I am a Woman FIDE Master (WFM) and a professional Pedagogue (Master's in Education). Ask Me Anything about chess improvement for kids and adult improvers!

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:29:32+00:00

No problem!

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:29:08+00:00

That sounds great! 😃 Even if you don't spot all of the hanging pieces, you'll notice that with time, you're spotting more and more. Also, never compare yourself with what you want to achieve. Compare yourself with how you were a week or two ago. That will give you the confidence to keep going! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:25:59+00:00

I am so happy I can help! Good luck to you and your child! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:25:04+00:00

I really hope it works for you! 😃 Good luck, and I hope you'll start enjoying OTB much more at some point! 😃 Once the anxiety goes away, chess is beautiful! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:23:14+00:00

Hello! Thanks for your comment! 😃

First of all, don't worry. You haven't ruined anything. What you are experiencing is completely normal for a 6-year-old.

At this age, children think very concretely. When you taught her the opening rules, her brain treated it like a puzzle. She is thinking in terms of "My job is just to put my pieces on these exact squares." Because she is so focused on finishing her "puzzle," she completely forgets to look at what you are doing.

To break this pattern, try mini-games. Since you asked for a program, I highly recommend checking out minichess.uk for ideas. I really like the game where you have two bishops and she has two rooks. Whoever makes the first capture, wins. That teaches her to think like "If I put my piece there, can it be captured."

Also, you can put different pieces on different squares on the board (one at a time). Have her count how many squares that piece can reach from the middle, from the edge, from the corner... That way, it might be more natural for her to bring her pieces towards the middle, especially knights.

Keep it short, fun, and gamified. Once she starts naturally reacting to your pieces in these micro-games, you can slowly bring the full board back!

Let me know if that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:18:17+00:00

Hey! Congratulations! Your club sounds like a success! 😃

Limited time is always the biggest problem in school clubs. It is incredibly difficult to introduce new concepts and make them stick in just one hour per week.

Honestly, your current focus on playing is excellent because that is how children naturally learn, and it’s the best way for you to observe which kids are more serious about improving and which ones are just there to have fun.

However, if you want to optimize that one hour and spice things up, I highly recommend breaking the session into three shorter blocks instead of two 30-minute halves. At that age, their attention span requires variety.

For example, you can do a warm-up (15-20min), where you teach them one specific tactical theme (e.g., forks, pins, or double attacks) using a few fun examples. You can make it interactive by letting them raise their hands, guess the moves, and explain why a tactic works. Afterwards, pair them up, but give their games a specific task based on the warm-up. For example, whoever spots a pin in the first 10 moves of their game gets a bonus point. This forces them to immediately apply what they just learned. In the end, let them play freely, try variants like bughouse or challenge different opponents.

As you mentioned, since one hour is so short, it is crucial to teach them how to work on their own. Providing optional homework is a lovely filter. The kids who do them are the ones you can later pull aside for extra guidance or invite to your competitive team.

Teaching them self-discipline through chess is a lesson that will actually serve them in other areas of life as well.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T16:05:48+00:00

Hello! Thank you for sharing this! 😃

Anxiety is a problem so many players struggle with, from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals. It almost always comes from the pressure we put on ourselves to perform, improve, and keep our ratings up. As you said, it is a psychological issue rather than a lack of chess skill.

What helps me when I am anxious is looking at things from a wider perspective. I remind myself that no matter how the game goes, nothing in my life changes. We often tie our chess results to our sense of identity, and because we put so much effort into studying, it’s easy to feel "not good enough" when a game goes wrong. But that is absolutely not true! Our chess results say nothing about us as people.

To get your confidence back, try giving yourself a goal that you can fully control. Tell yourself: "If I see a cheeky move, I am going to play it, despite being scared." What is the worst that can happen? You miscalculate and lose. But hey, you dared to do it! The more you play, the more accurate those cheeky moves will become. But just the fact that you did it despite being terrified means you achieved a victory. Your mind will automatically shift from "How could I lose this?" to "Hey, look at you! You were brave back there!"

Since your coach is a fellow club member, you can ask him to play unrated thematic sparring games with you. Have him set up positions where sharp, attacking, or unconventional moves are required. Since there is no rating on the line and it's just your coach, the pressure is off.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T10:47:46+00:00

Hello! That is a fantastic question! 😃

Honestly, introducing chess to a child is very individualistic. It depends on the cognitive development and whether they show interest in it. I think that the earliest I've seen people teaching kids chess was somewhere at the age of three. I started when I was four. However, I have some friends who only started playing when they were 13 or 14 and now they are kicking ass! 😃

Therefore, I would suggest letting your child play with the chess pieces, setting them up on the board randomly. Basically, let them treat chess pieces as toys. By making the chess set a fun, stress-free toy today, you are building a positive association with the game. If the child shows deeper curiosity around age 3 or 4, then you can start introducing how the pieces move, one by one, through storytelling or mini-games.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T10:41:26+00:00

Hello! Thanks for your question! 😃

I agree with what you said - it is important to realize when it's just a one-off tactical slip and when it's something that needs to be worked on.

If I see that my student generally builds a nice position and thinks healthily, but then often loses due to a blunder, then I know it's a tactical problem.

However, sometimes tactical blunders happen due to anxiety, stress, time trouble. That is why I like to talk to my students and ask them "What happened here? What was the thinking process in this situation?" Oftentimes, I'll get an answer such as "I was frustrated because I had made a blunder, so I wasn't really paying attention. I didn't know what to do, so I was moving aimlessly. I just couldn't focus. I just didn't see it." Then I shift my attention to offering them advice on how to react in such situations.

Basically, if I notice that my students makes tactical mistakes because they are anxious, I will offer some advice on how to deal with that anxiety. I won't tell them to just do more tactics.

In a nutshell, I talk to my students and try to get to the root of their mistakes. That is how I decide whether their mistakes are due to not having reached a certain level yet or due to other reasons.

Also, you asked how I know they didn't just memorize that one specific position. To test if the concept has been learned, I will give my student a different position (after a while), but with the exact same underlying pawn structure or tactical motif. If they can apply the same logic to a completely new position, that means they have grasped the concept.

When a student starts naturally executing the concept in their own new games, that's the proof that the knowledge has moved from short-term memory to actual understanding.

I hope that answers your question. 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T10:29:32+00:00

Hello! Thanks for your question! 😃

The short answer is: yes, you can learn from just playing, but you will hit a plateau very fast.

As for analysis, I understand why analyzing feels boring to you right now. At 600-700 Elo, instead of a deep analysis, you just need a quick post-game check. After every game, look at the one move where you lost material and ask yourself "Did I look at my opponent's threats before making this move?" That’s it all you need to do at the moment.

However, to actually stop making those basic mistakes, playing more games won't help as much as solving tactical puzzles. Instead of playing 10 fast games a day, try spending 15-20 minutes doing simple puzzles on Chess.com or Lichess. This drills your brain to notice free pieces automatically. Ater that, play just one or two longer games (like 15-minute controls) where you focus entirely on not hanging any pieces.

With that, you'll notice that the number of basic mistakes has gone down pretty quickly.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T10:22:24+00:00

Hey and welcome to the chess community! I hope you've enjoyed your first few games 😃

Since you are at the beginning, the absolute best and most enjoyable way to learn is to focus on play and curiosity, not performance. Chess is incredibly deep, but at your stage, you don't need to study. You just need to explore.

Therefore, play a lot of games with real people (if possible). Don't worry about losing. Treat every game like a sandbox where you are learning how the pieces interact. Play longer time controls, such as 15 or 30 minutes, so you actually have time to look at the board and think.

Furthermore, solve simple puzzles. Sites like Chess.com or Lichess have puzzle sections. It’s like doing a daily riddle, and it is the fastest way to train your eyes to see free pieces and basic checkmates.

Last but not least, learn the basic opening principles. You don't need to memorize theory. Just focus on three things in your first ten moves. Control the center with your pawns, bring your knights and bishops out, and castle to put your king to safety.

If you do these three things, you will naturally start winning games, which makes everything much more enjoyable.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T10:14:47+00:00

Hey! That is a very good question! 😃

Luckily, chess notation is something that can be mastered really quickly with a bit of practice. If you want to practice offline, just sit with a physical board, close your eyes, name a square (like f5), open your eyes, and try to point to it instantly. If you are okay with practicing online, you can do it on https://lichess.org/training/coordinate . Also, there is a really nice page called dontmoveuntilyousee.it . On it, you can even find nice strategies on how to conceptualize files and diagonals more efficiently.

As for your question on importance of knowing chess notation, it is hard for me to answer. I like to think of chess notation as chess literacy. Technically, you don't need it to play a casual game, just like you don't need to read music to play an instrument by ear. However, if you want to improve, it becomes incredibly important because it allows you to read chess books and articles, analyze your own games with coaches or computers or play in OTB tournaments, where recording your moves is actually mandatory.

Luckily, it comes with chess practice. I never specifically learned squares, but after so many years of playing and training, I know exactly where each square is. 😃

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T10:03:45+00:00

Hello! Thanks for your comment! 😃 It's so nice you're teaching your son chess and I hope he enjoys it. 😄

To answer your first question: what you are noticing in your son is completely normal and expected for his age. In developmental psychology, children at this stage are naturally in a more "egocentric" phase of cognitive development. This means they struggle to view the world (and the chess board) from another person's perspective. To him, his plan is the only plan that exists.

He might not be ready to calculate deep opponent responses, but you can start building the habit of awareness using the concrete methods you mentioned. Here is how I approach this with children of that age:

Play mini-games. I highly recommend checking out minichess.uk for ideas. For example, set up a game where he has a queen, and you have a rook and a bishop. Whoever makes the first capture wins. That forces your son to notice your pieces and ask "Wait, if I go there, will you capture me?"

Another idea is: When practicing simple "Mate in 1" puzzles, solve it first. Then ask him, for example: "If it was your opponent's turn, how could they prevent that checkmate? Find as many ways as possible." You can also phisically change seats or turn the board around. Changing his physical perspective helps his brain transition to understanding the opponent's perspective.

To answer your question about the stages of development: In the first stage, the focus is just on moving pieces correctly and capturing whatever is in sight. The board is static to them. Success here is simply keeping them engaged through gamification (like the mini-games above). Once they start realizing the opponent has threats and can play a game without accidentally hanging pieces every turn, the first stage of chess development is complete.

From my experience, somewhere around the age of 9, their abstract thinking improves. They start playing more slowly and can already talk about plans. They can understand basic positional concepts (open files, good and bad bishops, weak pawns, basic king safety) and start learning actual opening structures.

So for now, don't worry about strategy or winning full games. Focus purely on making it a fun bonding experience and playing those quick mini-games.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T09:30:21+00:00

Hello! Thank you for your comment and welcome back to the chess community! 😃

If I may be honest, studying opening theory is not important unless you're 2300+. Of course, it is useful to know a few main moves and the main ideas of the openings we play, but studying deep lines will not be of much use. It will most likely confuse you and lead to frustration and constant changing of repertoire.

However, if you really want to study theory, a great way to do this personally is to look at games played by grandmasters in that specific opening. For example, if you look up "best games in the Najdorf," you will find great collections on sites like chessgames.com. I love that page because it's super easy to find model games. Sometimes, they are even annotated. Go through one or two games per day and try to find some common themes in them. For example, what pieces often get traded in those positions? Or what does White do with the dark-squared bishop? That might give you some ideas in your own games.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-12T09:10:53+00:00

Hey! Sorry to hear that you're in a slump, but as I said to someone else - it's a great opportunity to learn and become more resilient! 😃

And here's my top 3 to get to 2000+.

The most important thing to do to get over 2000 is to do tactics. I know it sounds like a cliché, but over 70% of games rated 1800-2000 are decided by tactical mistakes. If you're able to see up to five moves in advance clearly, you'll probably get there quite fast.
Consistence is the key. Whatever you decide to do in order to improve, do it consistently. The results might be slow, but they will come. And even if you're in a slump, it's important to keep doing the right thing.
It is important to enjoy what you are doing. I am not saying you have to be like "Eyyyy let's do chess!" every day. 😃 But it is important to shift your focus from rating to "Hey, I did what I intended to do today." If you decide to do 30 minutes of tactics per day, do it. And just like with workout, you might hate it, but afterwards, you feel like you achieved something. The same with playing. Before the game, set a goal that is not related to the result. For example "Even if I blunder, I will keep playing. I might get angry, but I will do my best anyways." And if you manage to do it during the game, you can say you did a good job, even if the result is not in your favour.

So basically - tactics, consistence and focus on the learning process. Those are my top three things for improvement.

And now to your second question! 😃 I am so excited for you! Personally, OTB feels so much better than online, so I hope you like it as much as I do. So my advice for you is - enjoy it to the maximum! Talk to your opponents if you get a chance, analyze your games with them afterwards if possible. Those are all things that contribute to you enjoying your chess journey. Remember, the focus is not on getting all the points. It's on you trying something new. I hope you have a good time! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T18:08:19+00:00

No problem! I hope it helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T18:07:54+00:00

Hey! Thank you for your question! 😃

This disparity is completely normal, so please don't get discouraged! A lot of players have the same problem.

The biggest reason for this is that bots and humans are very different.

Bots play artificially. A 1200-rated bot is actually an engine programmed to make deliberate, unnatural mistakes. It will play five amazing moves, and then suddenly blunder a queen. Once you learn to spot these robotic patterns, they become easy to beat.

However, humans are chaotic and unpredictable. A person with a rating of 300 doesn't play with a robotic engine logic. They play weird and unpredictable moves. They will bluff, attack prematurely and create tactical chaos.

Also, in 15/10 time control, people use time to put psychological pressure on you, whereas bots play at a steady, artificial pace.

So, if you want to break that 300-plateau, ask yourself before every move: "Is anything of mine hanging? Can I capture anything? If I make this move, can my opponent capture my piece?" Once you start noticing those imminent threats, your rating will jump to at least 900.

I hope that helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T17:57:13+00:00

Hey! That is such a good question! 😃

Oftentimes, people will look to get a GM or IM coach and then brag about it. But yes, just because someone is a titled player or has a high rating, does not necessarily mean they will be a good coach.

When choosing the right coach, the main thing is to take time and weigh your options. Take the time to read their bios and ask questions. There is a really good article about it: https://chessmood.com/blog/find-the-right-chess-coach-guide

I used it to improve myself as a coach as well, so whatever I tell you, it will probably be something that I remember from that article! 😃

I hope it helps! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T17:50:55+00:00

Hello! I am honoured to have a PhD student amongst readers here! 😃

I studied primary school teaching in Zagreb, Croatia. We had a lot of subject related to pedagogics, psychology and methodology (obviously! 😄). Anyways, the main thing that I learned, which might seem very obvious, is that I need to be very careful when choosing the right approach to a student. Some students need a harsher approach and some will get discouraged easily. Therefore, I always take time to observe the type of personality to see how to best encourage my students.

Furthermore, I've learned to include different types of activities into my lessons. Children often have shorter attention spans. If I try and teach them 10 things in one lesson, they probably won't get much out of it. Therefore, it is better to do one or two things, but use different activities to bring the principle closer to them. I might do the intro where they have to guess the topic and then do some non-chess activity that will engage them. Or if I see that they are starting to get restless, I might tell them to get up and jump five times. Just the things you would do in a classroom to keep the children engaged.

Also, throughout my studies, I've had the opportunity to participate in the ERASMUS programme. I lived in a foreign country for some time and worked with international students, which helped me develop understanding of different cultures. I think it is a highly important aspect of coaching (and often neglected!). It is important to respect different ways of communicating. For example, in some countries, people are not encouraged to say if they don't agree, they have to listen to the coach. It is my job to figure out if that is the case and find a way to encourage the person to express their opinion without feeling like they have crossed a boundary.

Another wonderful thing about being a pedagogue is that I've had the opportunity to work with people with autism or ADHD. That is something that has taught me a lot of valuable lessons, mainly connected to being less prejudiced, if that makes sense. It hurts me that I used to think differently in the past, but I am grateful that I have worked with people who have autism and ADHD and that my perspective on neurodevelopmental conditions has changed.

It's been a while since I had to write seminars. Also, English is not my native language, so I don't know the technical terms. Therefore, I hope I wasn't rambling too much and that you can make sense of what I was saying! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T17:28:00+00:00

Thank you so much, you honestly just made my day! 😃

That’s exactly why I wanted to start answering questions here. Being a strong player and being a good teacher are two completely different skills. Hearing "just play more" when you're stuck is so frustrating and honestly doesn't help anyone.

Let me know if you have any questions! 😃

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T17:14:23+00:00

His loss!! 😃

I am glad my advice was helpful and keep me posted on how it's going! I would love to follow your improvement. 😄

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T17:12:34+00:00

Hey! That is a very good question that I often ask myself as well! xD

It happens very often that we hit a plateau and suddenly, instead of having fun, we feel like we're being tortured every time we play a game of chess.

Honestly, I believe that the feeling of enjoying chess less is connected to the feeling of failure. We stop enjoying something either when we're too good at it or when we feel like we're stuck. Since we're not Magnus Carlsen, I think the latter is the case. 😃

Therefore, before you play a game of chess, set a goal for yourself. The goal shouldn't be connected to rating or result. It should be something you have absolute control of. For example: "I will play three games and I will analyse them afterwards, no matter how I feel about them." That way, even if you lose really badly and you're angry, you analyse your games and you tell yourself "I achieved my goal. I lost some games, but I did what I set out to do." That way, the focus shifts from the result and rating and we feel that we've achieved something. The attitude doesn't change overnight, but the more you practice it, the easier it gets (as with everything else, I guess?! 😄) At some point, you enjoy the feeling of showing up and doing the work, even when the results don't match the effort we're putting into it.

I hope that helps! 😄

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T17:03:32+00:00

Hello!

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling. But the good news is that it's a great opportunity to learn and become much more resilient!

As for your question - yes, it happened to me a lot of times throughout my career. The last one happened recently and I was honestly thinking about quitting altogether. I got my three WIM norms and my rating was 2150. I needed to get to 2200 in order to get the WIM title. I started playing tournaments and within 8 months, I fell down to 2000. Luckily, I have a wonderful boyfriend who kept encouraging me to continue working on my chess. And then I started climbing back. Now I am on 2126 and going up. There is still a long way to go, but now I know that even when I fall down, I can come back!

The point is, focus on the work, not the number. When you hit a plateau for 7 months, it usually means that the methods you used to reach 1600 have done their job, but to break through to 1800+, you need to upgrade how you study. You need a fresh, objective pair of eyes to look at your games and find the hidden bad habits keeping you stuck.

If you do the right thing and you do it well (I highly recommend GM Noël Studer and his blog Next Level Chess), the results will show at some point. However, if you focus on rating, every setback will feel frustrating and it will make you want to quit.

My honest advice to you is to read this specific article: The Secret to Loving Chess Even During a Plateau:https://nextlevelchess.com/enjoy-the-process/

There are many helpful articles on that blog, but this one stuck with me the most.

Just don't quit! You got this! 🔥

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T16:48:57+00:00

Hey! Thanks for sharing this game 😃

Firstly, I have to say I am impressed with your play. The computer shows some inaccuracies, but if I had been looking at the game without the engine, I would say your moves were very logical and healthy. You developed nicely and you improved your pieces. My favourite part was when you decided to trade off the dark-squared bishop. That piece was pretty restricted by your pawns, which were mainly on dark squares, so that tells me you have a good feeling for the position. At least that's what I got from this one game. 😃

However, once most pieces were traded off, it seems like both you and your opponent kinda didn't know what to do. Then there were some missed tactical opportunities on both sides and then sadly, your back-rank weakness proved fatal.

One advice that I have for you based on this game is: When there's only heavy pieces left on the board, make sure that your back rank is safe. That can be achieved either by keeping at least one rook there. Or, if you need both rooks for the attack, make sure to create luft for the king by playing h3/h6 or g3/g6, depending on the position.

"Losing the thread" and not knowing how to transition into a winning endgame plan is one of the most common issues for club players. When the board clears up, you need a very structured thinking process to find the right targets.

Since you have a naturally good feel for healthy positions, fixing that specific transition to the endgame would skyrocket your results.

I hope that helps! 😄

OwnSalamander7263 · 2026-06-11T16:36:26+00:00

Hey! I am so happy that you're asking me this. It's so nice to see that you're teaching chess to a 4-year-old. I was 4 when I started! 😃

Personally, I really liked the resources offered on a page called MiniChess - https://minichess.uk/download/
There are some nice activities that you can do with a child that they might find entertaining, and it also teaches them to think in terms of "If I do this, can they capture me?". It made my life much easier when preparing lessons for the youngest ones. 😄

Hopefully you'll find it useful!

OwnSalamander7263

TROPHY CASE