The following comes from Kevin Bachler and
is reprinted with Kevin's permission.
Kevin Bachler
is a FIDE Master and a chess coach in Park Ridge, IL., currently at
Maine South High School. Although he and his wife ran a grade school
chess club with about 150 members for about 7 years, from fall 1994 -
spring 2004 he focused on a team of 10 kids that included his son. Over
10 years, that team won 7 state championships and finished 2nd 3 times,
and won 3 national championships finishing second twice and in the top
10 another 3 times. Several of the team members won individual state
championships. Other team accomplishments include the highest score in
an Illinois State Championship (24.5 of 28 in spring 1997, 7 round
"medley" grade 4-5 section), most consecutive regional tournaments won
(22) and in one year in high school finished with a match record of
27-1.
If your child is just embarking into the world
of competitive chess, if she or he is thinking about playing in that
first Saturday tournament, then you, as a parent or a coach, need to
prepare yourself as well. For most children, especially those in K-3, a
chess tournament will be different than any other sporting event in
which they have participated.
Alone. During the game, they are alone. Just
them, the opponent, 64 squares, and 32 pieces. No talking. No friends.
No physical way to relieve stress. Parents and coaches frequently aren't
even allowed in the room. This can be very tough. It can also be very
rewarding. As a parent, as a coach, you need to be prepared to offer
support and encouragement. Keep the focus on improvement. Don't focus
too much on winning, and don't focus on just "survival." The kids are
smart. If you downplay winning, they will know they aren't doing well.
Instead, manage their expectations before, during, and after the
tournament. Teach them a process of improvement from tournament to
tournament, not just from game to game.
A good approach is to have an honest discussion
before the tournament about how well the child can do. If they are just
learning, focus on keeping accurate chess notation. Explain that there
are many good players and a goal of winning one or two games would be
VERY good for a first tournament. Create little goals that they can
control. Did they get all of their men out in every game? Did they ask
themselves before every move what captures or checks there were in the
position?
Find, measure, reinforce, and celebrate SMALL,
MEASURABLE, and REACHABLE goals for them to work on. Repeat messages
consistently: "Our goal (not just their goal!!) is to get better in
every tournament. After while, the winning will come by itself."
Watch the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer
with your child. Certainly, some things are exaggerated to help tell a
multi-year story in two hours. But remember key points, and, when things
get tough in a tournament you can say -- "Hey, remember when Josh had
that problem?" Kids get this stuff -- they identify with it, and the
examples help them a great deal.
DO NOT tell them what not to do, especially as
the last reminder before a game. There isn't a more certain way to make
them mess up. Let me illustrate: Don't think about pink elephants.
What's the first thing that came to mind? You see, the human brain is
wired to think about things, not to avoid thinking about things. So
leave them with a positive message. Wrong: "Don't bring your Queen out
early." Right: "Remember, bring all of your men out early, and bring
your Queen out last, after all the other pieces are out."
Stress is a big factor. I've had kids that love
tournaments that still literally toss their cookies before every game.
Find stress relievers. For some kids, a gentle stroke on the back is
re-assurance. For others, this lets them know that their parents are
nervous about them being nervous -- so it just makes it worse. Learn to
re-focus their brain. For one youngster I would make a funny face before
every game in the tournament room when no one was looking. It would
crack him up, be our secret, and get his mind off the big game.
Reinforce how to correct errors, but believe
me, the kids will kick themselves about their mistakes, so you usually
don't have to do anything to make this a big point. Tears are o.k. In
fact, there are times when, under the right circumstance, I've even
encouraged this. Let them know that feeling bad is o.k., and to avoid it
next time, here is a positive step that we can take to improve our game.
Many kids do very well with this dose of reality so long as you are
supportive and they understand that you are there to help them, not to
criticize them. Remember, they have no teammates, no bad refs, no
weather, nothing else to blame this on. When they lose, they will know
it's because they were outplayed, and a realistic approach to
improvement offers hope and encouragement for the next game.
Distinguish between stupid moves and the fact
that you are not calling the child stupid. We all make mistakes, we all
started out as beginners, and it takes time to get better. I will often
share a story that as an 11 year old I lost 100 games at Rook odds to a
high school friend before I won a single game -- and I became a Master.
They can too, but improvement takes time and persistence. Moves can be
bad, dumb, stupid, stinky, etc. Children are not.
Most important of all -- have fun. Rejoice and
celebrate in your improvements, savor the victories, and have a good
time.