Chess

Tyler has been learning to play chess in correlation with our medieval study.  We have been using the Usborne book Starting Chess.

 

I personally love all Usborne books and this one is no exception.  It breaks it down into easy to understand sections.  It introduces the board and each piece and its moves individually.  It has great illustrations (as do all Usborne books)  and it has internet links on each page to help learn more about the history of chess,  see pictures of different chess sets, and play games.  He has been reading a couple of pages each day and then practicing setting up the board.  There are neat little puzzles which are basically different situations you might encounter in a game and then the book asks you which pieces you could capture.  I have him set up the puzzles on his chess board and then figure out the answers. He has been really enjoying it.  I think it will be a popular pastime for him when he learns to play.  He has a very logical mind and I think he will do very well.

Here are a couple more pages from the book:

Tomorrow he will play his first game with me using only the king, queen, and pawns for now. 

This is his chess board.  It is very special because his dad bought it for him last year when he was deployed to Afghanistan.  It weighs a ton!  I think he is happy to finally use it and not just admire its beauty.