MY CHILD IS INTERESTED IN CHESS, BUT...

CANNOT FIND TIME TO PLAY

For parents reading this, you should sincerely ask yourself why. If a child is truly burdened with school work and does not even have time to find a spot in a day to play, what happens generally is that weekly hourly lessons do not take much effect.Often it is pouring sand onto a sieve. Much of the material covered cannot be assimilated. It will be difficult to make progress if the concepts learnt cannot be applied, made to work and then remembered. Chess is no different from learning Chinese. It does require time and practice.

DOES NOT READ CHESS MATERIAL

Parents should also realise that some kids are only keen on playing but not learning about chess. They enjoy the interaction, socialising with other children (which is also healthy) but may not wish to spend time in learning the materials given to them because they view it as WORK which is not fun. As coaches, it is a primary challenge to motivate all students and make them understand that only hard work and focused practice yields results. This is no different from getting good grades in school.

LIKES COMPUTER GAMES MORE

This is typical of every household. Computer games are more exciting graphically and addictive. One can get hooked on MapleStory or other XBOX or PlayStation or Wii games especially those where groups can collaborate. So there are only a selected few children who will see chess as a game that requires more out of them than just pressing buttons and shooting down aliens. One also needs high esteem and conviction of one's thoughts to demonstrate a point on the chessboard. It is this quality that creates visionaries, entrepreneurs and leaders. Chess is not called the Royal Game for nothing.

All coaches desire enthusiastic and eager students with high aspirations because they are like gems which are hard to find. Once they are found, they can be honed into diamonds which shine. However, for those who see chess just as a tool for mental development and can't spare the time or effort to excel, that is fine too. But there will not be tangible results in the near term, so I would not promise any.

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