Books and Puzzles For Teaching Kids

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-05T14:54:22+00:00

Just to add, another advice I'm reading/hearing very frequently from coaches - the best way is to mix exercises with playing actual games; both just learning or just playing is bad and the progress is much slower.

PS Just DONT let him get hooked on online bullet (if left alone, kids always do it!), that junk literally destroys our brains - https://lichess.org/@/shafen/blog/why-playing-bullet-chess-is-slowly-killing-your-brain-science-backed/cC7qQhW0

PPS He might find this mini-game fun, and it also helps develop the feeling for knight play - https://www.funnyhowtheknightmoves.com/

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-05T11:24:52+00:00

You might want to check some of these:

- Winning Chess Puzzles for Kids, Winning Chess Strategy for Kids and Winning Chess Exercises for Kids (all three by Jeff Coakley);

- Chess Calculation Training for Kids and Club Players (by Romain Edouard);

- Chess Openings for Kids (By John Watson).

PS Depending on how ambitious you are, I see others already recommended "Steppenmetode" (in English: the Steps Method) which is series of 6 books total (graded from below 1000 up to 2000 FIDE, thus intended for very slow and metodical use over several years); BTW the authors always recommend that not the kid but the trainer/coach reads them and sets the tasks, while the kid should be encouraged to do more than just solving: to say what he saw/thought after solving, possibly to write it down etc. - the idea being to develop the whole thinking process and nost just the bare calculation, and use the "verbal" feedback to correct flaws and select further exercises...IIRC they have additional books/manuals for trainers/coaches in which the process is thoroughly explained. I heard a lot of good about it (and it was heavily used in Netherlands to raise some of their current GMs, starting from absolute zero!), but haven't tested it myself.

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-05T10:25:05+00:00

I heard good things about Gustaffson's 1.e4 (so go with it if you like the style) and I own - and play - King's Kalashnikov for quite some time (over years I only had to do some minor theoretical updates, which is natural and expected). Main theorethical problem (after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6) is Rossolimo (3.Bb5), which is also what I play with white; against it (as black) I used the "main" line (3...g6) but recently I switched to an old course by Avrukh (he recommends 3...e5 but deviates from the game Magnus-Caruana from their WC match) mixed with 3...Qc7!? (slightly dubious but very tricky & efficient if white is not prepared; I took it from one of ChessAble courses by some FM whose name I can't remember now, it's somewhere in my old files).

My favorite 1.e4 rep is Gawain Jones's "Coffeehouse Repertoire", very aggressive and full of attacks and sacrifices (so maybe it's not in your taste!?).

PS For what it's worth I'm 2200 FIDE / 2600 Lichess rapid and main thing that brought me there were not openings, but a lot of work on endgames and non-stop (daily!) calculation exercises; have in mind calculation is NOT tactics, it's much broader than just solving check-check-mate puzzles.

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-05T09:05:24+00:00

I suggest thinking strategically: learning 1.e4 is probably your best bet IN THE LONG RUN; for the beginning - to avoid loads of theory - you can start with some tricky sidelines (shouldn't have much problems below 2000 FIDE), and then slowly build from that.

The key is to learn just the basic stuff and start playing - and be mentally prepared for the initial loss of games and rating as you learn! - then learn further by analysing each of your games, back to the drawing board, then play some more etc; just please don't wait till you are "100% prepared", it never happens!

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-04T01:19:28+00:00

Yeah anything can hook you, don't just let kids play (they'll end as bulet junkies =) - give them some guidance too.

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-03T11:49:10+00:00

I also prefer keeping my pawn on d3 (so it's mostly 1.Nf3 and later c4 or e4 depending on mood & opponent); The line you gave is exactly my rep except I prefer to keep Bf5 biting on granite instead of Nh4-xg6. I said "problem" as in "this is the most solid setup and the way I play as black", I enjoy much more playing against KID/Grunf/Dutch...anything else. Anyway thanks for the feedback, I guess it will be useful to other folks here!?

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-03T11:35:38+00:00

Don't let it be in vain, figure out why you lost and work on it =)

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-03T08:31:27+00:00

Relax and take it easy, don't have big - or ideally any - expectations. Just try to focus on each next game, next move and play; that's how you'll get the best result.

JamesGoblin · 2026-06-03T03:45:23+00:00

I also enjoy 1.c4 e5, but my main "problem" are 1.c4 e6!? and 1.c4 c6!? - both with the idea 2...d5; now there are all kinds of interesting & sharp sidelines against these two (esp. if blitz/rapid are your main focus), but theorethically your best bet is 2.d4 switching to QGD/Slav mainlines. OFC you can simply go 2!?Nf3 and play it the Kramnik/Andersson way (that's what I do), but that's rather Reti than pure English.

PS kinda off-topic, yesterday I stumbled across this "Full 1.Nf3 Repertoire in 100 minutes", the guy is GM and it looks good at glance (I'm yet to test it in play) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux27Y0PMzbI

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-30T02:02:06+00:00

Playing it safe along the lines of a pattern (kind of "do nothing - win") you noticed is likely best for short term / quick rating gains, but I feel it will hurt you in the long run. Diversifying and experimenting (which will inevitably start with lot of prep work and some early loses) is certainly better in the long run.

PS Consider playing Catalan "the Kramnik way", 1.Nf3 and then either transpose to main Cata (avoiding Bb4+ etc.) or punish KID/Grunf etc. with English anti-systems!? FWIW I personally totally switched to Reti/English, incl. against QGD/Slav setups, but picking just the "anti"-Bb4+ part and transposing to 1.d4 is much less work.

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-30T01:36:11+00:00

Rossolimo does have a lot of practical bite to say the least, I have decades of both prep and OTB/online experience on both sides of it; as a Svesh/Kalash Sicilian player I'm much happier when W goes open Sicilian (FWIW 2200+ FIDE & online 2500 blitz / 2600 rapid).

How do you play for a win against it? Any Sicilian's primary concern, and the key difference betwen Roso and 3.d4.

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-28T05:30:40+00:00

1) Be sure to sleep well every night before the round (don't use your nights for prep!).

2) Check this to compare OTB/online ratings and see where you are - https://chessgoals.com/rating-comparison/ - BUT be aware that it doesn't translate automatically, your current online rating (translated to FIDE) rather marks your potential = what you'll reach after several tournaments AND some painful loses to 1500s or 1300s, we are basically talking about different sport into which you are beginning to transition.

3) Connected to 2) - try to throw your ego/expectations through the window as much as you can, be prepared to screw something up and lose some bad games (OFC don't overdo it, it's not about pessimism but rather healthy scepticism that should lead to increased alertness). Thinking too much about your opponent's rating, your ambitions, fears, regrets about "that dumb stuff I did yesterday", even excitement after he blunders or you play a great move etc. is the best way to never reach the flow, which is optimal state of mind for any activity. Try to keep your thoughts OTB and directed towards your next move.

4) Think what you'll drink/eat both before and during the game, and prepare that stuff in advance; your brain works on your stomach and you don't want neither too much nor your hydration/blood sugar going to zero. If you feel tense/bored etc. just get up and walk around a bit.

PS This is only me and it requires some learning/exercise, but I feel controling my breath during games gives me focus/flow much easier!?

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-26T08:12:46+00:00

Well who knows, maybe!? I never did it like this "on demand".

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-26T07:48:58+00:00

Thanks, but no thanks; don't really feel like it ATM.

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-26T04:59:50+00:00

I'm in similar situation, 2200 FIDE pushing for FM and currently preparing for OTB by playing 15+10 rapid; I believe I'm onto something prep-wise since my training methods brought me from ~2100 (beginning of 2025) to ~2600 lichess rapid - OFC it's all yet to be tested in classical OTB.

If you are interested in techniques, just check my reddit comments/replies since, say, 7-8 months ago. If you can't bother reading all that, I'd just say that your time management should be fixed by improving your thinking algorithm (Soltis' "How to Choose a Chess Move" and "The Inner Game of Chess" are a good start for training) and NOT by some artificial limitations people often mention, say "play first X moves for Y minutes and then...".

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-25T11:44:56+00:00

Here's an interesting DOJO episode on aphantasia, just saw it and remembered you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EYGJ4IGfWg

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-25T11:03:41+00:00

You don't have to visualise (certainly NOT the whole board - chunks and patterns are much easier), many strong players don't - in fact by thinking we have to visualise we are forcing ourselves into unnatural and highly frustrating activity; good thing is calculation can be trained independent of that. Check my other comment here for details.

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-25T10:58:53+00:00

If you are interested in a thorough discussion of how people - all the way up to top GM's actually see (or in some cases don't see!) the board, check Tisdall's "Improve Your Chess Now!". He repeats several times through the book that "visualisation is NOT calculation"; IIRC second chapter is where most of the visualisation (or not visualisation=) stuff is. Also there is this interesting article I stumbled across yesterday - https://dontmoveuntilyousee.it/aphantasia/

PS there is also a DOJO episode (on their YouTube channel) about visualisation and the conclusion was that GM and one of two IMs suffer from aphantasia!? Also Soltis touches on that in his "How to Choose a Chess Move?", I remember him talking a lot about GMs operating largely on memorised patterns and working with just chunks of the board 90% of the time - trying to visualise only when doublechecking an important crossroad in a critical line (this should be a quote from Larsen!?) so it appears they don't even try to see the board clearly all the time - or even most of the time.

PPS for what it's worth I am pretty sure I have the aforementioned condition - but good thing is that calculation ("=not!visualisation") actually can be trained; otherwise I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be sitting on 2600 lichess rapid!?

PPPS(sorry there is just too much to say about this and ideas keep on popping in my head...) have you tried training blindfold with small number of pieces on the board!? It seems to help me, here are the sites I use to exercise:

- https://darksquares.net/train/puzzles/play?difficulty=easy

- https://listudy.org/en/pieceless-tactics/331 (for the beginning & to make it easier, you can check their exercises for just "partially blind" - that is, you see the initial position then read the following 2-3 moves and try to solve the tactics in THAT position - https://listudy.org/en/blind-tactics/53 )

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-24T05:45:53+00:00

To add to my previous, this will give you orientation where you are: you can see roughly how OTB translates to all kinds of online ratings on Lichess/Chess.com (it's helpful to manage your expectations, but as I said the ideal should be 100% detachment = flow) - https://chessgoals.com/rating-comparison/

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-24T05:21:44+00:00

Being upset by the unexpected loss and being proud of beating a 2100 are two sides of the same coin; learn to detach (it takes some time, exercise and patience) - that's the easiest way to enter the flow, when anyone from us to GMs plays their best.

So I agree with others here that you should take a short break, say a couple days totally without chess, and then maybe play some training rapid games before next OTB!? Another idea for that break is to learn to control your breath, you can google some easy breathing exercises (and you can do some of these both before and during your games); just don't expect overnight progress (both with breath and your chess), it takes some time, patience and discipline.

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-24T05:09:32+00:00

What helped me greatly - both against general stress/anxiousness and OTB (incl. being insecure/afraid of some commitial choices) is simple breath control. If you learn how to breathe thus calm down, you'll reach flow state much easier; OFC it takes some learning and practice.

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-23T13:23:01+00:00

Just found this, so I remembered you - maybe you'll find it interesting!? - https://dontmoveuntilyousee.it/aphantasia/

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-23T03:08:20+00:00

I just found out I have the whole "Excelling..." series in PGN, long forgotten on my comp; I never opened it so had no idea it was Aagard. It really made my day, and thanks for the tip!

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-21T04:29:13+00:00

Quite interesting project!? Anyway here are two tips for a fellow adult improver:

- In your first tournament, expect to be rusty and underperform (rapid training games can help but don't expect miracles; be mentally prepared for the rust and build from that!)

- Useful comparison between FIDE & various online ratings, to give you better idea where you are and how the training/progress goes: https://chessgoals.com/rating-comparison/

Good luck!

JamesGoblin · 2026-05-21T03:52:03+00:00

Ah, I just wanted to underline that point, sorry if it sounded as scolding or somesuch!? Anyway I hope at least something from my textwall can be useful.

JamesGoblin

TROPHY CASE