Chess game for young kids? (6yrs+)

[ponder]

Anybody know of any decent chess training software suitable for kids still learning? Game should have a training component that gives you hints & allow you to take back moves etc. Must be fun and not beat the crap out of a kid thus demoralising them.

Kid already has a chess set and going for lessons at school.

 

[DerpiesFreud]

I used to play on Chess Master since the age of 6.
Don't know if they still make them, but there was a kid friendly option, "fun" low rating opponents, silly rules, cool board skins etc.

Maybe the default windows 7 chess if applicable? never played much of it though
Failing that, fritz perhaps although a lot harder to configure in my experience.

 

[Batista]

Anybody know of any decent chess training software suitable for kids still learning? Game should have a training component that gives you hints & allow you to take back moves etc. Must be fun and not beat the crap out of a kid thus demoralising them.

Kid already has a chess set and going for lessons at school.

When my granddad played chess against me he beat me everytime, that was my motivation to learn the game well enough to eventually beat him a few years later.Im sure you can find free software if you search.

 

[Nicodeamus]

Fritz used to be the best chess software when I played competitive chess in school.

 

[rpm]

Chessmaster was the best a few years ago. There are many different options (some involving special characters etc), but I think Chessmaster may be the best option...

 

[Sodan]

For android, I like this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.chess .

 

[porchrat]

When I was a youngster I played BattleChess. It is pretty outdated by the graphics standards of today but man was that a fun game. The pieces used to get up and walk when you told them to move and when one piece took another they would actually fight each other with one killing the other with his pike or sword or mace or whatever. The Rook used to rest as the sterotypical castle tower but when it moved it would transform into a hulking rock monster. When the Rook took other pieces it would eat or squash them. Hilarious.

Not sure if there is a modern equivalent but as a kid I didn't really mind losing because I was entertained by the animated pieces throughout the game. Just another aspect to consider.

 

[ISP cash cow]

When I was a youngster I played BattleChess. It is pretty outdated by the graphics standards of today but man was that a fun game. The pieces used to get up and walk when you told them to move and when one piece took another they would actually fight each other with one killing the other with his pike or sword or mace or whatever. The Rook used to rest as the sterotypical castle tower but when it moved it would transform into a hulking rock monster. When the Rook took other pieces it would eat or squash them. Hilarious.

Not sure if there is a modern equivalent but as a kid I didn't really mind losing because I was entertained by the animated pieces throughout the game.

LOL I remember that game - I used to play it as well.

 

[ponder]

I used to play on Chess Master since the age of 6.
Don't know if they still make them, but there was a kid friendly option, "fun" low rating opponents, silly rules, cool board skins etc.

Chessmaster was the best a few years ago. There are many different options (some involving special characters etc), but I think Chessmaster may be the best option...

Read similar things on the net but thought I would ask here for some opinions.

They no longer make Chessmaster (last edition was from 2007) series but it's still *cough* available *cough* so I think I'll give that one a bash for her.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Chessmaster was the best a few years ago. There are many different options (some involving special characters etc), but I think Chessmaster may be the best option...

Agree,

Frits and Chessmaster in my opinion is pretty much either #1 or #2, Chessmaster is challenging (game) and easy to get acquainted with, Fritz is challenging (game) and technical to get acquainted with. It comes down to user preferences, but both have the same, more of that, less of this, plays to build plays against with.

@ponder

Your kid will be happy with Chessmaster and as porchrat mentioned, want to put fun into the game, get the old Battle Chess series. However I think there was Chessmaster mods making it into a similar Battle Chess experience...

 

[ponder]

When my granddad played chess against me he beat me everytime, that was my motivation to learn the game well enough to eventually beat him a few years later.Im sure you can find free software if you search.

She plays against her dad and has beaten him twice already, I suspect in a few months time he'll be loosing a lot more. From what I gather she loves it and even asked to go to after school hours lessons at school.

 

[ponder]

@ponder

Your kid will be happy with Chessmaster and as porchrat mentioned, want to put fun into the game, get the old Battle Chess series. However I think there was Chessmaster mods making it into a similar Battle Chess experience...

Don't speak like that, I don't have kids (well not that I know of anyway)

Chessmaster is on it's way at the moment so all should be good

 

[Nicodeamus]

Don't speak like that, I don't have kids (well not that I know of anyway)

Chessmaster is on it's way at the moment so all should be good

Fritz has a lot of tutorials and is what most coaches use.

 

[yebocan]

Download Winboard, quick and easy....that is how I practice my skills.. and I use chesscube.com to try out my skills against fellow humans.

 

[ponder]

Fritz has a lot of tutorials and is what most coaches use.

Download Winboard, quick and easy....that is how I practice my skills.. and I use chesscube.com to try out my skills against fellow humans.

These seem like a bit of overkill for someone in grade 1. They are also quite complex to get going with all the engines and stuff.

I've used Xboard (which Winboard is a port of) myself. I'll wait to hear how things are going with chessmaster and then we can look in fritz & winboard. Shame she was so excited she insisted in coming with her dad to pickup his laptop and she brought me an ice cream

 

[Solitude]

https://www.chesskid.com/

It's made by the chess.com people. If ChessKid is too simplistic then chess.com's tutorials and other learning material are amazing.