Children and Chess: Teaching the Long Game

In my 10 years as a scholastic chess player and professional coach to young players, the most common mistakes children make during their games are almost always related to impulsive movement rather than intuitive movement. Nervousness and mental exhaustion have proven to be the origin of moves made too quickly without logical planning or "gut" thinking. As coaches and parents supporting them, it is imperative we take initiative in learning the root cause of a child’s speedy sporadic movements around the board.

If they are consistently losing in tactical debates on the board, encourage the player to complete chess puzzles on paper, not on a computer screen, as it can bring about visual exhaustion. Additionally, give the puzzles that contain board positions that will inevitably require more than five minutes of calculated planning. This will wire their psyche to treat each move with a sense of patience and tactical strategy.

Coach Shawn Martinez, far right, instructing kids in New York City.

Another important teaching tool is demonstrating goal-setting methods to use during their games. Encouraging them to create a short checklist of things they’d like to accomplish throughout the game is effective in teaching them how to pace themselves. When scholastic players compete in tournaments, they are required to notate their game during each match. Encourage your player to take note of the time for every other move or every five moves. This serves as a visual reminder of the player’s pace, so they can concretely learn their nature and adjust how much time they should take between each move.

The wider conversation here lives in the present moment that as coaches, we ultimately aim to teach our players to focus on. The state of the world is one of instant gratification and rushing to the next task, job, adventure, responsibility, etc. The list goes on while the amount of entertainment stimuli seems to grow exponentially every day. Overstimulation of the senses induces young minds to move impulsively, jump to conclusions and make assumptions, rather than be objective, neutral observers of a given moment.

Chess and yoga: an interesting combination!

Yet, children are naturally creatures of presence. Allow a toddler to stroll and become infatuated with one new little discovery on a casual walk home, and suddenly you realize that they are simply stopping to smell the flowers. They have no concept of time or rushing to beat the clock. They are simply being, exploring and taking it all in, learning and creating meaning every step of the way. How do we help reinstate the healthy habit of presence in our students?

Coach Shawn on the right leading a focus-driven yoga session with his chess students.

There is a surplus of breathing techniques and tools children can learn to move through this game and throughout their lives. Yoga and meditation practices have deeply enhanced the quality of my students’ ability to ease their anxiety, sustain their energy and maximize their practice and playing time in long tournaments. I have delighted in watched as they move from being a ball of nerves to a sphere of confidence and ease. The practical methods aforementioned are simply not as effective without a foundational mindfulness practice.

Editor's note: National Master Shawn Martinez also runs the children’s enrichment company, Mates On Mats, which fuses the benefits of chess and yoga together.