I have written two articles on chess and children, both of which were first published in the English magazine CHESS in 2003.

They are available here in pdf format (you need ADOBE ACROBAT READER to read them) and will be of interest to parents and teachers.

CHESS, PIAGET AND POLGAR
When is the best age for children to start chess? How do children learn chess, and how should they be taught? Why do so many children fail to make progress after the first year or two? Why do so many children give up chess so soon? What are the REAL benefits of chess for children? These are just some of the questions addressed in this influential paper.

CHESS THINKING SKILLS IN CHILDREN
Every move of every game of chess you have to make a decision. To choose between maybe 30, 40 or more different moves. You success at chess depends on how good you are at making these decisions. More than 70 children of different ages and playing strengths were asked how they would decide on their move in eight positions. The results indicate the different methods of thinking used by children of different ages and levels of experience, and point towards how we can improve our methods of teaching and presenting chess to young children.