Chess for Kids
Chess Games for Kids: 5 Fun Ways to Learn the Pieces
In this guide, you'll find a look at our approach for teaching kids to play chess, a word on picking a chess set, and a whole set of chess games for kids that show you how to play with your child, one step at a time.
A Playful Way to Learn Chess
Our approach is to let children learn by playing, starting with their very first exercises.
Now, as promised, let's get to the fun chess games. The idea is simple. Instead of playing with the full set right away, we unbalance the material from the very first move, which makes the game interesting immediately. It also lets your child start comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each piece.
If your child hasn't tried the pawn game yet, sometimes called Pawn Wars, that's the simplest place to start before moving on to the setups below.
Here are a few fun chess variants to try.
Queen vs. Eight Pawns
This game, which we call Rugby, is a fun way to master how the queen moves.
Start by setting up the position below.
The rule is simple. White moves first. If White manages to get a pawn all the way to the other end, White wins. If Black captures every white pawn instead, Black wins. Kids love this one.
Rook vs. Knight and Bishop
The rook, the bishop, and the knight all move in very different ways. It's interesting to see them together on the board and compare their strengths and weaknesses.
Set up the pieces as shown above. White moves first, and whoever gets a pawn to the other end or captures every one of the opponent's pawns wins. This position is supposed to favor White (a rook is worth about 5 pawns, a knight or a bishop about 3), but once the rook breaks into enemy territory, it gets stronger than the two minor pieces.
Knight vs. Bishop
Same rules as before. This one is a great matchup between a long-range piece that's stuck on one color, the bishop, and a slower piece that can reach every square on the board, the knight. It gives kids a first real look at comparing the bishop's and the knight's strengths and weaknesses.
The Hungry Knight
One good way to learn how the knight moves is to play the Hungry Knight.
Set up the pieces and pawns as shown below.
White moves first, and the pawns stay put. Both players only move their knight. Whoever captures every one of the opponent's pawns first wins. You're not allowed to capture the opponent's knight, and you can't move the pawns.
The Rook Battle
Here's one last fun game, and this one works a little differently from the others. To start, place a rook in each corner of the board.
Then each player places their eight pawns wherever they like. Once they're down, those pawns can't move again. Whoever captures every one of the opponent's pawns, or both of the opponent's rooks, wins. You can use the same idea for a bishop battle too.
A Fun Chess Set for Kids
A nice chess set helps when you play these games with your child. A couple of other strategy games are also worth having around for those first steps. Two of our favorites are Quarto and Quoridor, both well worth a look if you haven't tried them.
That wraps up this list of chess games for kids. Our goal here isn't to turn your child into a grandmaster or a world champion. It's to help them realize that thinking through a chess position can actually be fun.
If you'd like to keep exploring, check out our full guide on chess for kids for more on teaching your child to play.
Chess also helps kids build fine motor skills. Have fun with these chess games for kids!