We go on several camping trips a year and board games are always a part of it so my 10 year old has known how to play chess for a couple of years. This year, a new teacher in his after school program started an informal chess club. My son regular beats all the other kids and splits with the teachers. He probably beats me 4 out of 5 games. He can't get enough of it and we're starting lessons this evening and may join a club where plays adults another evening a week. We're trying to support his enthusiasm and there could be worse hobbies but I'm not sure what the end game is, driving hours to tournaments once or twice a month?
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We go on several camping trips a year and board games are always a part of it so my 10 year old has known how to play chess for a couple of years. This year, a new teacher in his after school program started an informal chess club. My son regular beats all the other kids and splits with the teachers. He probably beats me 4 out of 5 games. He can't get enough of it and we're starting lessons this evening and may join a club where plays adults another evening a week. We're trying to support his enthusiasm and there could be worse hobbies but I'm not sure what the end game is, driving hours to tournaments once or twice a month?
Re: Youth Chess any experience with this? [Harry]
[ In reply to ]
Harry wrote:
I'm not sure what the end game is, driving hours to tournaments once or twice a month?
This will probably be your life whatever competitive activity he gets involved with!
Re: Youth Chess any experience with this? [Harry]
[ In reply to ]
Chess, Go, ... are like Tri, a whole world... but much older, with more peoples practicing.
It is a competitive activity like another.
When younger, one of my friend was national junior champion, and my brother was quite involved in it also.
The first is still playing, my brother stopped. Did not interfered too much with their studies.
Much better than Facebook or Youtube addiction
Just check he keep some interest in physical activities
If you don't know what endgame is, ask him to explain, or read some books. It will be interesting for both of you to discuss his center of interests
It is a competitive activity like another.
When younger, one of my friend was national junior champion, and my brother was quite involved in it also.
The first is still playing, my brother stopped. Did not interfered too much with their studies.
Much better than Facebook or Youtube addiction
Just check he keep some interest in physical activities
If you don't know what endgame is, ask him to explain, or read some books. It will be interesting for both of you to discuss his center of interests
Re: Youth Chess any experience with this? [Harry]
[ In reply to ]
Harry wrote:
. We're trying to support his enthusiasm and there could be worse hobbies but I'm not sure what the end game is, driving hours to tournaments once or twice a month?
Driving hours to tournaments most certainly might be the end, or only the beginning flying around the world could passably be the end game.
Yes, why not support him in what he likes, let him decide how far to take it, as long as you financially can support it (personally had to tell my daughters no to National team Volleyball because of $$ not lack of talent).
Possible end game, after getting into it for a year, he finds other interests and wants to stop, make sure he knows it ok to stop if he gets burned out.
Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
Re: Youth Chess any experience with this? [Harry]
[ In reply to ]
Our oldest (coincidentally called Harry), is big into Chess - he's 7. His public school has a great program and they compete regularly with other schools in the city and go on to state and nationals regularly. Most tournaments are a 6-9 hour commitment excl. travel; state and nationals are a weekend. He is not extraordinarily talented but one potential upside, to be completely mercenary about it, is that some of the better middle schools around us have chess programs and actively recruit strong players. That's our most likely path to avoiding private middle school so there's a potential 6 figure upside to us across two kids.
Otherwise, as others have said, no extracurricular activity a kid will be involved in will have a career or monetary pay off. This, like many others, has him in a team, teaches him to think strategically, and demonstrates the value of practice and dedication (which is amazingly clear with chess - there's a direct correlation between how many puzzles he does a week and how many games he wins on a weekend). Lastly, how to put this...chess teams don't tend to be big on keg stands and hazing. They're good, academic kids.
"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek
Otherwise, as others have said, no extracurricular activity a kid will be involved in will have a career or monetary pay off. This, like many others, has him in a team, teaches him to think strategically, and demonstrates the value of practice and dedication (which is amazingly clear with chess - there's a direct correlation between how many puzzles he does a week and how many games he wins on a weekend). Lastly, how to put this...chess teams don't tend to be big on keg stands and hazing. They're good, academic kids.
"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek
I was into it as a kid but got no further than just local tournaments. If your son becomes really good think of yourself as being no different from a hockey/baseball/football parent except with your weekends revolving around kids playing chess rather than ball and stick sports.