Question: My kid is only 3 years but likes chess a lot, is it a right time to start coaching?
Ramesh RB: That’s nice. The kid is brilliant. But it is too early to judge the kid on actual game and would say, needs some more time to take chess as a sport.
Question: My kid learns chess for the past 3 years, he/she attends the classes regularly. But when i take the kid to tournament, the perfromance is not upto the mark. Why is it so?
Ramesh RB: There is no way to measure the performance of a game. Even world champions have situations where blunders/mistake occur in their games. The best remedy is not to repeat a mistake once done.
Question: How much time should a kid spend for Chess in a day to become a champion?
Ramesh RB: As I mention always, there is no tabulated method to becoming a champion and the number of hours spent in games, classes does not determine any qualities for becoming a champion. A number of parameters amounts to it.
Question: My kid is watching TV/Computers, will that impact chess.
Ramesh RB: As my personal opinion, anything to certain limit is always acceptable and required as a part of life. Anything that overrides that threshold is a sure shot for impact.
Question: What is the best age to start playing chess?
Ramesh RB: It depends on the individual. Talks are going on to introduce National, Asian and World Chess Championships for kids below 6 years of age. With that in view, we believe that the ideal age to start chess is between 5 to 6, provided the child shows some interest towards the game.
Ramesh RB: A good trainer can motivate the child in the right way, teach the essential basics of the game, set the right attitude, kindle the interest in learning and working individually at home. The trainer should incline your child more towards learning so that victories come automatically but not the other way round.
Question: How important is it to get the right trainer for my child?
Ramesh RB: A good trainer can motivate the child in the right way, teach the essential basics of the game, set the right attitude, kindle the interest in learning and working individually at home. The trainer should incline your child more towards learning so that victories come automatically but not the other way round.
Question: How important it is for the child to practice regularly?
Ramesh RB: According to a school of thought, it takes roughly 20 hours per week of practice to become a successful professional in any discipline. It would be ideal if a child, aspiring to become a Grand Master, can practice chess 2 hours a day during weekdays/schooldays and around 4 hours on weekends. Chess being an individual sport, a player should learn to think for himself/herself and take tough decisions all by himself/herself. Regular individual work will help improve these qualities greatly! The importance of home work in chess cannot be emphasized enough.
