Playing chess with your child?

Question

If you played chess with your child (as ten year old) would you occassionally let them win (for encouragements sake) or show no mercy in order to build a stronger player?

Answer 1

give him one if every few games that way he knows the game is hard and challenging .. and in the same timw you can engourge him .. that way he will be smarter and happy ..  

Answer 2

You must let them taste victory occasionally.  Victory in chess builds confidence and the desire to continue playing.

I taught my daughter how to play when she was 7.  We played and then it kind of fell by the wayside.  When she was 16 we started playing again.  I knew she had the intelligence to play well and beat me but she just didn't have her heart in it.  So, I decided to give her some incentive.  I told her that on the day she could beat me I would award her $100 !  She wanted to play all the time after that and she played really well.  She was awarded $100 and a certificate only 5 games later!

Good luck!

Chess is a truly wonderful game and you have given your child something they can enjoy for a lifetime if you've taken the time to teach them chess.

I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate the guy who taught me to play.  It was 40 years ago and I still remember that night.  I've since attempted to contact him by mail and let him know how much I've enjoyed the game throughout my life but I got no response.  I just wish he knew what a great gift he gave me that night.

<(((><

Answer 3

If you win all the time. he'll just get fed up and do somethin else. let him win about 25% of the . the rest you win  

Answer 4

The first time I showed my son how to play chess, he beat me. I'll be damned if I played since then.

Answer 5

If they hate the game they will never play well.  Losing all the time would cause them to not play.

I play checkers with my three year old.  I play by the rules he makes his own up as he gets older I will teach him like my other son the right way.  He enjoys are play time and is learning at the same time a win\win.

Answer 6

I'd do a little bit of both. Because if they don't win every once in a while, it doesn't work out. But if they always win, they won't get any better.

Answer 7

My son learned to play when he was four. Now he's 13 and a real grand master. What I always did was sort of a comprimise. I didn't let him win. I would attack and play a very offensive game, but I would ignore defense to give him an advantage. It must have worked. I quit giving him a break a long time ago, and now he beats me every time we play.

Answer 8

Lets put it up this way.

If you only let your child loose, it wont expect to win.

Thats somehow good, although it damages his confidence.

If he just looses everytime, he will occasionally stop playing at all, which is not your plan i guess.

Id say, let him win sometimes, let him loose sometimes.