Cyber Chess

This week at my house, we're focusing a lot of our attention on the game of chess.  My eldest son, Joshua, is taking part in his first K-12 Scholastic Open Chess Tournament this Saturday and we're all very excited.

At first I wasn't sure that he was going to be able to participate.  However, on the registration page of the tournament's website, I noticed a special link for "homeschoolers".  After reading the fine print, I learned that the tournament was indeed open to us and that my son had the choice of either registering as a student of our local high school, or as an "independent".  Since we've never set foot in any schools in this state, let alone in our own neighborhood, we opted for the unaffiliated route.

In preparation for the upcoming tournament, one chess resource my son has put to good use is a website called: Chess.com. This website has so much to offer, it's almost impossible to know where to start.  Here's a quick rundown on what you can expect to find:

Videos 
There are tons of full length videos that cover: the history of chess; how to play the game; openings, tactics and strategies; and end-game solutions.  The content addresses all levels, ranging from beginners to advanced players.

Reading
There is so much reading material on Chess.com, that you could literally stay on their site for years.  In addition to literally hundreds of articles on chess, you will also find: Daily Columns, Chess News, Chess Blogs, and a Chessopedia (a chess encyclopedia that provides a wealth of information on: chess terminology, tactics, strategies, and a virtual Who's Who of the chess world).

Forums
An extensive forum list where members can post and answer questions about chess.  What a great way for chess players to help one another by sharing all they know about the game.

Online Play
Wow, talk about your options.  You can play chess against a computer.  You can play a private game with a friend.  You can play chess with other players (from all over the world).  Another option is to simply play correspondence chess with a friend - one move at a time via email, Facebook, or iGoogle.  What's especially handy, is that the games include proper chess notation (see graphic below), which provides excellent practice for anyone preparing for tournament play.

Best of all, the games at Chess.com are ALL played online.  So there is nothing to download or install. 

Other Cool Stuff

• Daily Chess Puzzles - you can use as a warmup (allowing several attempts and the final solution when you're ready).  
• Game Explorer - allows you to search games played by the Masters so you can learn about the most popular openings, middle, and endgame moves.
• Book Openings - a review of the standard chess book openings.  
• Chess Tactics Trainer - a feature that helps you learn to recognize critical positions, such as: pins, forks, and other tactical moves.

Oh, and did I mention that the majority of features on Chess.com are absolutely free?  You even have the option of accessing most of these features on the website in "guest mode".  However, if you want to play online with friends you will need to register for a free account.  There are several levels of "Premium Memberships", however they just seem to eliminate ads on the site and provide access to a few extra features.  As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be any disadvantage to just signing up for a free account.

Finally, if you have an iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android, Palm, or other mobile device... you can take your game with you.   We have already downloaded the free app for the iPad and discovered it works like a dream.  My son is planning to make use of this feature on Saturday, when his is between matches at the tournament.

Chess.com is an incredible website that I highly recommend for homeschoolers (and their parents) who either want to learn to play chess or just strengthen their game.  If you've never considered the benefits of chess for your child's education, you really should. There has been countless studies extolling the educational benefits of playing chess.

One of the earliest writings in America praising chess was actually written by Benjamin Franklin.  He was apparently an avid chess player and wrote an essay in 1786 entitled "The Morals of Chess". In this essay Franklin praised the value of chess on behavior.  Franklin was later recognized for his contribution to chess in America by being inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 1999.


Here's a tour of the Chess.com website:

Finally, I'd like to add that parents of younger children might want to check out another related website: ChessKid.com (sponsored by the folks at Chess.com).  This website offers free online chess lessons and play for children under the age of 13.  At ChessKid.com, safety is top priority, so there is no contact with strangers and parents manage all online activity.