Kids can Learn Chess From Senior Citizens

Chess champions in Sandy, Utah
image_pdfimage_print

By the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb

I’m a member of two chess clubs in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, both of them in senior centers. Sooner or later, children who play chess, even the most talented young competitors, will probably find themselves across the board from those who have played the royal game for a long time. Keep calm and play the kind of chess you feel comfortable with. Even if your opponent has played this game since before your parents were born, he or she may have forgotten much of what was learned over those decades. And an old timer is quite capable of falling into an oversight, so keep alert for an opportunity to jump on your opponent’s blunder.

Before getting into a game that was played at the Sandy Senior center (south of Salt Lake City, Utah) in February of 2018, let me introduce myself. I teach private chess lessons, mostly in the Salt Lake Valley and mostly to children. Sometimes I teach two or more students at a time, and sometimes parents will listen and learn. I generally charge $25 per one-hour lesson, although the first session is free: a getting-acquainted lesson.

The following game was played between two of the higher-rated players of the Sandy chess club, which meets at a recreation and cultural center for senior citizens. White was rated 1615 and Black was 1855, but this is by the UCER system of rating: used by some chess players in Utah and similar to the national rating system of the United States Chess Federation.

At the time this game was played, the senior who play Black usually made at least one oversight per game, although not all of the mistakes were serious blunders. He had a knack, however, for defending difficult positions well, and this was critical to the final outcome of this contest. Since the black side eventually wins, we’ll mostly look at diagram’s from the Black perspective.

1) d4        Nf6

2) Nf3     e6

.

early chess opening in Utah

Diagram 1: Contrast early in the opening

After the first two moves, White controls the two dark squares in the center, Black controls the two white ones. The battle for the center, however, has only just begun.

3) e3         c5    White begins to consolidate control of d4 while Black attacks it.

4) c3         Be7

5) Bd3      d5   Now both sides are trying to control the e4 square.

6) O-O     O-O

7) b3         b6  Both sides need to develop the queen’s bishop.

8) Nbd2   Ba6

Black solves one problem but creates another one. White appears to be setting up the Colle Opening system that includes a pawn break with e4. This can result in White’s light-colored bishop taking an important part in a kingside attack against Black. The eighth move by Black eliminates this white bishop but puts Black’s queenside knight in an awkward position. It will take quite a few moves for that knight to obtain a good square, if it ever does.

9) Bxa6     Nxa6

.

Two senior citizens play a game of chess

Diagram 2

10) Bb2        Rc8

11) Qe2        . . . . .   This develops the queen and attacks that black knight.

Looking at the position objectively, that black knight should probably take two moves to reposition itself to c6. The player with the black pieces, however, may have tried to justify that knight’s original move to a6: That appears to be a mistake: The next move, Nc7, is not best for Black, although there’s no loss of material or obvious serious consequence to the knight’s new square at c7.

11) . . . .        Nc7

12) Ne5     Nd7?  The first significant blunder of the game.

.

White to move

Diagram 3: (From White’s perspective) what move should White make?

Did you notice that Black has a weak square, at least temporarily. In addition, White can take advantage of that weakness by using a common tactic. In this case, it wins a pawn:

13) Nc6     . . . . . This knight attacks both the black queen and a black pawn.

Black must move his queen, even though it means losing a pawn.

13) . . . .       Qe8

14) Nxa7   Ra8

15) Nc6     Bf6   Black hopes to somehow trap that knight.

16) Nf3       g6

17) a4         Bg7   Black hopes that a pawn move, f6, might trap the knight.

18) Ba3      f6

19) b4?   . . . .   Now White blunders, losing a pawn. Black should move Rxa4.

19) . . . .       c4?

20) b5       Rf7

21) Bd6      . . . .

.

Black to move in this chess middle game

Diagram-4: Black needs to protect the knight at c7.

A less-experienced player might look for a way to defend that knight (at c7) by moving over a piece to defend it: Qc1 or Rc1. After all, the knight at c7 has no safe square to move to. Black finds a way to accomplish two things, however, with one move.

21) . . . .       Nb8

This allows the rook at f7 to protect that knight from capture by the black bishop and it also dislodges the white knight at c6.

22) Nxb8    Qxb8

23) e4          Qd8

24) Bxc7     Rxc7

25) Rxe5     Qxd5

.

chess club game in Salt Lake Valley

Diagram-5: White is one pawn ahead in this chess middle game

How can White take advantage of his extra pawn? It’s not clear how to proceed, for the a-pawn is backward, held in place by the black pawn at b6 and the rook at a8.

26) Rfe1        Kf7  (protecting the pawn but also preparing for later king activity)

27) Qe4        Rca7   This is probably best, threatening White’s a-pawn.

28) Qc2        Qd7

29) Nd2        Qd5

30) Reb1      Bf8

31) Qe4?      . . . .    This move loses a pawn.

31)  . . . .         Qxe4

32) Nxe4      Rxa4

33) Rxa4      Rxa4

34) g3          Be7

Black’s idea is to drive back the knight and bring the black king up to d5.

35) h4          h5

36) Nd2       Ke8

37) Kg2        f5

Black has now achieved a balance: Many black pawns control light squares and the bishop has access to some dark squares.

.

Black has a slight advantage

Diagram-6: White to make move number 38, in this chess end game

If Black has any advantage, it is extremely small and mostly rests on a slightly more-active rook. If both sides play well, this should be a draw.

38) f4?         . . . .  This is a fatal mistake, allowing a pin on the knight.

38) . . . .       Ra2

39) Rd1     . . . .    This was the only way to save the knight.

39) . . . .       Rc2  The white pawn at c3 cannot be saved.

40) Kh3     . . . .  This is a poor place for the white king.

40) . . . .       Rxc3

41) Re1       Kd7

42) Ra1       Rc2 (?)  Much better was probably Kd6.

43) Nf3        Bf6

44) Ra7+     Kc8   Better would have been Kd6.

45) Rf7        Rc3?  Much better would have been Bd8.

46) Rxf6      Rxf3

47) Rxg6?    . . . .

White should have moved Rxe6, which would have kept the white rook better involved in both offense and defense.

47) . . . .        Kd7

48) Rg5       c3

.

White needs to move Rg7+

Diagram-7: White needs to play 49) Rg7+

With Black’s c-pawn only two moves from promoting to a queen, White has no time to capture that pawn at h5. The only hope for White to survive is the move 49) Rg7+ with a desperate attempt to become involved in the other side of the board (the right side).

49) Rxh5?      c2

50) Rh7+        Kd6

51) Rh8          c1(Q)

52) Rd8+       Ke7

White resigned.

.

Chess Club Games in Utah

For the average chess club, you don’t necessarily need to play a whole game without any errors, if you want to win. Often, the player with the fewest mistakes, the least serious mistakes, or the next to the last mistake—that is the person who wins the game.

For senior citizens in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, perhaps the most active chess clubs are in the senior centers in West Valley City (at the Harman recreation center) and in Sandy. If you’re at least 60, come join us at either of those locations. Come play chess, whatever your skill level, or just watch.

###

.

Chess lessons in Utah

I’m Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah, author of the book Beat That Kid in Chess, and I’m now offering my services as a chess coach in the Salt Lake Valley.

.

Chess tournaments directed by Whitcomb

While directing two chess tournaments in Utah recently, I devised a tiebreaker system for double round robin events . . .

.

Chess tutor in Salt Lake City area

Should the tutor play chess games with the student? I give no stock answer for chess instructors, for the best use of tutoring time depends on the precise needs of the student.

.

Learn chess in Utah

I teach private chess lessons, mostly in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah and generally for only $25 per lesson.

.

Chess clubs for seniors in Utah

The following game was played recently at the chess club of the Harman Senior Recreation Center in West Valley City, Utah, which is in the Salt Lake Valley.

 

Chess Lessons in Cottonwood Heights Area of Utah

Chess teacher Jonathan Whitcomb demonstrates an endgame
image_pdfimage_print

Free chess tournaments in the Salt Lake Valley are encouraged by the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb, who sometimes offers his volunteer services as a tournament director.

The following are schools in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, that have chess clubs during their school years. This is not portrayed as a complete listing; it’s based on a reasonable online investigation. Additions and corrections can be sent to Jonathan Whitcomb.

Schools in Cottonwood Heights Having Chess Clubs

Ridgecrest Elementary
1800-East, 7200-South
801-826-9250

Butler Middle School
7530 South;  2700 East
801-826-6800

Brighton High School
2220 East Bengal Blvd
801-826-5800

Relaxing before the children's chess tournament in Utah in early 2016

Children before a chess tournament in Salt Lake City (photo by J. Whitcomb)

.

Private Chess Lessons Available in Cottonwood Heights

By the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb

I live in Murray, Utah, and offer private or group chess lessons in the Salt Lake Valley. I’m the author of Beat That Kid in Chess, a book for the early beginner, but my lessons can be tailor-made for you, whatever your present skill in the royal game.

The first session will be an introduction, a getting-acquainted meeting, and it’s free. Ask questions and learn how I may help you in improving your game. You can then decide if you would like to continue with private chess tutoring, at $25 for each one-hour lesson.

I can drive to your home or we might arrange for a mutually-convenient meeting place at a public library or park in the Salt Lake Valley. I do not charge for traveling, with the exception of meeting outside the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. The following communities and cities incur no travel charge (a partial list):

  • Cottonwood Heights
  • Belmont Heights
  • Midvale
  • West Jordan
  • Kearns
  • West Valley City
  • Taylorsville
  • South Salt Lake
  • Murray
  • Mill Creek
  • Wendell Circle
  • East Mill Creek
  • Zions Park
  • Holladay
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • Suncrest Park
  • Wildwood
  • Applewood
  • Cottonwood West
  • Alpine Gardens
  • Willow Creek Hill
  • White City
  • West River Estates
  • Santorini Village
  • Williamsburg

For many communities, including those shown above, the only charge is $25 per lesson (after the initial free getting-acquainted session). You may stop after the free session, if you like, with no obligation on your part.

You may choose what course of study to receive, yet I would advise allowing me to help you in what you most need regarding improving your ability to win chess games. You have the final word on your course of training, however.

You can receive your chess lessons with one or friends or family members present, if you like. In fact, you can make it a group session, with each student paying a portion of the lesson fee ($25 total per lesson). Please keep in mind, however, that private lessons are tailor-made for the individual student’s needs, so if we have more than one student then the concentration on individual needs may need to be divided accordingly. It’s up to you.

Call me at the number below with any question, or send me an email.

communicate with Whitcomb

Chess teacher Jonathan Whitcomb demonstrates an endgame

Jonathan Whitcomb, chess instructor in the Salt Lake Valley

At least for a limited time, he offers to direct free chess tournaments for children, teenagers, and adults, in the Salt Lake Valley. Participation is completely free, with no membership required in any chess club or in the United States Chess Federation. (These will probably be mostly unrated events, for being rated by the USCF would require someone paying at least a small fee for each participant.)

###

.

Chess End Game Lesson by Tutor Jonathan Whitcomb

 I, Jonathan Whitcomb, am a chess author, recently becoming available in the Salt Lake Valley for tutoring in private chess lessons (I live in Murray, Utah) . . . [He wrote Beat That Kid in Chess]

Chess Lessons in Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, etc

The following communities in the Salt Lake Valley can easily be visited by the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb, who lives in the city of Murray. Many days are available . . .

Chess Lessons in Salt Lake Valley

The $25 chess lessons include one free copy of his book and other materials of instruction. A getting-acquainted meeting is also offered and this first meeting is free, with no obligation for the student.

.

The Best Young Chess Players in America

image_pdfimage_print

Let’s take a look at the names of some of the stronger chess players in some U.S. states, and we’re talking about children up to age ten. They’re categorized by four age groups. The ratings shown are given by the United States Chess Federation (USCF or US Chess), and this is the same system used by adult chess players who compete in rated events in the USA. The lists given by the USCF are the top 100 in each age group, beginning with seven-and-under. The following names are from the first four age groups, boys and girls.

Many other states are well represented by many talented young chess players. The states listed below have a top-three rated youngster in at least one age group.

Arizona

Ten Years Old

Kevin Derek Chor is the third-highest-rated ten-year-old chess player in the United States, at 2155. Two other Arizona children made this top-100 list.

California

Seven-and-under

The seven-year-old Brian Huang is #3, rated 1613. At #5 in this age group is Sriram Krishnakumar, rated 1549. Seventeen other little Californians also made this top-100 list.

Connecticut

Ten Years Old

Maximillian Lu is #2 for this age and is rated 2181.

Florida

Seven-and-under

Marvin Gao is the #1 player in the USA in this age group, rated 1837. Erick Zhao, also from Florida, is #10, with a rating of 1435. Grayson Kenneth Cooke came in #19 at 1358. Five other kids from Florida are also in the top-100 in the country (seven years old and under).

Georgia

Nine Years Old

The highest rated player in the USA in this list is Arthur Guo, at an impressive 2146. One other nine-year-old in Georgia made this list.

Massachusetts

Eight Years Old

Derek Jin is the top eight-year-old in the country, rated 1861. Five other kids from Massachusetts made the top-100 in this group.

New Jersey

Seven-and-under

Abhimanyu Mishra, at 1647, is #2 in this list, with two other kids in New Jersey coming in further down in the top-100 in the USA.

New York

Eight Years Old

Jack E Levine is #3 in the country at 1826, but Adi Murgescu is close behind: #4 at 1799. Twenty-seven other eight-year-old New York players made this list.

Nine Years Old

The #2 spot on this list is Nico Werner Chasin, rated 2053. Nathaniel Lande Shuman, at 1931, is #7. Eighteen other nine-year-old New Yorkers made it to the top-100.

North Carolina

Eight Years Old

Vishnu Vanapalli is the #2 eight-year-old in the USA at 1830. Andrew Bo-Shine Chen is #12 in the United States, rated 1727.

Ohio

Nine Years Old

Jason Yuyang Wang is #3 in the country, for nine-year-olds, at 2039. Three others from Ohio made the USCF rating list for this age.

Texas

Ten Years Old

Justin Wang, rated 2241, is the top ten-year-old in the country. Atreya Vaidya and Daniel Hung, also from Texas, are #5 and #6, rated 2077 and 2060 respectively. Eleven other Texans made the top-100 list for this age.

###

.

The Best Chess for Children

Another blog for kids

How Strong are Children in Chess Tournaments?

What an adventure for a kid to play in his or her first chess tournament! But what can you expect? How strong will your opponents be?

Best Chess Publications

Books on the royal game

.

Chess in Movies and on Television

film based on the life of a boy chess prodigy
image_pdfimage_print

Some films could not exist without chess, including the following:

  • Chess Fever (1925 – silent comedy, short, with Jose Capablanca)
  • Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993 – based on the life of a real boy)
  • A Little Game (2014 – fiction – a ten-year-old girl learns chess)
  • Pawn Sacrifice (2014 – about Robert “Bobby” Fischer)

Remove the game of chess from those four movies and the stories would evaporate, although some kind of sport might have been substituted for it in A Little Game, albeit no sport would likely be as effective as chess for this tale.

The 1957 Swedish film The Seventh Seal has a critical chess contest that is interrupted during the story, which ends at around when that game comes to a close. How important is that game to the story! But most of the dramatic elements are not directly related to chess, and the moves of the pieces on the board appear to have mostly symbolic value.

Knights of the South Bronx, a 2005 television movie, could not exist without chess, but a television episode of Sherlock Holmes, played by Jeremy Brett (mid-1980’s to mid-1990’s), could have had the chess set omitted without damaging the story.

The following additional movies include chess but only as supplemental variations in the stories or as incidental elements:

  • The Chinese Cat (1944 – Charlie Chan detective movie)
  • The Killing (1956 – crime drama)
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 – epic science fiction fantasy)
  • Independence Day (1996 – epic science fiction thriller)
  • Young Victoria (2009 – period drama)
  • Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011 – action mystery)

Images from the above six movies

chess in a Charlie Chan movie

The Chinese Cat – start of the film: man uses a chess book or pamphlet

.

chess games are incidental in this film

In The Killing, chess is only incidental and temporary

.

"2001 - A Space Odyssey" chess2001: A Space Odyssey – Human loses to a super-computer

.

chess game in a science fiction movie

Chess gives evidence for intelligence in the film Independence Day

.

period drama "Young Victoria"

Part of a game of chess is included in the movie Young Victoria

.

Film that has one chess game - Sherlock Holmes plays

From the 2011 film Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows

###

.

Chess in Films

Many movies have some reference to the game of chess, if only with a brief sight of a chess set. In a few films, the royal game is a big part of the theme . . .

Game of Chess in a Movie

In the 1957 Swedish film The Seventh Seal, a man’s life depends on a game of chess. The title of the movie comes from the Book of Revelation in the Bible . . .

Chess Books Available

This post has three brief reviews of new chess books: two on precise opening variations and one (Beat That Kid in Chess) for early beginners.

.

How Strong are Children in Chess Tournaments?

probably looking at the latest scores
image_pdfimage_print

What an adventure for a kid to play in his or her first chess tournament! But what can you expect? How strong will your opponents be? Let’s look at an example of ratings of young players in a multi-division tournament in California. This was not a huge tournament, more like an average event.

But first, what are ratings given by the United States Chess Federation? A typical chess player having a rating of 100 would be a beginner who knows little about winning a game. He or she could know the rules but would be losing almost every game except those played against players who also have almost no skill in winning chess games.

What about a player rated 700? That person could win every game played against a player rated 100, even if more than five games were played. The exception would be if the one rated 100 was to improve rapidly during those games, learning from the experiences of losing. But in the great majority of games, if one player is rated at least 600 points more than his or her opponent, the higher rated player is extremely likely to win.

On the next level, someone attaining a rating of 1300 would be extremely likely to win against a competitor rated 700. As in the above comparison, several games could be played, each of them won by the higher-rated player.

Junior Chess Tournament in California in 2007

This was divided into four divisions:

  1. Champions
  2. Premier
  3. Rising Star
  4. Extra Rated

Let’s look at the USCF ratings of some of these children, beginning with the highest-placing competitors in the highest division. Ratings are for before the tournament began.

“Champions”

Three-way tie for first place: rated 1488, 1284, 1165 three wins and one draw each)

Four kids had three points each (usually three wins and one loss): 1085-1504.

Three competitors had two-and-a-half points: Their ratings were 965, 1091, 1270.

The remaining 17 players had zero to two points. The lowest rated kid was at 909.

“Premier”

First place went to a player rated 1085 before the tournament: five wins in five games. Most of the 35 players were rated between 600 and 900.

“Rising Star”

Nine of the thirteen kids had ratings before the tournament began: from 100 to 485. The other four had been unrated.

“Extra Rated”

Only two players competed here: rated 545 and 810 before they played each other. (The lower-rated child beat the higher-rated one.)

.

The following images are from a few years ago, from a chess tournament for children, held in Europe. Photos often speak better than words.

Chess tournament, probably in 2009

These two opponents are about to shake hands and then play chess

.

probably looking at the latest scores

They’re probably looking at the most recent scores in the tournament

.

end game of chess - in European tournament

The black side is making a move in this game between teenagers

.

Chess between younger children

Younger children also competed in this chess tournament in Europe

.

big tournament in 2009, for kids

Don’t let the size of the room bother you. It’s just one chess game at a time, for you.

###

.

Best Chess Book for the Beginners

A much better choice [than the book “Chess for Children”] would be Beat That Kid in Chess, which is written for the early beginner who knows how to play but does not yet know much about winning in an actual competition.

Chess Book for a Teenager

This may be the best chess book for the adult or teenager who knows the rules of the game but very little about what it takes to win [the new paperback Beat That Kid in Chess].

Contrary to what the title would suggest, it’s not actually about winning against a young opponent. It’s for the “raw beginner” and it’s very basic [regardless of the age of your opponent].

Beginners’ Chess Books (three publications)

I’ve been promoting my own chess book (for novices) for several weeks now: Beat That Kid in Chess. So why would I mention two competing books on the royal game, both of them for beginners? Mine could be the only one ever written that uses a new teaching method called nearly-identical positions.

Preparing for a Chess Tournament

Preparing your child for tournament play

.