vhatwar
Fri 5-6.15pm.
Like his chess champ sister Malti, Kuldeep Vhatwar teaches children in the suburbs the finer points of this mentally stimulating  game. Call Kuldeep Vhatwar (98677-76373). Rs 500 onwards per month.
Age 5+.
Bunny Buddy’s Creativity Club, Juhu Tara Road, Santa Cruz (W).

Malti Vhatwar
Flexible dates & timings.
Former national-level champ Malti Vhatwar passes on tips for making deft moves across the board to kids. She takes individual one-on-one classes as well as small groups of four children. Age 5+. Call Malti Vhatwar (2612-1673/98926-84749). Rs 400 onwards per session.
Bandra-Santa Cruz.

Sanjay Thakurel
Sanjay Thakurel has been a chess coach for over 12 years and is an internationally ranked player.
The chess teacher at Ecole Mondiale International School, he also conducts private classes. Age 4+.
Call Sanjay Thakurel (98200-90874). Rs 250 onwards per hour per child (in a group of four).
Flexible dates & timings.

Santosh Khedekar

Tue 6.30-7.30pm.

Santosh Khedekar guides even preschoolers in the basic strategising this game requires. Age 5+. Rs 100 onwards per session.

Kinnari Cultural Centre, next to Tata Garden, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Breach Candy. Contact Asmi Shah (98210-43501).

* Fees mentioned above are just indicative and not final.