Chess for Schools

Richard James has been teaching and organising chess for children since 1972. Between 1975 and 2006, Richard ran the highly successful Richmond Junior Chess Club, whose members included Luke McShane, Jonathan Rowson and other future grandmasters. He is also the author of Chess for Kids and The Right Way to Teach Chess to Kids, and has written extensively on chess history and trivia.

When I began to read Chess for Schools, I was aware of two salient facts: that Richard James has tremendous experience teaching chess to children - in a classroom setting and as founder of the famously successful Richmond Junior Chess Club; and that he has been a consistent critic of much current chess teaching practice - particularly in primary schools, where he believes the teaching of chess is frequently pitched at an unrealistic level in relation to the cognitive development of the pupils. I was consequently well-prepared for a text that might ruffle some feathers.I was not disappointed. There are undeniably passages in the book which will make uncomfortable reading for some chess teachers and parents. Yet far from the feeling that Richard James is gratuitously courting controversy, I came to regard his unwillingness to pull punches with many in his target audience as a mark of the book's uncommon integrity. His views are the product not only of great experience but also of a persistent quest to improve the outcomes for his pupils, both those with lofty chess ambitions and those who will enjoy a variety of relationships with the game. He has read widely and thought deeply, and the result is a coherent, very readable and well-structured argument which he makes with obvious passion. I didn't agree with all his contentions, but I always found myself hungry to read on. The book will certainly prompt fresh thoughts and is also a treasure trove of practical advice and resources for chess instruction. I would strongly recommend Chess for Schools to any chess teachers, parents and others with an interest in chess pedagogy.Peter Wells