Over the last 20 years, the age at which kids learn to play chess has become a lot younger and there has been a steadily increasing number of tournaments for u10, u8 or even younger players. European and world championships for the youngest groups host hundreds of players every year. Still, when it comes to chess literature, information or working material available to coaches and parents in order to help their kids / students prepare for these events is a rare thing.
To fill this gap Grandmaster and FIDE Senior-Trainer Thomas Luther and his team of experienced coaches have analyzed and evaluated more than 2500 games from kids competitions u8/u10. The result is a large collection of 68 sample positions and 247 exercises which give a good overview of what to expect from these tournaments. Furthermore the tests are very useful training material which can be used to check the skill level for optimizing the training and short learning lessons help to eliminate typical mistakes and deficits.
Other topics for further information of parents and trainers as well as eliminating prejudices or misjudgements covered by this book:
- an investigation about typical mistakes and frequency of occurence in lower age classes.
- information about talent, prodigies and training
- an outlook on the u12 as the next important stage for growth and evolution.
This is the most comprehensive investigation and collection of materials on the subject „Chess for Kids“ as well as a valuable guidebook on the subject „Chess Coaching for Kids“.
Excerpt
