Two Junior-Related Questions
Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2024 5:44 pm
Hi all,
I'm relatively new to the forum, and our club (Meltham Chess Club in West Yorkshire) is still only 9 months old, so I wondered if I could tap your collective expertise to help with two junior queries please:
1) We have a beginner, aged 7, who prioritises trying to promote his pawns over anything else in the game (it could be the thrill of having multiple queens on the board), but is throwing away games because of this, as all his attention is on his pawn moves, with his back rank often still full of pieces. His dad is a keen chess player, but advice from him and us is falling on deaf ears currently. Any advice would be greatly received!
2) We have another player aged 12, doing really well and spotting 2 (and sometimes 3) move combinations, has a good grasp of the rules of chess, but falls apart as soon as he plays with a clock. Has burst into tears over this at the club, and now asks, as soon as he arrives, "are we using clocks tonight?" HIs attendance, however, is excellent - he's only missed about 3 club nights since last April. We run a lot of friendly, unrated tournaments with our juniors, and are trying to modify his games as clock-free, but ultimately we'd love him representing us in rated games within a couple of years, and want to overcome this hurdle. I've spoken with parents, and they have said he has indicators of autism and can become overwhelmed. Any advice on how to make timed games appear less threatening?
Thanks for taking the time to read this guys
I'm relatively new to the forum, and our club (Meltham Chess Club in West Yorkshire) is still only 9 months old, so I wondered if I could tap your collective expertise to help with two junior queries please:
1) We have a beginner, aged 7, who prioritises trying to promote his pawns over anything else in the game (it could be the thrill of having multiple queens on the board), but is throwing away games because of this, as all his attention is on his pawn moves, with his back rank often still full of pieces. His dad is a keen chess player, but advice from him and us is falling on deaf ears currently. Any advice would be greatly received!
2) We have another player aged 12, doing really well and spotting 2 (and sometimes 3) move combinations, has a good grasp of the rules of chess, but falls apart as soon as he plays with a clock. Has burst into tears over this at the club, and now asks, as soon as he arrives, "are we using clocks tonight?" HIs attendance, however, is excellent - he's only missed about 3 club nights since last April. We run a lot of friendly, unrated tournaments with our juniors, and are trying to modify his games as clock-free, but ultimately we'd love him representing us in rated games within a couple of years, and want to overcome this hurdle. I've spoken with parents, and they have said he has indicators of autism and can become overwhelmed. Any advice on how to make timed games appear less threatening?
Thanks for taking the time to read this guys